My Experience With Raised-Bed Gardens Using Fabric Pots

I am writing this page as a single, middle-age woman, who does all her own gardening.  From lugging the dirt to the beds each Spring, to weeding, harvesting and the Fall clean up, the jobs are all mine.  I garden because I love it.  

Another BIG reason I grow my own veggies is that I know what has been used on the plants - nothing!  I can eat vegetables that I know are organic.  

Setting up a fabric raised bed is easy, and it can be used year after year.  I have used mine since 2013 when I lived in New England.  Now I continue to buy fabric grow pots while beginning my new garden adventures in central Florida.

(My photo - Fresh vegetables from my backyard garden.)

Once the fabric pot industry caught on, many companies began to sell this type of gardening system.  The Grassroots company is based in California and they sell tan colored bags.  

I live in a very hot climate and having tan bags instead of black would make sense.  My plants don't need extra heat, but in some climates black may work better.  I don't know.

Find bags in sizes from 3 gallons to 600 gallons when you click the link below which will take you to the Amazon page where they are sold.

Creating a garden anywhere takes a lot of work.  Digging and tilling and amending the soil is hard work.  Then once it is planted there are the weeds to deal with.

At my age, I need easy.  People who have busy lives, but love to garden, need easy.  Using bags to fill with dirt and tend plants individually seems like a no-brainer.  

Here is why I like to garden using bags:

• Move each bag into the sun as needed, or inside if weather turns bad. (Bags with handles are great.)
• No rocks get in the way of digging or planting.
• The soil warms quicker, which keeps plants happier.
• It's virtually weed-free.  Any little weeds popping up can easily be removed.
• It's easy to get water straight to the roots.
• Moles and other critters can't get to the roots.  Worms do appear in the dirt - or throw some in yourself.
• Have access to the garden from all sides and plants are raised up a bit so not as much bending.

I have cats and they never go up into the bags to do their business, so that is another plus.

If you know about growing a vegetable garden, you can probably figure out which veggies will grow best in which size pot.  For those who aren't sure, I'll give you advice from what I've learned by using these pots over the years.

The Extra Large Bags:  Grow just about anything except tomatoes in this size bag.  The bag is too short to add a tomato cage, or stakes, to hold the plants up, unless they are added to the ground outside the bag.  A zucchini will take over the bag, so plan on growing just zucchini if you choose to do so.  I like the large bags for grouping a number of smaller growing veggies like peppers, parsley, celery, onions and garlic (around the edges).  You could even throw a flowering plant into the mix.

The Medium Size (7-10 gallon Garden Mate bags): I've grown potatoes in these with success.  You won't get a big yield, but the bags work, and can be dumped out to collect the potatoes.  Beans, peas, carrots and any long rooted vegetables work well in this size, but they won't hold a lot of seeds.  

The Shorter Bags:  I have just discovered this size and I'm thrilled.  They are perfect for any vegetable that doesn't need a deep bag.  Think lettuce, onions, garlic, or most herbs.  Use less dirt and the bags can be moved easily.

I have grown little red potatoes from the ones that have sprouted in my kitchen.

1. Add a few inches of good soil in the bottom.

2. Cut potatoes with at least 2 budding eyes in each piece, and set 2-3 pieces into the bag

3. Cover with another few inches of soil.

4. As the potatoes grow, cover the green stems leaving just the top sticking out.  Keep doing this until the bag is full of dirt.

5. The green leaves will eventually die.  This signals when it is time to dump the bag and collect the potatoes.

The black fabric potting bed is a great size to create a raised garden you want to keep in one place year after year.  It's the perfect size for growing peppers, eggplant, celery, onions, parsley, garlic, or a couple of zucchini / squash plants.

Of course it could be emptied out and moved, if needed, but in New Hampshire I left mine up over the winter and began in spring by adding amendments to the soil.

One of the very nice things about using this type of bed is the relative absence of grass and weeds.  Some will pop up, but none can creep in from the yard.  Also, fertilizer stays within the boundary of the bed and won't seep away from the crops.  The same will happen when watering.  The black color brings extra warmth to the soil, which will keep plants happy and growing well.