Bag Garden Revisit, Results and Conclusion

I frequently read about alternate ways to do things around the farm. I like to try some of these ideas to rate their value. In one case, I read about starting a garden, using bags of soil, but utilizing the soil’s bag as a barrier in the process.

Around March, we finished clearing this ground and put up a temporary fence. We purchased bags of organic soil and poked holes in the bottom for water drainage. We cut flaps in the top. The flaps were used while seeds germinated and to prevent moisture loss during the hotter parts of the summer.

After the first season the results were mixed. Of the 20 bags we started with they all grew something. We still see carrots and leeks in two of the bags towards the 2nd and 3rd rows and we also have a second crop of garlic peaking through in the 3rd row. The last row (against the hill) you’ll see 2 bags that have strawberries. Lots of growth, few strawberries for humans (I think animals got lots of them). The carrots that we have harvested were very stubby. As I harvested carrots the other day, I wondered if the bags limited the downward growth of some of the root vegetables.

One type of plant that did extremely well was the squash family. We had some rather prolific zucchini plants. Cucumbers did pretty well too. I shook seeds from this summer’s plants, like dill and lettuce, onto the bag and have shut the bags up tight. I will take two bags into the green house. I’m going to try an experiment with some organic fertilizer I found from Miracle Grow. I’m interested in the components of this one. Most of the time you have some weird blue crystal, this is actually humic looking.

I’d like to work on the rest of the area. I’m seeing a move in the potato location and melon/squash. I think I’ll put the later two into the back where some potatoes grew this year. I’ll also try to plan the plants that need shade to survive the hottest parts of the day to be under the shade screen Phil installed. We will also fence this area in. We lost some of the last vegetables I to Javalina, just before the Fall Harvest Festival. Sad. Planning for next year is going on already. Phil has tried some things and likes them, we had other ideas from the wonderful gardens at the 4th Street Community Garden. Hope to see some new things too. Our stash of squash, onion and some dried things like tomato and peppers are going to have to hold us over. Still some fresh in the markets.

Bag gardens? A go for me and a great suggestion for someone who wants a small contained garden!