Growing in Bags-Pots?

[squibT]

Seems some are growing tomatoes in bags of soil laid flat and slit open to allow for a plant (a lot of professional looking greenhouse setups) and have great looking plants with lots of production. Im not talking about grow bags with handles. Where do the roots have space to grow? Others grow in pots (not talking about HEBs) and over and over again you hear the pot has to be a certain size...production is not as good as in ground...roots need to grow deep etc...
What makes growing in bags so different...so much more productive?
I have HEBs and 5 gal buckets and the HEBs are out performing the buckets but just curious about comparing bags to buckets.

squibT

[Zana]

SquibT
I'm not sure what the scientific answer is to your question. But I've got about 75 different pots/containers with about 20 varieties of tomatoes, 5 different peppers, 4 different cukes, 5 different beans, plus numerous herbs. I have to admit I probably have an equal number of volunteer tomatoes to ones I actually planted. (And those will be question marks until fruit ripens....lol) I just can't seem to pull them out and toss them on the compost pile. All my tomatoes are in pots/containers that are at very least 12" deep, and a varying degree of width. Small "dwarf"-like sized tomatoes are in the smallest containers....and I think I finally got the largest ones in the largest pots/containers, this year. LOL (Time will tell on that score) As for production, well I took more than 50lbs of beans from 8 plants in containers last year. And at a guess, I have to say about 5 bushels of cukes and about the same of tomatoes. (That doesn't count any of the ones that the critters snacked on!) I'm intrigued enough reading about the grow bags and HEB's that I may try those next year. Anything that would cut down on watering time would be great in my book....and the need for an endless supply of saucers. (Some how I seem to lose some over the winter each year and don't have enough for the next. And that's not counting the ones that have to be retired due to cracks/breakage.)

I have an almost 85% concrete backyard, when you count the pool and the patio area. The flower beds get way too much shade to really grow the tomatoes and other veggies in. So my patio kind of reminds me of Craig's pics of his driveway. LOL

[dokutaaguriin]

Hi Zana,
Could you share what your potting mix recipe?
Thanks, Jeff

[Zana]

Jeff,
I'd have to guess at what brand of potting mix I "start with" before adding homemade compost, some lime and slow release fertiliser. I know I added fresh mature compost and slow release fertiliser but not sure if I added anything else to the "old" soil this year. This year I think I added more compost in the ratio than I did the previouis 2 years since I was reusing "old soil".

I keep at least 3 large "garbage bins" on wheels full of soil over the winter from the previous years pots and containers. Some of the containers I only partially empty because they're too heavy to move anyway (they're concrete landscaping containers that I've converted for veggie growing in the past 5 years.)

I'll have to go dig up my notes from previous years to see exactly what I add to the mix - and even then its not "measured"- I mix everything as needed, batch by batch, in a huge wheelbarrow. But after reading more on this site and elsewhere this past few months, I'm thinking I'm going to have to take my "mix" more seriously and add more to it than I have been.

Hope that helps.

[dokutaaguriin]

Hi Zana,
Thanks for the response.
I, too, just mix whatever I have on hand-mix from last year's pots, new potting mix, some compost- in a wheelbarrow. I am thinking that I need to get a more exact ratio of my mix for better results.
Jeff

[squibT]

LOL Zana,

You sure you want to improve your mix? Sounds like you are doing just fine. HEBs are fantastic. I have 4 of them (1 with cukes) and they are all producing very well with really healthy plants. Three HEB tomato plants started way after all the ones in pots have out performed all the rest. One was 2 inches tall and now is the biggest of all of them...it is a cherry but still...
HEBs are the best way to go unless you use 15 gal tree pots from a nursury with a nice well draining mix...
About growing in soil bags...It just seems a little odd some are doing this and getting fantastic results. Looking into it a bit more I may have to conclude it is because they use drip irrigation and Hydrophonic solutions. One person on line posted that they use Hydrophonic soultion for their potted tomatoes and got equally fantastic results. Stuff is sooo expensive though.
This year I have used a modified "Al's mix" (tapla) and the drainage is great...production seems good (we had rain, cloudy, rain for months here), plant are healthy though.

If you can, please post some pics. Im sure we all would like to see your setup.

squibT