Raised grow bags

[Katiek]

Anyone know of such as thing as a raised grow bag? Possibly used in the strawberry industry, these are said to be slimmer than normal grow bags, and raised on supports about shoulder height to deter slugs and mice! If so, where would one find such a thing?

Many thanks!

[wellie]

Hi there KatieK !

Yup! I've seen them advertised in one of my gardening magazines, and I'll try and locate the advert for you, unless someone else beats me to it ! If I don't get back to you in the next couple of days, Private Message me to give me a nudge. I've definitely seen it somewhere............

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hello there Katiek - welcome to the Vine! There's a clever bunch of grapes here who can answer all you questions, and then there's the rest of us who laugh and learn and garden and have fun.......so hope you do too!

[serenity]

not seen the thinner ones but B&Q were selling some planter bags which were twice the depth of the normal bags, about £4 each so not cheep

[Two_Sheds]

If you make your own compost, you could make your own grow bags...stuff a garden sack with it, cut out holes, et voila

[sewer rat]

The growbags you are referring to are indeed used in the strawberry growing trade and contain a specific mix of ingredients for strawberries. They are either raised on what are called tables or are placed on suspended supports inside tunnels.
I am not sure where you can get them other than commercially, but you could look at Bulrush.co.uk who supply my local strawberry grower.

[rustylady]

Main problem is not the growbags, but the support system for them. You could use an ordinary growbag, but you would need to construct your own frame to hold them.

[wellie]

Bear with me, I'm still scouring my mags for the advert......

[Sue]

Katiek
Welcome to the Vine, Ken Muir, the soft fruit specialist does a framework that holds 2 ordinary growbags for strawberries but it costs something like £75 !!! I think you can get ten plants per bag so each framework holds 20 plants, think they supply a cover with it too.
Too much for me, but its a good idea and if only were good at DIY could constuct a framework at a fraction of the cost.
Sue

[wellie]

Sue, I'm GUTTED ! I've spent 2 days trying to find that advert, and I found it this afternoon.... New for 2007, Page 34. Never mind. Serves me right for trying to be so helpful! Yes it comes with a cover, and netting.
I'm pretty handy with a saw, drill and screwdrivers, so I'm going to construct my own.

The advert mentions growbags of 1m length, but makes no mention of them, as in where to buy, and they don't come with the frame if you buy it. Nor do the strawberry plants.

Anyway, there you go....

[Sue]

Sorry Wellie
Perhaps you will put your construction plans on the vine when you are the proud owner of a new strawberry thingy? After all I am now the proud owner of a powerdrill, a hammer and other DIY bits and pieces, accumulated to work on the allotment. Perhaps one day I will get to grips with woodwork.
I thought they were using ordinary growbags
and for under three quid you could grown enough strawberries from seed.
Sue

[Lesley Jay]

Wellie!!! What a beautiful garden you have - it must have taken alot of work to get it looking so fantastic! Can't wait for your updates!

Can you ask Trousers to put a working link to the Grapevine on your blog please Wellie???

[wellie]

LJ, neither of us foodies would know what the hell that techno-speak means.
What's a working link when it's at home?!

Oh, and 'Thank You' for the compliment on MY, note MY garden (!)
He'll kill me when he reads that (!)
Look forward to hearing from you further on that, but perhaps not on KatieK's Strawberry Slot, eh?!

Sue. Forgiven sweetheart. Fair Dinkum, and no, I'm not Australian....
Listen. Arm yourself with Hammer, Nails, Screws, Drill, Drill-bits AND Chuck Key (most important)..... Fine-Toothed saw, and really, if you can stretch your finances, a Black and Decker Workmate (I'm going to ask for one instead of an Easter Egg this year. Not that I ever get an Easter Egg...)
Have toolbox, will travel. And put a padlock on it, or you'll never see the contents ever again...!
Think I can feel a 'Sheila Workshop' section of my new blog coming on.....!

[Mrs Dobby]

Mr D has a great selection of tools I can borrow, tho he doesnt like me using his workmate thingy, I've sawn 2 corners off and put a cut in the middle before now, so I think he's within his rights to object! lol!

Wellie, fab blog, lovely garden, cant wait to see the updates!

Sue - we've been trying to grow strawbs from seeds, so far have only had 7 germinate out of 25 sown, 1 of which died soon after, but the others look fine, if very small! I dont think we'll be getting any fruit from those we've grown from seed this year, tis just a good job we've one or two hundred strawbs that we inherited on the plot!

Love the idea of the growbag thingy for starwabs, a lot of ours got eaten by slugs last year, so anything that can prevent that is of serious interest to us, I was even thinking of planting them slightly raised in cut off collars of pop bottle, raised about 6" and then spray the bottle with WD40, so the slugs cant get up to them, but not sure if this would make them susceptible to drying out or wehther the roots would like to be constrained in such a way, any thoughts anyone?

[sewer rat]

Hi ladies (does seem to be a predominantly female thread this one )
Just so as you know what the raised strawberry planters that the commercial growers use, here is a link to one of the suppliers with some pics for you.
www.wellpict-tunnels.com/Tabletops.asp