Make a super simple frame growbag

If your grow bag rests on a hard base and canes are not an option, Joyce Russell offers the perfect solution to supporting your plants as they grow

- Joyce Russell

Tomatoes grow well outdoors in a good summer. If you have a bed of rich soil near a sunny wall, then this might make the perfect spot. You can drive bamboo canes into the ground to provide support for each plant. But many gardens have solid paths or patios in the perfect location for growing tomatoes, so different growing techniques come into their own.

Growbags are ideal in this situation – they provide a contained nutrient-rich growing medium, but they aren’t deep enough to keep a cane stable and there is no place to drive a support into the ground. If you tie plants against the wall, then there isn’t enough air circulation and plants are more likely to moulder.

The solution is to make your own frame to use with a growbag to support growing plants. The one shown here really is super simple to make and the weight of the bag holds the frame steady even in a wind. The frame looks attractive and works well to protect and support growing plants.

Growbags differ in shape and size. The dimensions shown here will accommodate most bags. There may be a bit of overlap at the base if you use very long bags, but the frame will still work well to provide support. You can measure the bag and adjust the size of the ply and the frame if you want. This frame is designed for two plants, but it is easy to make a wider frame and use more canes for more plants. Or you could make a double-width frame for two growbags side by side.

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