Newbie would like advice - preferably non-technical !!

[muth61]

Hi. My name is Beth Jones and I live in Meir Heath in North Staffordshire. I have loved gardening all my life, but now I am getting old and decrepit I have roped in family to change the look of my garden to make it easier for me. (I would point out that the family are older than me! - but a lot fitter lol).

I am having fencing put in to separate the bottom from the top gardens and was told that it is possible to buy used grow bags which will bulk up the soil in the existing raised beds. Does anyone have any idea where I can get some from please ? Obviously if push comes to shove I will have to buy new ones but that seems a bit expensive considering its only to add to already good soil and not to improve it.

Look forward to hearing from an "oracle"

[Glutton4...]

Hello, and welcome to the Madhouse!

I didn't know people sold their used grow-bags, so I'm not going to be any use to you at all, I'm afraid.

[Lumpy]

Hello Beth and welcome to the Vine.

This collective is a wonderful group of know it alls (meant as a compliment because people like me depend upon their knowledge and skill), know sometimes (are equally impotant as the ones above), and people like me who just bimble from one growing attempt to the next in the fingers crossed hope that something edible will happen.

Freebie groups sometimes offer top soil etc but moving it from them to you could be a bit of a bugger.

[muth61]

Used Grow Bags

I was told by my cousin who lives in the Telford area that he got 100 used grow bags from a garden centre. They were selling them at 10p each just to get rid of them. I only want about 25 though !!!!!! Unfortunately they have stopped selling them.

[Bill HH]

Sounds a messy old job to me, transporting old grow bags which have been slashed open, not to mention the fact that the compost will be exhausted and full of roots. Why not buy some decent manure?

[Scarlet]

I've never heard of anywhere selling used growbags - new one on me. As Bill has advised, get in some manure or perhaps have some top soil delivered?

[bearded bloke]

Sorry but it's a new one to me as well, I have been visiting the GC's & nurseries in the Telford area for some years & not heard of this before

[Aberdeenplotter]

It's not manure this lady wants, it's compost to bulk up the soil levels and if used growbags are messy, the manure is much more so.

I also have not come across anyone selling used growbags but at the end of the season, there may well be folks disposing of the growbags they used to grow strawberries/tomatoes/veg. That's the time to be looking for a source and a few wanted adds on Freegle may well resul in some success.

Good luck.

[sparrow100]

Personally I wouldn't do it. You might be importing all sorts of nasties - eg vine weevils. I'd get a tonne of compost delivered - you know then that it's sterile and that it will add goodness as well as bulk material. You could also make your own compost which would also gradually raise the levels in the beds.

[Guest]

Hi and welcome.

It is also a new one on me. However are there any mushroom farms near by you can get spent compost from?

[Knight of Albion]

A very warm welcome to the forum, dear Beth.

[Verinda]

Hello Beth, welcome to the forum