I'm sure we've had this discussion before, but they do vary from year to year.
At my local garden centre this morning:
Levington's 1.79 each or 3 for a fiver, Tomorite 3.99 each or 3 for a tenner.
Obviously the latter are bigger, but are they worth it? Both say they take 3 tom plants.
I think it depends how you use them Caroline...I use mine as a base with large pots on top filled with my own mix, so I get the cheaper ones, and ask for a bulk discount on top (I buy about 15-18 at once).
If you are using them planted directly in, I suspect the bigger bags with a deeper planting depth may be beneficial...but valuewise it's hard to tell I agree! ;D
A minefield?
I have tried everything from 99p to £3.50, & this year's Co-op £1 peat-free bags - only 27l - & 3 to a bag (unheard of!!) - are producing better initial results tha ever before.
A little warning: I quite often get blossom end rot on some of my tomatoes (which is usually caused by erratic watering / feeding). From experience I think this is more likely to occur when the plants are in relatively small amounts of soil - my tomatoes are planted in all sorts of size of container (from about 15l to 30l). Provided you're a regular waterer (unlike me) you should be ok. This year I'm going to try early pinching out of the tops of my indeterminates that are in small containers, i.e. after just a few trusses, to see if it resolves the problem.
BER used to be a problem for me too, but since I've been adding a couple of teaspoons of water retaining gel to the soil at the bottom of the pots that sit on top of the growbags, that seems to have solved it! ;D
Great idea, thanks.
Do you use pots on top for peppers as well?
No, I grow peppers and chillies in big pots on top of gravel topped staging. There isn't any room for any more growbags! ;D
I know what you mean- I've got a small greenhouse full of peppers and toms and all needing potting up into something, but not sure where I'm going to pout them. Then there's the aubergines which are still in the kitchen at the moment! May have to risk some chillis and toms outside.
I've got the same problem Caroline. My own fault really for sowing far too many in the first place. Hey ho!
It's just so tempting with all the varieties of tomatoes I haven't tried before though! Curse those seed swaps! ;D ;D ;D Plus you have to grow your tried and tested favourites...
This year I've got 36 toms in growbags, 2 in pots, 4 aubergines, 15 peppers and chillies, 2 cucumbers, 2 melons plus various germinating bits in my greenhouse at home...
Two mini greenhouses outside hardening off lots of squash, courgettes etc.
At the lottie little greenhouse, 9 toms in growbags, 5 in pots (tumbling types), 2 cucumbers, 4 melons, 1 watermelon, 4 aubergines, 6 chillies....and I'm drying off the Marco garlic I harvested the other day.........smells lovely in there!
Plus there are the 14 outdoor bush toms planted out on the plot..
Glad I just got another half plot..! :D
OMG! My total is 11 toms, 4 cukes, 12 peppers and 7 aubergines and i haven't really got room for them!
I admire your restraint Caroline..... ;D ;D ;D
for the last few years i have been folding the growbags over a broom-handle and shaking the soil evenly down each side, cut the bag across the centre fold the tops down a bit and poke a few oles in the bottom with a fork each,bag makes two good containers. Shirley B
I've tipped growbag compost into black buckets for some of my toms- makes it easier to move them if I need to.
i have 12 in gbags in the ghouse and more in the soil. Outside I have 2Roma and 3 Latah.The ghouse ones are stulpice, new buckbee, arctic sub plenty and a random russian yellow cherry from our day at Barnsdale. More roma and latah in the kitchen waiting to be potted on and a big boy hanging around the utility room.
Chillies (many cayenne, jalapeno and scotch bonnet) (aubergines violetta da firenza) still on windowsill waiting to be potted on.