Different Types of Growbags: What Types of Growbags Are Suitable for Different Plants?

Growing fruit, vegetables, and herbs in your own garden can be incredibly satisfying – you can control the process from start to finish, and you quite literally get to taste the fruits of your labor.

Part of the fun of managing your own garden is working out what works best and monitoring all your plants as they grow. If you’re just starting out, you may want to stick to just one or two easy-to-grow herbs and later progress to non-temperamental vegetables and fruit. But, whatever it is you’re growing, you’re always going to want to use the best, most effective and efficient method possible. And, when it comes to at-home gardening, growbags are an absolute must.

There are so many advantages to using growbags – from organization and portability to temperature regulation and moisture permeability. But one of the things that makes growbags so effective and easy to use is the fact that that you have a massive range of shapes and sizes to choose from. That means that no matter what you’re growing – whether it’s small little herbs or potatoes with long roots – you can use growbags that’ll facilitate the growth effectively and efficiently.

But, with a lot of variety comes a whole lot of choice, and we know that it ca be overwhelming to make these decisions if you’re not 100% sure what you need and want. And, when it comes to growbags, we’re not exaggerating when we say that there are many options – influenced by factors such as depth, shape, size, overall volume, and material too. So, how are you supposed to make the right decisions?

Well, the good news is that when it comes to depth, shape, size, and overall volume, they’re all influenced by each other, and generally speaking, different plants (or vegetables and fruits) are suited to very specific types of growbags.

So, we’re going to tell you all about the main types and sizes of growbags so that you can confidently pick out and purchase the perfect growbags for your garden.

Why Are Growbags Useful?

Before we delve into specific sizes of growbags, however, we’re going to give you a quick reminder of why growbags are useful. That way, you can keep these things in mind when you’re contemplating all the different types of growbags available to you for different fruits, vegetables and herbs.

• Portability: Since your plants will be in separate growbags, it’s easy to move them around if you need them to change positions, for whatever reason.
• Optimization of Space: The use of growbags in your garden will undoubtedly help you maximize growing space. This makes them ideal for use on balconies, small gardens, and in outdoor areas.
• Root Development: Since growbags restrict exactly where the roots of the plants can grow, they prevent circling roots and promote lateral root growth, which is what makes a healthy root system.
• Drainage: When you use growbags, you don’t need to worry about poor drainage because they prevent waterlogging and they ensure that the plants enjoy optimal moisture levels.
• Weed Control: As opposed to having plants placed in open soil, growbags make your plants less vulnerable to infiltrating weeds as they form a physical barrier. This makes it easier to clean and maintain your garden.
• Aeration: Growbags are permeable so air can continue to flow. They allow for excellent circulation around the roots which prevents root rot.
• Temperature Control: Growbags are great at naturally regulating temperature so that it’s always optimal for your plants (unlike when you use plastic containers, and so forth).
• Water Efficiency: Growbags allow for precise watering which means that you can minimize water wastage and be far more efficient.
• Consistent Growing Environment: Ensure that the plants in your garden can enjoy a consistent growing environment with growbags, because when plants are grown in growbags, and they’re less susceptible to external factors.
• Pest Control: Growbags decrease the probability of having a pest problem. And, if pests do infiltrate your garden, they’re less likely to spread to all your plants.
• Clean and Tidy: Using growbags can help you keep your garden neat, tidy, and organized, which is perfect for both urban outdoor gardens as well as small indoor gardens too.
• Versatile: Since you get growbags in all different shapes, sizes, and materials, they’re super versatile – you can use them to grow just about anything you like.
• Crop Rotation: If your plants are in separate growbags, it’s significantly easier to rotate your crops according sunlight, soil, and water requirements.
• Reduced Soil Compaction: The use of growbags reduces soil compaction (that is, when soil is far too compressed and it reduces drainage, aeration, and more).
• Easy Harvesting: Having your plants, whether it’s fruit or vegetables, in a growbag makes them easy and efficient to harvest without disrupting any surrounding plants.

Clearly, growbags have a lot to offer in terms of effective and efficient gardening practices!

One of the advantages we mentioned above was versatility – that is, the fact that you can use growbags for just about anything in your garden. Indeed, these days, you can get growbags in all different shapes and sizes.

So, with that in mind, let’s have a look at different sized growbags and what they can and ought to be used for.

Different Sized Growbags and What They Can and Should Be Used For

There are a few different things that are considered when it comes to deciding on the size of a growbag you need for a specific plant or space, including:

• Plant Size: Large plants that tend to have extensive root systems require large growbags to accommodate growth – and if they have roots that grow deep, they need to be deep growbags.
• Type of Plant: Some plants, even though they don’t necessarily look too big at a glance, may grow significantly or have deceptively deep and strong roots.
• Number of Plants in Each Growbag: Some plants are conducive to be grown alongside many other within the same growbag, but it all depends on the type of plant (and how it grows), how big the plants are, and how big the growbag is. The most important thing to prioritize is that each plant needs sufficient space to grow.
• Watering Frequency: Some people purchase plants and growbags to fit in with their gardening and watering routine, while others change their routine to suit their plants. Either way, bear in mind that smaller bags tend to require more frequent watering because they hold less soil and, subsequently, less water.
• Climate and Environmental Conditions: In warm climates, smaller growbags tend to struggle a bit more with temperature regulation – they get hot quite quickly and struggle to cool down. Whereas larger growbags, on the other hand, are able to regulate their temperature a bit better. So, when you’re deciding on growbags, it’s imperative that you consider the climate you’re growing in.
• Space Constraints: The size of your garden is a massive consideration when deciding on growbags. Smaller spaces may be better suited to smaller growbags, while larger spaces may be better suited to bigger growbags (or even multiple).
• Planting Depth: One of the most important factors to consider is how deep the root of the plant is going to grow. And, not just in its current state, but when it’s fully mature.
• Duration of Growth: Different plants grow, develop and mature at different rates, so if you’re growing something that has a longer, more drawn-out growth period, it may need a bigger growbag to support its development over a longer period of time.
• Gardening Goals: Consider what your personal gardening goals are – whether you’re going for an extensive production of fruits and vegetables, or more of a compact and decorative garden.

Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. We’ve spoken about what you need to consider when choosing different types of growbags, but now we’re going to tell you what specific growbags are ideal for.

Different Sized Growbags and Their Ideal Uses

To make this as easy as possible for you, we’ve divided the different sized growbags up by gallon. That way, you can use this as growbag size guide next time your shopping for your garden.

Here’s what different sized growbags can be used for in your garden.

Small Growbags

1 Gallon Growbags 

1 gallon growbags are best suited to small herbs and succulents, because they don’t need a lot of space or water. Using these small growbags for herbs and succulents rather than just planting them directly into the ground will help you maintain the quality of the soil and maintain water levels too.

The ideal herbs to plant in 1 gallon growbags include basil, thyne, rosemary, mint, cilantro, chives, and basil. In terms of succulents, you could grow anything from aloe vera and jade plant to string pf pearls of echeveria.

2 Gallon Growbags

2 gallon grow bags are also considered very small growbags, and they can also be used for herbs and succulents in the same way 1 gallon growbags can. The difference is that you could either plant multiple herbs or succulents in one growbag, or, you could grow a variety of small vegetables too. This includes things like arugula, lettuce, radishes, kale, and green onions.

3 Gallon Growbags 

3 gallon growbags aren’t too different from 2 gallon growbags – they can handle pretty much the same types of plants. They’re just better for taking more of them, if you’d like to fit more of the same plants into one bag.

Medium Growbags

5 Gallon Growbags

If you’re looking for medium-sized growbags, 5 gallon volume is a good one to go with. It’s suitable for a variety of both herbs and vegetables.

A 5 gallon growbag would be great for herbs such as turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass. And, if you’re looking to grow veggies, you can grow things like okra, potatoes, broccoli, eggplant, cabbage, peppers, beans, and cucumbers.

7 Gallon Growbags 

Again, there isn’t a huge difference between the 5 and 7 gallon growbags – they can hold pretty much the same types of plants – it’s more about how many of each they can handle. So, if you’re looking to plant things like cabbage, peppers, beans, and so on, you’d get away with having more in one bag. However, the space difference is massive, so, for instance, if you were planting potatoes, you’d pretty much only be able to plant one extra (three versus two) compared to a 5 gallon.

Large Growbags

10 Gallon Growbags and 15 Gallon Growbags

If you’re looking for a large growbag, the 10 gallon growbags are where the large growbags start – and from here on out, they get a whole lot bigger. The 10 and 15 gallon bags are great for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.

As we said, potatoes can be grown in growbags as small as two gallons, but if you want to plant multiple plants in one bag – like up to four potatoes – then starting off on the small side of the large category is a great idea.

30, 40 and 50 Gallon Growbags

We’re well into the category of large growbags now, and there are plenty of different vegetables, fruits, flowers, and more you can plant in growbags ranging from 30 to 50 gallons, because they’re fairly similar in overall volume. This includes flowering plants, root vegetables (like carrots and radishes), strawberries, small fruit trees, egg plants, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers.

The difference between them, however, whether you’re using 30 gallon growbags or 40 gallon growbags, for instance, normally comes down to how many of the same plant you want in a single growbags, as well as how much space you have in your garden.

100 Gallon Growbags

Taking a big jump from 50, 100 gallon growbags are pretty substantial and they’re actually suitable for a fairly wide range of plants. This includes large vegetables like eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, pumpkins, and artichokes, as well as plenty of berries, lettuce, and corn. It’s also the ideal size for fairly small trees, like citrus or apple.

200 Gallon Growbags

Last but not least, 200 gallon growbags are the biggest of the lot, and you need some serious space in your garden to be able to use these comfortably. They’re ideal for large vegetables, berries, and perennial flowers, much like some of the smaller growbags. However, they’re also able to be sued for corn (as a containerized corn crop), for small berry orchards, grapes, bushes, shrubs, and even large fruit trees.

Final Thoughts on Different Types of Growbags

Deciding on the size of the appropriate growbag for your garden and for your needs depends on many factors, including the size of your garden, exactly what you’re growing, the climate, and so much more.

So, no matter what you’re planning on growing in your garden, there’s sure to be an appropriately sized and shaped growbag for you – just make sure you do your research.

Browse our selection of growbags today!