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Hot take: grow bags beat plastic pots for tomato plants every time
I tried both sides last spring in my little backyard garden in Portland. Started 6 tomato plants in plastic pots and 6 in fabric grow bags, same soil, same fertilizer, same sun exposure. By August the grow bag plants were noticeably bigger with way more fruit set, while the plastic pots had roots starting to circle around the bottom. I think it's the air pruning in the fabric bags that stops the roots from getting all tangled up. Plus the bags drained better when we got those heavy rain weeks we always have here. My neighbor swore by plastic but after seeing my harvest she ordered a pack of bags from the local nursery. Has anyone else switched over and noticed a difference with peppers or squash too?
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tarab541mo ago
Man, that root circling thing is exactly what got me too! I switched to grow bags for my peppers a couple years back after noticing the same problem with pots. One thing I haven't seen anyone mention yet is how much easier it is to water the bags in hot weather. The fabric lets the soil breathe so you don't get that weird dry pocket in the middle of the pot that plastic can cause. My jalapeños went from sad and stunted to actually producing a decent harvest after I made the switch.
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