MARTYN COX’S CITY GARDEN
A growing bag isn’t just for summer. Martyn explains how old ones can still be put to good use
Re-use growing bags and perk-up your lawn
BY early autumn growing bags appear to have served their purpose as plants like tomatoes and strawberries run out of steam. At this point, gardeners tend to evict the tired plants and either use the compost as mulch or simply take the entire bag down to the local tip. If this sounds like you, hold your horses.
Although the compost in bags will be lacking nutrients after supporting a range of hungry crops since spring, it can be revitalised really easily. Once prepared, bags can be used for growing radish, spring onions, mixed salad leaves, rocket, sorrel, claytonia and many other short rooted leafy crops over the next few months
Rather than trying to sow seeds into the square holes used for summer crops, I prefer to remove a large rectangular panel to allow sowing in rows, either across the space or along its full length. Salad leaves could even be broadcast over the surface and covered with a light layer of compost.
Due to lower temperatures and light levels, plants won’t bolt out of the blocks like a thoroughbred race horse, but will plod along like a seaside donkey, so don’t expect to be picking them as quickly as you might in the summer. Bags are fine outside for now but will need moving undercover before the first frosts. Before recharging growing bags by following my step-by-step guide, remove all of the tired summer crops. The root systems of plants that have been inside for the past few months are likely to be quite extensive, so lift plants carefully and break rootballs apart to retain as much of the original compost as possible.