Why I (mainly) use fabric containers

[@chicosgarden]

I am using the fabric grow bags for Potatoes, tomatoes, red onion and beetroot and I think they are great but you do have to keep an eye in really hot weather to water them enough. Funnily enough I am growing spinach in terracotta pots and also plastic troughs (with drain holes that we did for drainage) and the ones in terracotta pot are much larger than the plastic troughs. I tend to use terracotta for my flowers because they look lovely and they seem to be very good for them.

[@robinscontainergarden]

I only have a couple of terra cotta pots (proper ones, not the plastic ones which looks like them - I have those, too lol). I don't have a lot of level areas to put them, though. So I haven't used them yet.

[@eliandkate]

I recognise those fabric pots... :D I have those :D

[@robinscontainergarden]

I just love them! I mean, I DO have about 50...so...😂😂

[@needzmoarpaula]

I sewed some grow bags out of landscape fabric (the non-plasticky kind) this year and I've put them inside wooden apple boxes that have open slats to allow drainage. I'm using them to grow my tomatoes and eggplant, plus one for a flower box. If my sewing machine hadn't broken, I would have definitely sewed more and experimented with different fabrics and shapes. So far, everything I've planted in them seems to be doing really well - the toms and eggplant are in a polytunnel, the flowers are outside in full sun, and they're all thriving. Once I get my sewing machine fixed, I'll definitely be making more of the grow bags, even if only to use as liners in fruit boxes or some other external support.

[@robinscontainergarden]

I think that's a GREAT idea! Well done you!

[@kushcraft9914]

Here we call the fabric bag hundred mile an hour bags , it's a long story.. great video today ✌️

[@robinscontainergarden]

Now I'm gonna need that story 😂

[@tennesseenana4838]

My favorite containers are the 18-gal food safe storage containers. Besides having holes in the bottom or side, I also put sticks on the bottom for extra drainage help. Sometimes I'll put other smaller containers in them for layering and will have basil or marigolds, etc in them with my tomatoes. I'll have the bottom of those cut with a large hole so their roots can escape if necessary. I do have a variety of other containers but have never tried the fabric ones. Hehe - was that your neighbor we heard at the end?

[@robinscontainergarden]

All my back area is gravel so I don't want roots to escape - lord knows where they'd end up 😂 A very lovely neighbour, yes. Big eyes. Eats a lot of grass 😂

[@Xinte60]

Thank you for the info on the fabric planters Robin, could I ask what you do with them at the end of the season? Do you empty the soil out and store them away or do you just leave them outdoors with the soil in? thanks

[@robinscontainergarden]

I'm glad it was helpful 🙂 I don't have the storage space to empty them out so they just sit outside until the following season. In the late winter, I start working in compost, manure, and blood, fish, and bone to refresh the soil. Then before I plant them up, I'll empty them out and check for anything like sticks, roots, or anything sinister, like pests.

[@Xinte60]

@@robinscontainergarden Thanks for your reply Robin , the fact that you leave them out is further testament to how strong and long lasting these planters must be! 👍

[@robinscontainergarden]

@@Xinte60 I do love them. They're perfect for the way I want to garden.

[@LaRossaPH]

Most of my plants are in fabric containers. They dry out a little faster than I like when we have a dry spell (like we are in now), so I am considering using ollas next year. My strawberries are in a metal raised bed, my potatoes are in cardboard boxes, and my spinach is in a plastic container.

[@robinscontainergarden]

Maybe because mine are in a sheltered spot, I'm not noticing them drying out much, but I can see how that could happen, especially at the minute. Have you had any rain over the last few days?

[@LaRossaPH]

@@robinscontainergarden We have had about an inch of rain over the last month, divided over two days, with a dry day in between.

[@robinscontainergarden]

@@LaRossaPH We've only had a bit ourselves. It's the dryest spring I can remember here.

[@LaRossaPH]

@@robinscontainergarden Indeed it has been dry. Last year was a dry summer, but this year was a very dry spring. We will see how the rest of the season goes.

[@robinscontainergarden]

@@LaRossaPH best of luck to you and you garden ☺️