Actually, that’s a lie. I still have 9 plants that are going into grow bags, as soon as my lower back allows.
I’m in the process of tearing out old beds ( the little brown bordered ones ), and replacing them with new beds and planters. I got a good Black Friday deal on the silver beds/planters, but I wasn’t super happy about them only being one foot deep. I’ve grown tomatoes in the brown bordered beds, and they’re only about 7 inches deep, but I still didn’t feel like I could plant them as deeply as I’d hoped. So I took some 7 gallon grow bags, and cut the bottoms out. I’m using them to extend the soil depth on each plant. Don’t know if that’s the dumbest idea ever, but it’s a fun experiment ( and don’t ask me why, but I have a bunch of 7 gallon bags to spare ).
The white outside, black inside, greenhouse grow bags are only 10 gallon, but I have a bunch of them too. And I can’t find the 15 gallon ones that I’m positive I have somewhere. But I’m putting them on the old beds, so they can grow roots out of the drainage holes, and into the beds, if they feel like it.
Yes, that’s black landscaping fabric under the new beds. I laid down cardboard on the rooty remains of the beds I took out, and put the fabric on top of that. When I put the new beds where I wanted, I cut the fabric out from the bottom ( they’re open bottomed ) and laid down more cardboard.
The tomatoes are, Black Krim; Black from Tula; Blue Berries; Raspberry Burst; Midnight Snack; Indigo Apple; Brown Sugar; Super Sauce; Norfolk “Althea”Purple, and maybe something else. I don’t know, I’m tired. I also have no clue how I’m going to support them.
They’re all planted with Alfalfa meal, and I’m fertilizing with espoma tomato tone. I also dusted the roots, and planting hole, with Trichoderma and Mycorrhizae.
The beds are filled with old dirt ( from different beds ), compost, and some raised bed soil. The bags are all full of coco, compost, and perlite/vermiculite.
I’m starting French Marigolds, but they’re getting hit with fungus gnats at the moment, so we’ll see about that. But I have a lot of basil ( not pictured ) that I’m up potting, and putting around the garden. Maybe put a few in the beds as well.
Zone 9a/b southern U.S. I wish you could see this mom.
by jp7755qod
5 Comments
Are you me? I am tearing out old beds and building new ones for my 19 Toms and Cause this is something I would definitely do. Hope your Mom can see this!! Also This is so Badass man. I’m in 9B also so I know you joy in weather. Let’s garden bro!
I think the grow bags with bottoms cut out sitting on top of your shallow raised beds is a great idea. Should work well.
The grow bags will work fine. I’d double check to make sure they won’t topple over when they become monsters and a storm comes through. That’ll rip the roots either completely off or right out from the beds
She would love this
NIIIIIIGHT GARDENINGGGGGG