Growbags, feeding tomatoes and runners.

[tomtom87]

Hi All,

I have a few questions I would really appreciate help with and I'm afraid one of them is a bit lengthy ( stick with it please!)

1. I have Sungold cherry toms which are soon to be moved to their final spot (from 4" pots in the greenhouse to growbags in the greenhouse). I plan to put 3 plants per bag in one of those 'giant' 56litre bags. I had intended to do two plants per bag but space has become limited (due to my desire to grow peppers, chillis, two more types of tomato and melons in the greenhouse!) and I was wondering how this will effect my yield - as I understand it, most of the nutrients required will be coming from the liquid feed I will be giving them so the compost in the bag serves mostly as a means for the root system to take up water. Is this the case or is the soil giving them something the feed doesn't? If so, that means my yields will be decreased by putting 3 in the bag, no?

I hope someone can be bothered to read that and answer...To the easier questions...

2. I also have lots of Gardners Delight, Ailsa Craig and Rosada plants some of which I know will happily grow outside. Do you think I would be better served 'sharing the wealth' of the greenhouse (IE having some of each inside and some outside) or should I stick all of those that are happy there outside and leave the indoor ones indoors?

3. My runners are getting pretty large in 4" pots in the greenhouse but the seed packet says I shouldn't plant out until June, I really don't want to have to pot them on. If we assume there won't be another frost here in the SE (a risk I now), there isn't any other reason I shouldn't plant them out now is there?

Any help much appreciated.

[rustylady]

Hi Tomtom. I used to use growbags (standard size) and always grew 3 tomato plants per bag with great success. I use 10" pots now (no special reason as growbag results were always good). My main reason for growing tomatoes (all varieties) in a greenhouse is that you can usually avoid blight - which has been a major curse round here for the past five years. I would put half my toms in the greenhouse and half outside - if the outside ones do well and come to harvest that's a bonus.

As for runner beans, I would be standing the pots outside during the day now for about a week (bringing back into the greenhouse at night), then leaving them outside for another 4/5 days all the time before planting them out in permanent beds. You can always nip out and cover with fleece or newspaper if a frost is forecast. It's always a bit of a gamble, but I would have thought they should be fairly safe now.

[kittykat8]

our runner beans have been planted outside for 3 to 4 weeks now, there an ex maeket gardener on the allotment who is in his eighties he has done the same. On our allotment site 50% have plant ttheir plants early, but it has been very mild.

thanks
marion

[tomtom87]

Thanks both.

Rustylady - do you find your pots yield as much as the plants in growbags did? I had intially thought about pots as I can get more plants in the greenhouse then and it will be easier to stake them (I haven't worked out how I am going to keep them upright in the bags yet!)

[Flummery]

I used growbags in the past - 3 to a bag. I now use the greenhouse border but when I have extra toms (you ALWAYS sow too many!) I put them in 10-12" pots. I can fill 6 from a growbag. I haven't actually measured the yields but I wouldn't call them poor by any means. I think feeding is the key.

My beans are climbing french not runners but I think the same applies. They are out in the day being hardened off and I think I shall risk them out mid May this year (it's usually 1st week in June here). I grow in the garden so can take the chance of having to nip out with the fleece!

You can buy a stong wire device on which your growbag sits with supports above for the plants. The weight of the bag (which, if you're feeding & watering will be considerable) holds the thing down so it doesn't topple with the weight of the plants.

[tomtom87]

Thanks Flummery. I have just sketched out a plan of my greenhouse and, as this is my first year growing seriously, I am going to experiment with some pots, some bags and see what happens.

I have seen those growbag frames but I think, in the spirit of 'The Good Life', I ought to be able to fashion something out of the contents of my shed (too much Blue Peter/A-Team no doubt)! I'll get my thinking cap on.

The runners are officially hardening off from today.

[momol]

Hi Tomtom,

I have grown tomatoes in container before, I used 40 cm ( diameter ) and grow 3 toms in them they yield the same or even better than those out side. I think the key is feeding, plus I read somewhere that tomatoes really don't mind in crowded conditions ( reasonable crowded, I presume ).
I think you should try them out and in, and somehow those from outside grown taste better ( at least I think it is ).
Good luck and happy planting...

Momol