Knowledgebase

Non-toxic grow bags #822235

Asked March 12, 2023, 11:50 AM EDT

Dear UME, You have kindly answered a question for me in the past, and I'm extremely thankful. I would like to graduate from growing my tomatoes and eggplants in 5-gallon buckets (which like to flop over on a gentle wind) and plant them in something better. I have a nasty substrata of gravel immediately under my grass, so I cannot dig, which makes anything but the tallest of raised beds difficult. (Tall raised beds would be great, but they are either expensive or difficult to make.) This leaves me with the hope of growing things from grow-bags. However, I have a fear of anything leeching into the food from a bag made of plastic (especially plastic from abroad), and while I'd jump for joy for a bag made of hemp (which should be our top crop in this country, alas), I am struggling to find a natural or non-toxic 10-gallon grow bag. To the question: Is there any very safe method of 10-gallon container gardening you could recommend--a brand or type--which wouldn't break the bank? Treehugger recommends this, but I'd like your thoughts before I buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T1MNQNN?tag=treehugger-onsite-prod-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=5215835%7Cn493c4752cfff4432a0b29a85f71ac19715%7CB07T1MNQNN Thank you very much as always!

Baltimore County Maryland

Expert Response

Hi-
We also hope that hemp grow bags and other types made from 100% compostable materials will become more widely available. 

You may be able to find 100% hemp bags in very small sizes. Larger grow bags are available that are 1/2 hemp and 1/2 PPE.

The grow bags featured in the link you shared look sturdy and durable. All of these woven and non-woven bags are made from plastics of some sort so require fossil fuels for their making and will shed some small amount of microplastics with time. 

They are regarded as generally safe to use for food gardening. We have not seen any studies looking at food safety risk factors when using fabric grow bags.
Jon
Good to know, and thank you very much!
John
The Question Asker Replied March 13, 2023, 1:04 PM EDT

Loading ...