Ikea bags as vegetable planters?

I've been wondering about this all year, but haven't thought to ask about it yet.

I used one of those big blue tarp-like Ikea bags to bag up the moss-infested top soil from the neglected front flower beds when I bought my house last summer. I thought that keeping the light out would help kill the moss and maybe help get it ready for re-use one of these days, so I covered it up with a cheap tarp and just left it in an out-of-the-way corner.

At any rate, the bag itself has held up to being outside all summer surprisingly well, which leads me to wonder if it could be used as a sort of grow bag. As they are cheap and huge, it seems that they might be a cost-effective way of getting a big container good for planting stuff like turnips or celeriac.

Has anyone tried such a thing? Do you think it would help keep the slugs/snails out of the vegetables?

 

Mander, i haven't tried it but think that sounds like a brilliant idea, if you don't mind the aesthetics of the bags, as they are cheap and sturdy...and if your strong enough they're portable by their handles, i might give it a try!

 

I was thinking of setting them along the back (south-facing) wall of the house. Our garden is mostly paved, but faces south, so it's generally a good spot for growing stuff. Eventually I will persuade my husband to let me rip out the strange terrace that the previous owner put in and build a greenhouse instead, but for now I only have a narrow little flower/vegetable bed along one side. The shape of the wierd terrace would pretty effectively hide most of the bags, I think. Would they hold their shape once full of dirt? Or do you think I should rig up some sort of frame for them, either inside or outside?

 

Full of compost/soil you mean. If you dont need to move them they will hold the shape 4 sure. Not much of a point to build a frame.
They are defenetly big enough to grow almost anything in them.

 

"Dirt" of course being a generic newbie term for the stuff that plants grow in...

 

Anyone have any thoughts as to whether the bags may leach weird chemicals into the soil/compost? just a thought as i wasnt sure exactly what they are made of :cnfs:

 

What a great idea! :gnthb:

I was thinking that you could have a bottomless wooden or stone "frame" around them to make it appear to be a planter if the logo and colour put you off.

I am now waiting for someone to answer Dan's question as that would interest me.

 

It would appear that the Ikea bags are made from polypropylene plastic, which apparently doesn't appear to leach chemicals.

http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/news/archives/2007/03/march_1_-_plast.htm

Well, unless you microwave it or heat it up in the dishwasher...

 

My mum grew spuds in her large ikea bag last year, huge crop. No need for internal frame, soil fills it firm enough to retain it's shape. It was tatty, couple of small tears (years of using as a car boot liner/garden tidy). She just stuck it behind a few pots with grasses in and moved them to harvest, rolled top down and unrolled it when earthing up. It was heavy, so handles are useful if wanting to relocate it

 

Fantastic Idea and go with KG's idea too.:thumb:

 

ikea also sell planting bags they are a little more expensive but a bit prettier if you don't want to look at the blue bags.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20167287

 

My daughter used the IKEA bags last year for spuds, leeks and beetroot ... all turned out wonderfully!! Brilliant idea!!

 

Ive seen some garden bags in the local 99p shop that are good for growing veg in. They say they dont rot on the packaging and they hold 180 litres, plenty for growing spuds in. Im getting some for my garden, just think how much a 180L plant pot would cost.