Bags of potting mix or even compost can make great gardens – really good if you just move into a new home or rent or don’t have any soil to garden in.
Even better placed on something so they are at waist height!
Start making the garden in its final (sunny) resting place as it is easier to move an intact bag than one with holes in it.
Cut holes in one side of a large bag of potting mix or compost – to be drainage holes.
Turn bag over. Cut more holes in top side big enough to plant seedlings into and to water.
Place bag on a mesh or frame of some sort so it can drain.
We trialed a ‘wicking’ system to water plants from a bottle. We usually used a watering can instead. Poke a finger into the soil and you can feel if it is moist or dry and needs water. We checked daily.
These bags grew great lettuce, greens, broccoli, kale.
Hi Heather – I looooove your posts! Thank you!
I have a question – I was told that compost was far too rich for tender roots and there was no way it could ever touch the plant because it would burn it… is that just an Old Wive’s Tale?
Good point Julie! Some bags are reeeaally good compost – and some are very weak – so the cheap bags worked well here as a soil replacement rather than as proper soil food.