[mikeimp]

Looking to buy some growbags for our tomatoes in the greenhouse this year.We have found quite a variety in quality. Anyone found a consistent quality and where do you find it thats at a good price.

[compostqueen]

Your local allotment association will have them. They will be of good quality and at the right price    Find your nearest one now and make yourself a member, you possibly don't need to have a plot there to join)

[JayG]

Obviously if you can take up CQ's suggestion that would probably be the best bet, but if not, just avoid the really cheap, skinny ones - you will be forever watering and feeding them without ever being quite sure whether you have got it right or not!

The plumper tomato growbags are a much better bet, but last year I found them to be dearer than "special offer" full-sized bags of multi-purpose, so I used them instead.

It's quite possible they don't contain the same mix of nutrients as the purpose-bought type, but I reckoned that given that you start feeding the toms with special tom fertiliser anyway once they start to set fruit it shouldn't make a great difference overall.

Seemed to work OK for me, anyway. 

[Plot 6B]

All good replies but don't forget you can increase your growing depth by using a bottomless flower pot and filling that with additional compost after you have inserted that into the grow bag.

[Axe]

glad i seen this...i was about to go to aldi and buy 20 bags for £30 lol

[JayG]

glad i seen this...i was about to go to aldi and buy 20 bags for £30 lol

At the end of the day, as N2P has pointed out, it's all about providing sufficient depth for the plants to be happy and also provide a reasonable reservoir of water and nutrients so that they're not subjected to too many variations in that department.

It's therefore also about how much "stuff" you get for your money - you could consider using two cheap ones on top of each other, although you would have to cut out large windows in each pair of bags and then put them "face to face" (Hmmm.......  )

(Should have mentioned that whatever you use remember to poke a few drainage holes in and near the bottom of the bags with a skewer to make sure they don't get waterlogged.)

[mattwragg94]

last year i bought levingtons tomato growbags (society got them cheap because they sent the wrong growbags), i was really impressed with the quality of the compost. like the others have said you might think all growbags are the same - but in most cases the very cheap have plastic and rubble mixed in with the compost.

thanks
matt

[Yorkie]

I dispute that most of the cheaper ones have plastic and rubble in them, Matt.  What's your evidence for that contention?

Back to the original question, I've seen some people cut them in half across the middle, and turn the open middle upwards so that the bag is now stood on its end (if that makes any sense).  Basically making 2 'pots' out of them.  As previously stated, don't forget the drainage.

[mattwragg94]

my evidence is that i have bought cheaper grow bags in the past as well as other members of my family have, and when opening the bag found the compost in poor condition and with bits of rubble mixed in with it, once i even found glass mixed in with the contents. i personally believe that if you have the money go with a well known brand, i mean if your a member of an allotment/horticultural society there not a lot more than the cheap bags.

i wasn't trying to affend yorkie i was just replying from personal experiance as mikeimp asked.

having said that tho if your on a budget id recomend the b&q growbags (around £1.50), however they sell out fast, and thats why i bought the levingtons growbags last year ar £2.50 per bag.

[Totty]

You get what you pay for. I would always advise to get the best that is reasonably affordable for you and not to scrimp. Its part of gardening to save money by using things that would be rubbish to some people in order to make something that will save you money, but when it comes to the medium for the plants to grow in i think you should get the best you can. I have been using either Levingtons or Vitax for a few years growing the toms in large pots. Both have been excellent