Growing in Poly Pots

[Kimbo]

Anyone ever had any success growing cabbages/caulis in poly pots. I have loads of little plantlets waiting for a home (didnt expect so many to survive) and no where to put them I was wondering if I could use polypots that I had bought for doing potatoes?

I was also wondering if I could put broad beans/peas in them as well.

[bazzaboy]

Kim, not sure I know what a "polypot" is.... duh! Is it just a black polythene bag or rigid? If you got them for potatoes presumably they're quite large (deep) - if you can find a way of propping them up so they don't move or topple I can't see that the cabbages/beans/peas will know the difference (so don't tell 'em! ) They might be a bit more demanding watering and if the cabbages are expected to survive into the winter the bags/roots might need some frost protection later on but otherwise I can't see a problem. That said I find caulis one of the most difficult veg to grow anyway, perhaps polypots are the answer....? Either way it sounds more likely to succeed than a watering device I invented this morning which is the most hopeless invention ever (waters everything but the plants! I'm just in rethinking that one! Good luck. bb.

[Kimbo]

Kim, not sure I know what a "polypot" is.... duh! Is it just a black polythene bag or rigid? If you got them for potatoes presumably they're quite large (deep) - if you can find a way of propping them up so they don't move or topple I can't see that the cabbages/beans/peas will know the difference (so don't tell 'em! ) They might be a bit more demanding watering and if the cabbages are expected to survive into the winter the bags/roots might need some frost protection later on but otherwise I can't see a problem. That said I find caulis one of the most difficult veg to grow anyway, perhaps polypots are the answer....? Either way it sounds more likely to succeed than a watering device I invented this morning which is the most hopeless invention ever (waters everything but the plants! I'm just in rethinking that one! Good luck. bb.

A polypot is a black polythene bag with drainage holes - you can get them in varying sizes and for me it means I can grow loads of potatoes in a small space. Once they are full of compost they dont move easily

So I wont tell them they are in pots and hope for the best. I have managed to get about half of them in one of my raised beds today and covered with fleece to keep off the cabbage whites and cabbage root fly.

I will let you know if I get any caulis from this method, I have never grown them before.

[Peanut]

Hi Kimbo,

I'm growing potatoes in poly bags for the first time, usually use old compost bags. As for growing Cabbages and Cauliflowers in them I'm not sure, I don't think the soil in there would be firm enough for them.
I'd probably try other things like beans, cucumbers, courgettes and the like instead.

[bazzaboy]

Kim, I suspect peanut's point about the firmness of the soil IS going to be a key factor, it doesn't want to move (esp for brassicas, beans might not be quite so fussy) so if you can't swop things around it would probably be useful if you can stand the filled pots in something supportive so that the contents remain very solid - a crate or an old tin bath or similar. Be interested to hear what you decide and how it goes coz I run out of space too.... bb.

=

[bazzaboy]

ps there's some tips on growing cauiliflowers in an earlier post which you might find useful, see
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ers_16270.html

bb