Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

What do you think?

lloyd writes
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

If you grow in a hole, then you might find bagged up compost cheaper
than a gro-bag. Or then again you might not. A couple of years ago, I
think someone mentioned on here that one of the sheds was doing a
special offer on gro-bags which meant that, volume for volume, it was
cheaper than buying compost in bags.

Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.


--
Kay

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:01:07 +0000, K wrote:

lloyd writes
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

If you grow in a hole, then you might find bagged up compost cheaper
than a gro-bag.

Thank you

Is the grow bag just compost then?

Or then again you might not. A couple of years ago, I
think someone mentioned on here that one of the sheds was doing a
special offer on gro-bags which meant that, volume for volume, it was
cheaper than buying compost in bags.

Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.

I just pushed my last ones right through the bag in to the ground
which worked well. Three plants per bag was too crowded, though they
were three different type of tomatoes so I guess that may matter. I
wondered if there was a particular reason for grow bags apart from
convenience, you know like bugs and weeds or toms are real fussy
plants?

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:16:55 +0000, lloyd wrote:

Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.

I just pushed my last ones right through the bag in to the ground
which worked well. Three plants per bag was too crowded, though they
were three different type of tomatoes so I guess that may matter. I
wondered if there was a particular reason for grow bags apart from
convenience, you know like bugs and weeds or toms are real fussy
plants?

You can use grow bags on a concrete base

--
®óñ© © ²°¹°

lloyd wrote:
On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:01:07 +0000, K wrote:

lloyd writes
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

If you grow in a hole, then you might find bagged up compost cheaper
than a gro-bag.

Thank you

Is the grow bag just compost then?

I think they have more nutrients than general purpose compost. They
certainly whiff a bit if you remove the contents

lloyd writes
On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:01:07 +0000, K wrote:


Is the grow bag just compost then?

As I understand it, yes. It has added nutrients, but so does JI no2 or
no 3.


Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.

I just pushed my last ones right through the bag in to the ground
which worked well.

Are you growing them outdoors or in a greenhouse?

Three plants per bag was too crowded, though they
were three different type of tomatoes so I guess that may matter. I
wondered if there was a particular reason for grow bags apart from
convenience, you know like bugs and weeds or toms are real fussy
plants?

They're not particularly fussy. They get greenfly, whitefly (in a
greenhouse) and red spider, but these all come in above ground, not
through the soil, so the growbag offers no protection.

As far as I know, the gro-bag is just a convenient large container
ready-filled with soil. The fact that the plastic comes over the top as
well cuts down on evaporation of water from the soil surface, and
tomatoes take a lot of water.

But if you're growing on soil outside, rather than in a greenhouse or on
a patio, it seems to me to be a good idea to do as you suggest. The
tomatoes will get a better root run, and they won't need quite so much
watering. On the other hand you will need to weed around them, as all
the other plants around will notice this patch of much better compost
and will be doing their best to move in!

But I grow my tomatoes in pots, and am not particularly good at it, so
take all this as contribution to the discussion not definitive advice!
(In other words, I may be completely wrong).

--
Kay

"lloyd" wrote ...
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

If you are growing them outside on soil why are you wasting money with grow
bags? Just plant them in the soil, you can improve the soil with some well
rotted manure/compost and they will love it, be healthier, and suffer less
water stress ( not so dependant on you for water & nutrients).
We grow ours in rows out on our allotment every year (no greenhouse) and get
good crops but you must avoid the dreaded Blight by spraying with a
preventative (Bordeaux Mixture) or using blight resistant varieties
(Ferline, Fantasio, Legend)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"lloyd" wrote in message
...
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

What do you think?

It is worthwhile each year to check the price of Grobags against the price
of other compost.
Thye contents are usually comparable - designed to grow flowers and
vegetables - and for some reason the sheds often use a "stack 'em high sell
'em cheap" policy for Grobags but not for compost.
Therefore it is always worthwhile to check prices whenever you need a
general purpose compost.
A couple of years ago HomeBase did a really good deal on peat free Grobags
which performed very well for me; however they didn't seem to do it this
year.

Grobags are (I think) intended for seasonal crops where you don't have a
vegetable patch.
You can put them on any hard standing and grow stuff in them and you don't
have any problems with disease carried over from one year to the next, as
you may have with a vegetable plot.

I find that my haphazard watering does not suit Grobags - once they dry out
they are very hard to re-wet.
I grow tomatoes in pots, usually.
I find that a single Grobag will fill at least two pots and that pots are
easier to manage, including easire to fit canes to support tall plants.

My 'magic mixture' (when I have the time/energy) is to get Grobags, top soil
(normally cheaper than JI No. 3) and manure. All can be bought in bulk at
HomeBase or similar sheds.
I then mix them together at about 1/2 bag manure, a Grobag, and 1/2 a bag of
topsoil.
This results in a mixture which is light (due to the Grobag), rich in
organics (due to the manure) and easy to re-wet (due to the top soil).
Tomatoes seem to do well in this mixture, in pots, as do courgettes and
cucumbers.

This year I didn't have time for anything fancy so I just cleared a small
patch of flower bed, dug in some chicken sh*t, Gromore, and a bag of
HomeBase manure and slammed in a couple of store bought cherry tomato
plants.
I then left for a month for an extended holiday on a narrow boat.
The tomatoes flourished and have needed very little feeding or watering even
though it has been a dry year at times.

Summary:
Buy Grobags and transfer contents to pots to grow tomatoes on hard standing.
Look at your flower beds and slot a tomato plant or two into gaps (having
first manured and fed the area) for a more relaxed approach.

Cheers

Dave R

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:59:35 +0000, K wrote:

lloyd writes
On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:01:07 +0000, K wrote:


Is the grow bag just compost then?

As I understand it, yes. It has added nutrients, but so does JI no2 or
no 3.


Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.

I just pushed my last ones right through the bag in to the ground
which worked well.

Are you growing them outdoors or in a greenhouse?

Three plants per bag was too crowded, though they
were three different type of tomatoes so I guess that may matter. I
wondered if there was a particular reason for grow bags apart from
convenience, you know like bugs and weeds or toms are real fussy
plants?

They're not particularly fussy. They get greenfly, whitefly (in a
greenhouse) and red spider, but these all come in above ground, not
through the soil, so the growbag offers no protection.

As far as I know, the gro-bag is just a convenient large container
ready-filled with soil. The fact that the plastic comes over the top as
well cuts down on evaporation of water from the soil surface, and
tomatoes take a lot of water.

But if you're growing on soil outside, rather than in a greenhouse or on
a patio, it seems to me to be a good idea to do as you suggest. The
tomatoes will get a better root run, and they won't need quite so much
watering. On the other hand you will need to weed around them, as all
the other plants around will notice this patch of much better compost
and will be doing their best to move in!

But I grow my tomatoes in pots, and am not particularly good at it, so
take all this as contribution to the discussion not definitive advice!
(In other words, I may be completely wrong).

LOL sounds good to me though

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:09:50 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:



"lloyd" wrote ...
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?


If you are growing them outside on soil why are you wasting money with grow
bags?

I'm learning

Just plant them in the soil, you can improve the soil with some well
rotted manure/compost and they will love it, be healthier, and suffer less
water stress ( not so dependant on you for water & nutrients).
We grow ours in rows out on our allotment every year (no greenhouse) and get
good crops but you must avoid the dreaded Blight by spraying with a
preventative (Bordeaux Mixture) or using blight resistant varieties
(Ferline, Fantasio, Legend)

Thanks

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:43:47 -0000, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:


"lloyd" wrote in message
.. .
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

What do you think?

It is worthwhile each year to check the price of Grobags against the price
of other compost.
Thye contents are usually comparable - designed to grow flowers and
vegetables - and for some reason the sheds often use a "stack 'em high sell
'em cheap" policy for Grobags but not for compost.
Therefore it is always worthwhile to check prices whenever you need a
general purpose compost.
A couple of years ago HomeBase did a really good deal on peat free Grobags
which performed very well for me; however they didn't seem to do it this
year.

Grobags are (I think) intended for seasonal crops where you don't have a
vegetable patch.
You can put them on any hard standing and grow stuff in them and you don't
have any problems with disease carried over from one year to the next, as
you may have with a vegetable plot.

I find that my haphazard watering does not suit Grobags - once they dry out
they are very hard to re-wet.
I grow tomatoes in pots, usually.

I found my grow bags did very well, but the one pot snuffed it very
quickly! Strange.

I find that a single Grobag will fill at least two pots and that pots are
easier to manage, including easire to fit canes to support tall plants.

My 'magic mixture' (when I have the time/energy) is to get Grobags, top soil
(normally cheaper than JI No. 3) and manure. All can be bought in bulk at
HomeBase or similar sheds.
I then mix them together at about 1/2 bag manure, a Grobag, and 1/2 a bag of
topsoil.
This results in a mixture which is light (due to the Grobag), rich in
organics (due to the manure) and easy to re-wet (due to the top soil).
Tomatoes seem to do well in this mixture, in pots, as do courgettes and
cucumbers.

This year I didn't have time for anything fancy so I just cleared a small
patch of flower bed, dug in some chicken sh*t, Gromore, and a bag of
HomeBase manure and slammed in a couple of store bought cherry tomato
plants.
I then left for a month for an extended holiday on a narrow boat.
The tomatoes flourished and have needed very little feeding or watering even
though it has been a dry year at times.

Summary:
Buy Grobags and transfer contents to pots to grow tomatoes on hard standing.
Look at your flower beds and slot a tomato plant or two into gaps (having
first manured and fed the area) for a more relaxed approach.

Thank God for the summary I was getting lost

I think this year I will plant a couple of growbag contents and see
how I get on. Thank you for the detailed help.

On 31 Dec, 14:36, lloyd wrote:
On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:43:47 -0000, "David WE Roberts"





wrote:

"lloyd" wrote in message
.. .
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

What do you think?

It is worthwhile each year to check the price of Grobags against the price
of other compost.
Thye contents are usually comparable - designed to grow flowers and
vegetables - and for some reason the sheds often use a "stack 'em high sell
'em cheap" policy for Grobags but not for compost.
Therefore it is always worthwhile to check prices whenever you need a
general purpose compost.
A couple of years ago HomeBase did a really good deal on peat free Grobags
which performed very well for me; however they didn't seem to do it this
year.

Grobags are (I think) intended for seasonal crops where you don't have a
vegetable patch.
You can put them on any hard standing and grow stuff in them and you don't
have any problems with disease carried over from one year to the next, as
you may have with a vegetable plot.

I find that my haphazard watering does not suit Grobags - once they dry out
they are very hard to re-wet.
I grow tomatoes in pots, usually.

I found my grow bags did very well, but the one pot snuffed it very
quickly! Strange.





I find that a single Grobag will fill at least two pots and that pots are
easier to manage, including easire to fit canes to support tall plants.

My 'magic mixture' (when I have the time/energy) is to get Grobags, top soil
(normally cheaper than JI No. 3) and manure. All can be bought in bulk at
HomeBase or similar sheds.
I then mix them together at about 1/2 bag manure, a Grobag, and 1/2 a bag of
topsoil.
This results in a mixture which is light (due to the Grobag), rich in
organics (due to the manure) and easy to re-wet (due to the top soil).
Tomatoes seem to do well in this mixture, in pots, as do courgettes and
cucumbers.

This year I didn't have time for anything fancy so I just cleared a small
patch of flower bed, dug in some chicken sh*t, Gromore, and a bag of
HomeBase manure and slammed in a couple of store bought cherry tomato
plants.
I then left for a month for an extended holiday on a narrow boat.
The tomatoes flourished and have needed very little feeding or watering even
though it has been a dry year at times.

Summary:
Buy Grobags and transfer contents to pots to grow tomatoes on hard standing.
Look at your flower beds and slot a tomato plant or two into gaps (having
first manured and fed the area) for a more relaxed approach.

Thank God for the summary I was getting lost

I think this year I will plant a couple of growbag contents and see
how I get on. Thank you for the detailed help.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I an supprised no one has said to punch holes in the bottom of the
grow bags and then place then on the soil.
The roots will find their way into the soil and will improve the crop,
but at the end of the season you can move the growbag more easily and
use the spent compost where you wish.
David Hill

On 31/12/2009 11:01, K wrote:
lloyd writes
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

If you grow in a hole, then you might find bagged up compost cheaper
than a gro-bag. Or then again you might not. A couple of years ago, I
think someone mentioned on here that one of the sheds was doing a
special offer on gro-bags which meant that, volume for volume, it was
cheaper than buying compost in bags.

Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.



"Which" recommended source for peat-free compost is New Horizon
gro-bags. (easy to carry on a bike as well).

The folk wisdom, is that tomato plants do not do well if grown in the
same soil for several years - whether due to specific nutrient depletion
or pathogen build up is not clear.

Paul

--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:25:16 +0000, Paul Luton
wrote:

On 31/12/2009 11:01, K wrote:
lloyd writes
Great success last year, well they grew for me so that is a rarity in
itself. Couple questions. I think three plants in a bag is too much,
perhaps two would be better? Could I dig a hole big enough for the bag
contents and then grow from there, or does the bag itself have some
protective role too?

If you grow in a hole, then you might find bagged up compost cheaper
than a gro-bag. Or then again you might not. A couple of years ago, I
think someone mentioned on here that one of the sheds was doing a
special offer on gro-bags which meant that, volume for volume, it was
cheaper than buying compost in bags.

Growing in the ground makes it easier to put stakes in to support the
tomatoes.



"Which" recommended source for peat-free compost is New Horizon
gro-bags. (easy to carry on a bike as well).

The folk wisdom, is that tomato plants do not do well if grown in the
same soil for several years - whether due to specific nutrient depletion
or pathogen build up is not clear.

Now you mention it is that not the way with all crops, they require
rotation? I wonder who does in their own garden?

On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:25:16 +0000, Paul Luton
wrote:

The folk wisdom, is that tomato plants do not do well if grown in the
same soil for several years - whether due to specific nutrient depletion
or pathogen build up is not clear.

I've grown tomatoes in the same greenhouse soil for at least 18 years.

At the end of the season I skim off the top 2 inches and chuck onto
the garden. Then I sterilise the glass and soil thoroughly, leave for
3 weeks and then turn over the soil. In February I add 6x or similar
compost and perhaps a couple of bags of sterilised topsoil and
lightly dig over again with a few handfuls of Growmare for luck.

Tomorite and Miracle-gro are administered at the fruiting stage.

Touch wood quickly, I've had satisfactory crops with minimal pathogens
until now although I do grow mostly resistant F1s

Mind you, for the first time in 12 years or so, my cucumbers grown in
the same substrate were crap last year.

--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)