mark
Sprout
Posts: 5
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Post by mark on Dec 14, 2022 22:05:57 GMT -5
For next year's tomato plantings, I've got eight 20-gallon planting bags I'm going to be using, since I'm having to rotate locations after two years of planting in the same place. I transplant seedlings that I get from a sale put on by our UC Master Gardener program.
What potting soil would you recommend to fill them with? I'm okay to spend some money but don't want to go crazy if I can help it. It looks like it could be expensive.
Potting soil that doesn't require amendments would be ideal. Miracle Gro seems to maybe attract gnats, which I don't need because our area already has too many of them!
Thanks for any ideas!
— Mark
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Dec 15, 2022 11:10:29 GMT -5
I put a mixture of bagged soil, just plain, no additives. And then I use orgainc cow manure or organic maine coastal. This one may have amendments added. There are several varieties. Coco fiber and/or vermiculite to help hold moisture. When you plant add bone meal or whatever else you like. Please don't use Miracle Grow....not good for soil.
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Post by desertwoman on Dec 15, 2022 11:19:40 GMT -5
I don't have a lot of experience with containers/grow bags but with the one very large container I use I simply filled it with garden soil and I feed it each Fall like I do the rest of my garden. I would definitely not use Miracle Gro. (yes, they make an organic potting soil, as well, but I wouldn't use that either) You can make your own like lilolpeapicker and there are several others here who grow in containers/grow bags who can give you better advice than I. Perhaps pepperhead212 gianna gardendmpls 2guysnagarden martywny breezygardener emmsmommy |
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Post by martywny on Dec 15, 2022 13:10:58 GMT -5
What potting soil would you recommend filling them with? I use a local product called organic nutrisoil to which I add composted organic cow manure, peat, and vermiculite, this link has a description of what it is. www.cjkrantztopsoil.com/products Check with your bulk topsoil/mulch suppliers for something similar. Pro-Mix BX Biofungicide + Mycorrhizae is what I use to plant in flats or pots after starting in organic Jiffy mix. My containers are plastic, food-grade 55-gallon drums cut in half. |
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Post by breezygardener on Dec 15, 2022 13:12:14 GMT -5
Actually, I've used both Miracle-Gro & Stay-Green with excellent results all round.
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Post by datgirl on Dec 15, 2022 13:18:41 GMT -5
I grow my peppers in containers and I too use garden soil mixed with some compost and chicken poop. I have used the pro-mix too when I need to add to the container. This past fall I emptied all my pepper pots and will have to refill them all this spring. I don't like Miracle Gro either.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Dec 15, 2022 14:38:24 GMT -5
For the pots, I make my own, since it's gotten so expensive! Roughly put, I use about 75% peat and coir, 5% vermiculite, and 20% perlite, plus some worm castings, and always add some mycorrhizae into the surface. I don't have problems with fungus gnats outside, but for those that I bring inside, I start a couple weeks earlier watering some B. israelensis solution into the pots - the same thing used to kill mosquito larvae. Those large "mosquito dunks" can also be crushed up, and worked into the top 2" or so layer of the pot. That should help the thwart the gnats, whatever soil mix you have it in.
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Post by raphanus on Dec 15, 2022 18:30:09 GMT -5
For big pots like that I tend to do layers with yard soil and cheap bulk compost on the bottom layers and then fine organic composts and potting mix on the top layers to save money. Potting mix isn’t cheap, usually a $10-15 bag of potting mix is going to be around 2-2.5 cubic ft and will fill about 20 gallons. So with eight 20 gallon grow bags, you’re looking at over $100 without amendments. So mixing with compost or yard soil or even some sand may be worth the trouble to save a lot of cash. Fabric pots give one quite a bit more flexibility and forgiveness in quality of soil media mix
For plants I really really care about, I’ll splurge and get FoxFarm Ocean Forest.
If I’m not feeling quite that fancy I’ll just get FoxFarm Happy Frog.
For less important plants, I’ll just use Jungle Growth from Lowes or Kellog from Home Depot.
For the least important plants, I’ll just use cheap bulk county compost mixed with a little Black Kow.
I think homemade organic compost is a good thing to mix into commercial potting mix to jump start all the beneficial soil microbes. Homemade potting mix can save a lot of money: equal parts cheap county compost, homemade organic compost, peat moss, perlite. Can always add sand and finely ground woody materials as filler. I also like to mix in some soil conditioner or other bacterial+fungal inoculant
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Post by gardendmpls on Dec 15, 2022 22:11:07 GMT -5
Just started fabric pots this year. Used promix plus chicken poop compost from the coop. With drought conditions, watered the garden and all once a week and the pots twice, but was still a bit dry. Next time I would add more compost to hold the water better and maybe put the bags closer to each other.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 31, 2023 11:22:21 GMT -5
Concerning grow bags/pots…what’s your favorite, most used size? I have Amazon perks burning a hole in my pocket and these grow pots are calling my name.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jan 31, 2023 17:14:42 GMT -5
Concerning grow bags/pots…what’s your favorite, most used size? Last year used these for potatoes, then followed up with greens. 10 gallon size: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JTQ6D2R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1Because of drought conditions, even with watering I didn't get much of a potato harvest. The greens were another story, but I kept a better eye on them. They can be moved around fairly easily- have strong handles. I did take some fencing wire left over from making tomato cages, cut strips, bend into circles and insert them around the inside of the top to make sure they stayed open and didn't fold over the plants when the soil settled. This is especially needed with potatoes, as you are adding to the soil/mulch as they grow. Bought some smaller, seven gallon bags to use this year for flowers anbd whatnot. Will see how they do. Reusing the others- left the soil in and will add more compost and use to start greens in the spring: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RY1QQNX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 |
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Post by binnylou on Jan 31, 2023 17:55:24 GMT -5
Thanks, gardendmpls , I ended up ordering a 5 pack of 15 gallon bags. And then I wondered how I was going to use them.  These bags could help with tomato rotation…allowing me to plant closer to the walnut tree? |
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Post by binnylou on Feb 2, 2023 21:55:28 GMT -5
Received my order of Vivosun grow bags today. Impressive…these could be laundry baskets, kitty beds, even grow plants in them.  Also received my Baker Creek seed order of kohlrabi, cabbage, another cabbage, carrots, broccoli,and Amish Paste tomato. Free seed was Wasabis radish. |
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Post by 2guysnagarden on Feb 16, 2023 22:27:22 GMT -5
Hey all!! Sorry for the delay, it has been a busy winter for us. For our grow bags, last year we used a combination of Potting soil mix, Black cow manure, and peat moss. I got the idea of one of the YouTube gardener channels I occasionally watch. It worked out great for us and we plan to use the same method again. I will include the link to the video incase anyone wanted to see if for reference. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLYE5UlutDM |
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Post by binnylou on Oct 21, 2023 17:50:22 GMT -5
I emptied one of the grow bags and wanted to clean it before putting it in to storage. I used a garden hose to spray mostly clean. Then I put it over an upside down muck tub. It fit perfectly, gave it a good spray, and left it in place to dry overnight.
I think when I do the next bag, I’ll turn it inside out before placing over the muck tub. That should give better access to the dirt.
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