Why not try something a little various? Like a material raised bed …
The Big Bag Bed is essentially a big bag with a flat bottom constructed of geotextile (you’ll frequently see it used as landscape fabric). Developed by High Caliper Growing, the makers of Smart Pots, it’s planned for use as a container garden on any flat surface.
Assembling the Big Bag Bed
If you can put a fitted sheet onto a bed inside your house, you can utilize the Big Bag Bed out in your backyard. Take it out of the cardboard sleeve it is available in, unfold it, and get ready to fill it.
Like a fitted sheet, the bag bed is constructed of fibers. The difference is in the type of fibers; the Big Bag Bed is made out of a custom, non-woven, geotextile product, instead of woven strands of cotton.
Placement is Important
The Original Big Bag Bed is, well, huge. When unfolded in my lawn it was bigger than I believed despite the fact that I had actually seen them in usage on a rooftop garden in Quebec City, Canada.
The size was a problem for me due to the fact that we survive on a slope and finding a level location to lay the Big Bed out on was an obstacle. I had to level an area for it. If you have a flat backyard this must not be a problem.
Make sure you have the bed where you desire it, due to the fact that once it has plenty of soil you will not have the ability to quickly move it. (It’s like a water bed that method.).
Filling the Big Bag Bed.
The manufacturer specifies right on the package the real size, telling us that the bed is roughly 100 gallons and holds 13.7 cubic feet of mix. I had no clear idea of what that meant, and waddled off to the nursery to purchase mix, forgetting to make a note of the variety of cubic feet needed. 2 bags of container mix were a great start, but it needed another trip to the shop for 2 more– a total of four big bags of potting soil.
Utilizing the Bed.
The Bag Bed works well for the Southwestern winter garden. I had arugula, sorrel, scallions, and a winter greens mix, all largely planted and growing rather well.
Then one night I heard a noise in the backyard. A herd of javalina were positively happy with my garden. I saw 3 of those animals in the Bag Bed combating each other over the buffet. I chased them away and the bed suffered no major harm, which is more than I can say for the two ceramic pots of kale they overturned and broke in their nocturnal jaunt. If the Big Bag Bed is tough enough to stand up to an assault of javelina, it can most likely withstand anything you can toss at it.
Size Matters.
The Bag Bed is readily available in 3 sizes; Original (50 inches in size), Junior (36 inches across) and Mini (24 inches in size). The Original and Junior are 12 inches tall, the Mini just 8 inches.
If I had it to do over once again, I would select a Junior. Why? Well, I’m getting older and less versatile, and the center of the bed was just a tad out of easy reach. Likewise, a Junior ought to grow enough for our empty nest home.
Extra Comments.
It’s important to keep in mind that fiber is porous. Moisture will weep out the sides of the Big Bag Bed and when you water it you’ll discover that water leaks out the bottom.
In a humid environment, this could mean moss and liverworts might grow on the exterior. Here in the Southwest it implies that the calcium in the water will leach out the sides. Calcium seeping occurs with ceramic posts too, but if you are a cool freak this might trouble you.
In the 6 months I utilized the Big Bag Bed the leaching was really little, however after 2 years it will be quite obvious. In either case, these are surface problems and do not harm the plants inside the bed.