DIY Fabric Grow Bags

Happy Wednesday! I have a quick little tutorial to share with you today!

Over the weekend I set about making some DIY grow bags. I've seen grow bags at my local nursery before, but never really thought too much about them. Fast forward to the current COVID situation and I decided I wanted to make some with supplies I already had on hand to expand our planting opportunities. Ordinarily I would run to the store for some more terra cotta pots, but we're trying to avoid any unessential trips right now. I remembered we had a partial roll of weed barrier landscape fabric* leftover from a previous project and decided to try making some myself. I ended up making four and they came together really fast!


I've never used grow bags before, so I can't comment on how well they work, but I'm excited to give them a try! It was either bags or nothing for me, and I already had the fabric so it seemed like a good risk to take. I will update this post at the end of the season with my thoughts on using them! I plan on filling mine with onions and leeks. Excited to grow more veg this year.

In the meantime, I got a lot of questions about how I made mine, so I thought I would share a few quick instructions and information on how to make other sizes.


*2023 Update* - I have a brand new grow bag tutorial to share: DIY Felt Grow Bags. I tested out two different felts during the 2022 growing season and found one that worked great, held up over the winter, is easy to find AND is affordable! I think this is the best version, I highly recommend checking it out.

*2022 Update* - Unfortunately the cotton canvas was a big fail! It started to disintgrate within a month or so of planting, which was a real bummer! I do want to continue to experiment with other fabrics though, so I will probably try something else this season! Will report back if I do.

*2021 Update* - These bags worked great for our peppers all season long! They loved the extra heat from the black fabric and they drained nicely. I think the breathability of this thin fabric really suited the peppers. They sat directly on our asphalt driveway, so the very bottom stayed pretty wet. Because of this they did rip when we went to pick them up at the end of the season. 2020 was all about using what I had on hand to make it work, so I don't regret using the fabric that I did.

Now that we know how well we like grow bags, this year I plan to make them a little differently. Most commercially available grow bags are made from felt or other non-woven fabric, but it's pretty pricey. So, I am going to try using cotton canvas, in the hopes that it will last multiple seasons but still breath nicely. An added bonus is that it's a natural fiber, so I feel good about using it for growing food! I am also going to make really simple "trivets" out of wood for the bags to sit on. I think these changes will help with the overall durability. Will update here at the end of the season with the results!


The landscape fabric I used is the kind that's really thin and doesn't feel too plastic-y. It should still allow for the dirt to breathe and for water to drain. I wrote the instructions to double up the layers to provide extra durability. If your fabric is thicker, you could just cut two 32"x24" pieces and turn the top edges under.

Finished size: Approximately 16" wide, 16" tall, 16" deep
(The finished size is not exact because it doesn't account for the seam allowance. Plus once it is filled with dirt it stretches some.)

Materials: 
- 64" of 4' wide landscape fabric*
- Polyester thread (or heavy duty thread)

Cutting:
Cut fabric into (2) 32"x48" rectangles.

Instructions:
Use 1/2" seam allowances unless otherwise noted.


1. Fold rectangles in half so that they measure 32"x24". Top stitch along the fold on each piece to secure in place. You may choose to baste the other three sides if you want.


2. Cut 8" squares out of the two bottom corners on each piece.


3. Place pieces together, lining up all four edges. Secure in place with pins. Sew around three sides, leaving the top folded edge open.


4. Pull the top and bottom layers of one corner apart, pinch together so that the side seam lines up with the bottom seam. Pin and sew across with a 1/2” seam allowance. Repeat with other corner. Turn right side out.

If you need extra help understanding this step, I have a photo and video tutorial of this technique here: Simple Steps to Great Looking Gussets


5. Optional: Add tucks to each corner for extra shaping. Use each bottom corner as a guide. I have a video tutorial of this process here: Using Tucks to Add Structure to Your Bag

To make other size grow bags:
This simple math formula works for square shaped bags. Decide what size square you'd like the height and width of the bag to be. Let's use 12" as an example.

Multiply the square size by 2 to get the width of the fabric pieces to cut:
12" x 2 = 24" 

Multiply the square size by 1.5, then double it to get the height of the fabric pieces to cut:
12" x 1.5 = 18", 18" x 2 = 36" 

The corner square cut out is half the square size: 12" / 2 = 6" 

So, you'll cut 2 pieces 24"x36", and cut 6" squares from the bottom corners. Resulting grow bag will be around 12" tall, 12" wide and 12" deep. Actual finished size will be a bit smaller because of the seam allowance.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I have lots of other tutorials for everything from quilts, pillows, bags, and holiday items to informational series and techniques. Find all my tutorials here: Tutorials. My online shop is filled with patterns for quilts and bags. Find my patterns here: Jeni Baker Patterns

If you make something using one of my tutorials or patterns, I hope you'll tag me @jenib320 and use my hashtag #jenibaker on instagram!


Happy Gardening!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.