Handmade in Colorado, Honor the Plant's bags are our top choice.
Stacy Tornio has authored more than 15 books about animals, nature, and gardening. She is a master gardener and master naturalist. Felt desktop organizer
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If you're short on garden space or need to find lightweight planters for rooftop or balcony gardens, grow bags offer a versatile and portable solution. They're an excellent alternative to the traditional plastic containers common in most garden centers, and can be folded flat for compact storage during the off season. You can use fabric pots for many different types of plants, including flowers, veggies, herbs, and houseplants. Look for permeable options that allow water and air to easily pass through the soil, and can help your plants develop strong roots.
Here are some of the best fabric plant pots to check out yourself.
Most grow bags are made from synthetic fibers. These bags from Honor the Plant are made from heavy polyester, but they stand out from other bags on the market because they're made in the United States and are Greenguard Certified. That certification means they're free from a range of environmentally harmful chemicals that are often found in textiles.
Although these bags were originally designed for cannabis plants, you can use them to grow anything you'd like. The bags are made by hand in Colorado at a facility that pays fair wages and uses eco-friendly practices, and sold on Etsy. They're available in a wide range of colors and sizes, and have compact handles that make them easy to transport and arrange close together. The bags can be washed out with soap and hot water, or even withstand a 50/50 water to bleach ratio.
Most grow bags are made from "nonwoven fabric," which means it's made from a type of plastic fibers. Here at Treehugger, we typically prefer to avoid plastic, however this nonwoven fabric is by far the most commonly used material to make grow bags. The upside is that it can be washed and reused for many growing seasons, whereas natural fibers would wear out more quickly. It's also relatively affordable.
If you’re growing in bulk and need to rely on pots to create gardening space, then this is one of the best, cost-efficient options. The bags come in a pack of eight, and you can choose the size that works best for you, including 1 gallon, 3 gallon, or all the way up to 10 gallon. The nonwoven bags are 100% BPA-free, and they also have handles to make them easy to move. The bags are sturdy enough to stand on their own.
This is one of the most eco-friendly nonwoven fabric pots you can buy because they are made from recycled water bottles and hemp. These bags are better than plastic pots for the overall health of your plants, because they provide better air flow and drainage. This allows the roots of your plants to develop and flourish.
This particular one is a 7-gallon design, but you can find options that are both bigger and smaller. You can use them to get a jump on the season by starting plants indoors. At the end of the season, you can leave them outside, store them in a protected area for winter, or fold them flat until next season.
These two-tone grow bags are another solid option for fabric bags. With an attractive design, they are incredibly sturdy and are as popular to use for storage as they are to use as pots. The inner waterproof liner will protect the exterior color while allowing you to thoroughly water and still have good drainage. They are available in 10 gallons and smaller, which should be big enough to grow nearly any flower or veggie you want.
Don’t let lack of space stop you from having the veggie garden of your dreams. This fabric-based raised garden bed has eight different compartments, allowing you to grow lots of herbs or veggies. Each section is more than a square foot, so you could use the square foot gardening method with this collapsible bed. With the container being nearly a foot tall, you should have plenty of room for most root veggies. This really is the perfect way to have a veggie garden on your deck, patio, porch, or anywhere else.
The most eco-friendly grow bags we found made by Honor the Plant in Colorado. However, if you’re on a budget, check out the Jeria 8-Pack of 3 gallon grow bags.
When you start looking for grow bags and fabric pots, the description of the material can be a bit vague. A lot of times, you’ll just see “nonwoven fabric” without many details beyond that. Nonwoven fabric is a felt-like material that's typically made from plastic fibers that are bonded together through a chemical process. We like the ones that include some recycled content. When it comes to grow bags, natural materials have the disadvantage of breaking down quickly, unless you want a pot that can be planted directly into the ground.
It can be easy to find (and love) a pot online, only to realize it’s adorably tiny and too small for the plant you had in mind. Always check the dimensions of a pot and match that up against the plant you want to grow. Many of the grow bags on this list come in several different sizes, as big as 5, 7, and 10 gallons. This should be plenty big enough to grow anything you want, so check those growing requirements.
Naturally, your fabric pots should have good drainage, but since this is one of the most important parts of gardening success, it’s worth making sure. Every once in a while, you’ll come across a really decorative, cute pot that doesn’t have good drainage or it’s just been lined with a thick plastic. Watch for this, and don’t fall for it. Similarly, some of the cheapest grow bags are more like heavy-duty plastic trash bags and won't drain, so also be on the lookout for bags that aren't made of fabric at all.
A big pro of grow bags is that they allow for more soil aeration, but this can allow plants to dry out faster. Like other kinds of containers, a good rule of thumb is to water when the top inch of soil feels dry. In the heat of the summer, you may need to water everyday, depending on the plant. If you're using grow bags inside, you may want to place them on a tray to collect any water that may seep out the bottom.
If you plan on planting your fabric pots in the ground, make sure the material is biodegradable. In fact, some gardeners use this method every growing season because it allows them to start their plants inside much earlier than usual. By transplanting biodegradable pots directly into the ground, you can reduce overall shock to the plant and help them thrive.
Grow bags can last many seasons. To get many years of use, it's a good idea to wash them out between uses. Store them in a cool, dry place out of the sun when they're not in use.
This article was written by garden expert Stacy Tornio, who has been working to be more plastic-free in all aspects of her life, including gardening. She will sometimes use cardboard boxes for gardening as a way to avoid plastic pots, and she’s been on the lookout for other sustainable container options as well. For this article, she asked for suggestions from her gardening network and researched the best fabric options.
Felt busy board Associate Editorial Director Margaret Badore also contributed market research to this article. She is always looking for new ways to fit more plants into her tiny New York City garden.