{"id":64519,"date":"2026-04-13T21:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=64519"},"modified":"2026-04-13T21:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:03:10","slug":"growing-containers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=64519","title":{"rendered":"Growing Containers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Growing<\/p>\n

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The same tomato plant in four different containers produces completely different yields. The container is not a secondary detail.<\/div>\n
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The fabric grow bag performs best for a specific reason: when roots reach the permeable wall, the air at the surface desiccates the root tip and the plant responds by producing dense lateral branching further back \u2014 a process called air pruning. In a solid plastic pot the root circles continuously until it becomes pot-bound, compressing its own vascular system. In a fabric bag the root system fans outward in branched layers, maximising the volume of compost it can access.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fabric bags also run significantly cooler than dark plastic containers. A black plastic pot in full summer sun can reach soil temperatures that slow root activity and reduce fruit set. A fabric bag in the same position will typically stay 6 to 10\u00b0C cooler.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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What happens in each container:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dark plastic pot \u2014 traps heat. Root temperatures above 28\u00b0C in summer conditions are possible. Roots circle and become constrained. Inexpensive to buy, costly in yield.<\/div>\n
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Fabric grow bag \u2014 roots branch rather than circle. Better oxygen at the root zone, better water distribution, better production. The best choice for tomatoes on a balcony or terrace.<\/div>\n
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Terracotta pot \u2014 transpires moisture through the walls, which cools the root zone naturally and prevents waterlogging. Excellent for herbs and drought-tolerant crops. For tomatoes it increases watering frequency, and in hot dry summers it can stress the plant. Works well with consistent attention.<\/div>\n
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20-litre bucket \u2014 conducts temperature change rapidly. Roots experience cold nights and warm days as sharp fluctuations rather than buffered changes. Works for tomatoes if the bucket is partially buried or insulated.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The same tomato plant in four different containers produces completely different yields. The container is not a secondary detail. The fabric grow bag performs best for a specific reason: when roots reach the permeable wall, the air at the surface desiccates the root tip and the plant responds by producing dense lateral branching further back … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Growing Containers”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gardening","category-general-interest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64519"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64522,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64519\/revisions\/64522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}