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I first discovered fabric raised beds in Quebec City. I was there for a garden writers’ conference a few years ago new, and they seemed to be everywhere I went: in front of the parliament buildings featuring a lush ornamental mix of vegetables, herbs, and flowers; lined up in rows on the roof of a shelter; and supporting a gorgeous living willow pergola at a botanical garden.
The fabric pots were often displayed together in a variety of sizes. Some held single plants, while others were able to hold gorgeous, abundant arrangements of tomatoes, basil, and other veggies. An urban agriculture company called Les Urbainculteurs was distributing a brand called Smart Pots in Canada at the time, so I brought one home to try. I’ve since expanded my collection and have been growing in them ever since. I’ve also noticed that fabric raised beds in all shapes and sizes are more readily available at garden centers and garden retailers.
What exactly are fabric raised beds made from?
Any of the fabric pots I’ve come across—Burpee Root Pouches, Epic Grow Bags, Gardener’s Best—are made from high-quality geotextiles. These are permeable fabrics, and many are created using recycled materials. They come in sizes from five gallons all the way up to 60 gallons. The key is to make sure when you are purchasing fabric raised beds they have breathable fabric.
Despite most fabric raised beds being black in colour, they don’t retain heat as you might expect. Because air flows through the porous container, the plant is kept cool.
For trellising vegetables, I’ve used a wide tomato cage. Bamboo stakes also work well in deeper fabric containers. You can also use a trellis kit, like this clever one for pole beans.
How do fabric raised beds benefit plants?
The durable fabric used in the brands I’ve mentioned allow for a process called air pruning or air root pruning to occur. As the air moves through the pots, it strengthens a plant’s root systems. Air pruning of the roots allows them to access oxygen. Furthermore, rather than the roots hitting the edge of the pot and curling around as they would with plastic, lateral branching occurs. This creates a dense root system with more fibrous roots, meaning more nutrient uptake and avenues to soak up water. Fabric raised beds foster robust, healthy plants with strong root growth. This can help to boost your yield, as well.
Why garden in fabric pots?
Fabric raised beds are lightweight and versatile. They are durable and very practical if you don’t have an in-ground garden. You can place a fabric pot anywhere that gets six to eight hours of sunlight a day—your driveway, the corner of a patio. It is a great option for a small space. If you’re concerned about weight on a balcony or deck, they are much lighter than wooden raised beds.
Many styles have handles, so if you really did have to move them, soil and all, fabric containers are easy to drag onto a dolly or into a wheelbarrow to cart around.
If you have poor, hard-packed, or clay soil, fabric raised beds are a good solution. I have a Geopot that I got from Lee Valley Tools along my side yard where bindweed is rampant. I’ve laid cardboard and mulched the garden, but I can’t really have a full in-ground raised bed, so the fabric pot is great because I can just plunk it down anywhere.
Watering and fabric container care
Because fabric pots are permeable, they drain really well, so plants aren’t sitting in water. I’ve seen some comments that fabric pots dry out too quickly, especially in drier climates. I have found that if the weather is exceptionally hot, you may need to water them more than once a day. Try to just give them a very thorough watering in the morning.
I will caution that better aeration means the water drains easily out the bottom of fabric pots, if you have them on a balcony, you may need to figure out a solution with drain trays so that the water doesn’t drip down to the floors below. If you use something like a tray underneath, make sure that your pots aren’t perpetually sitting in water. This can lead to root rot and unwanted pests.
The other convenient fact about smaller fabric pots is you can empty them for the season, shake them out, fold them up, and store them for the winter in your garage or shed. For large fabric pots, like raised beds, you’re not going to want to empty them if you don’t have to. They require a lot of soil for that first fill. I have found that they are pretty weather-resistant in my cold climate.
Apparently some fabric pots are machine washable. I’ve never done this myself. Les Urbainculteurs recommend using a brush and water to clean.
Choosing soil for fabric raised beds
Gardening in raised beds and pots allows you to control all the rich organic matter that goes into them. The 20-gallon fabric pot that I mention below required a lot of soil. I filled the bottom third or so with cheap bags of black earth that are usually five for $10 (Cdn). I knew my plants weren’t going to be reaching all the way down to the bottom. Then I topped it up with soil formulated for vegetable gardens followed by compost. If you were filling other veggie gardens at the same time, you could use a load of triple mix (which includes top soil, peat moss or black loam, and compost ) or 50/50 mix (top soil and compost).
Do make sure you set up a consistent schedule to fertilize your plants. Constant watering will wash away any nutrients that aren’t being absorbed by the plant. I use organic fertilizer that is formulated for vegetable gardens.
If you don’t empty your fabric raised beds at the end of the season (which isn’t recommended if they’re a certain size), do top-dress them with compost in the fall and/or the springtime to add nutrients back to the soil.
What can you grow in a fabric raised bed?
You can grow anything in a fabric pot, from root vegetables to leafy greens. You want to make sure that you maximize the space and depth. This means don’t grow one wee little basil plant in a 20-gallon container.
I have a large, 20-gallon Smart Pot that I’ve grown watermelon and cucumbers in. The height allows the plants and fruit to trail over the sides, rather than resting on the ground.
I also have a couple of eight- to 10-gallon Geopots that I use to grow tomatoes and peppers. I’ll usually sneak in basil and/or an annual like alyssum, as well.
That first Smart Pot I brought home has been used every year to grow potatoes. You can get special fabric potato pots with a special opening at the bottom for easy access. But I’ve had success using mine. If I want to dig around for early potatoes, I’ll slide a gloved hand down the side and feel around for some. Strawberry plants are also great candidates for fabric raised beds.
When I give my raised bed talks, I like to recommend smaller fabric pots for spreaders like mint. These plants do not belong in an in-ground garden—you’ll be pulling them out forever! But you can have a nice tidy, easy-to-maintain collection of mints or chamomile that won’t take over the garden.
I’m willing to bet that next year she will have to add a lot more soil to bring up the level of the raised bed. The soil will compost down.
I have used cloth reusable Walmart shopping bags and one tomato plant per bag. I had the healthiest plants I was ever able to grow in the Florida panhandle. They were .50cents a bag!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know. I was just going to ask if I could use the black bags.
i live in an apartment complex lucky i am on ground floor my patio is 8 by8 so i bought some fabric stoerage boxes from the dollar store to try my vegetable garden this year for the veggies that need a constant moist soil i lined the boxes with cardboard this will help from drying out so fast while still letting air flow
I tried planting in plastic containers but unfortunately my soil was clay type called garden soil here in Nova Scotia Canada and added PEAT MOSS and cow manure. I live by the ocean and get alot of dew. I am not sure if it’s salty. My plants didn’t grow well comparing to our house in Ontario is it because of the ocean weather ?? Please advise
Hi Marg, for containers, you should start with potting soil, formulated for containers, which is more lightweight, and then add a bit of compost. It’s possible that your growing medium didn’t drain well enough.
Hi,
I live on a condo complex. I have an upstairs balcony & downstairs courtyard that is fairly large but has pavers. I was thinking about using grow bags or putting a raised bed over the pavers. Not sure what would work best. Any advice us appreciated.
For the balcony, the grow bags are very lightweight, you just have to be conscious of water seeping out and off the balcony. On the pavers, the sky’s the limit. Both options would work well.
I have a lot of burlap coffee bean bags & chaff hulls. What would be the best crops I could grow in these?
Also, how or where can I find your response once this is posted? I did post this before but haven’t seen a response & see no way to sort these replies by date?
Hi Keilani, I think depending on the depth of the burlap bags, and if they stand up ok (without flopping over when filled with soil), you have options. You want to make sure the soil drains well after watering. You could try various greens, like kale or Swiss chard. Or maybe cucumbers or peas (look for varieties intended for containers). The first year of growing in these will be an experiment. We get a ton of questions coming through, so don’t always have time to answer them all. That’s probably why you hadn’t seen an answer yet. Good luck!