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Sasquatch
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Large 70 kg burlap coffee bags as a container?

Looking to grow hot peppers... six plants as of now.

I started researching purpose built grow bags as a container a few weeks ago. All likely made in China. Who knows what chemicals are in them? No thanks.

On another non-gardening forum someone suggested burlap bags, specifically standard 70 kg coffee bean bags. Flat dimensions are roughly 28" (70 cm) x 39" (100 cm).

There is a nearby coffee roaster who sells them for $2 a piece. Yes please. Their coffee is quite good too.

Using https://www.omnicalculator.com/construction/pipe-volume the best I can figure along with đťť… the round diameter is 18" (46 cm). A container height of 10" (25 cm) works out to about 11 gallons (42 liters).

I have yet to fill one of the bags with the https://www.miraclegro.com/en-us/produc ... r-conserve I bought. :eek:

I see there is a lot of hate for Miracle Grow here, but the easy availability of this alleged organic product and a price I could sort of deal with (~$8 a 32 quart bag). I have ten of them.

Seems plenty big enough (too big)? for any pepper plants I care to grow in it, but what about the shape? 10" x 18" tall seems the better choice.

What say you all?

pepperhead212
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I replied to your welcome post first, and commented on size there - now I see what it is! And 11 gal is definitely large enough, even for the largest, like habaneros. You can probably put 2 jalapeños, and even more of the smaller ones, like serranos, in one planter, with no problem. Still, not sure how burlap will hold up to moisture.

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Sasquatch
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Ha! You found it. :)

My concern is the flatter shape of the "pot". Isn't the minimum spacing 18"? Two plants in an 18" wide by 10" "pot"? Seems to be cutting it close. I have read plants in well aerated bags like burlap do not develop extensive root systems as long as they are fed well.

18" tall x 10" wide just looks like a proper "pot". Not so much the other way around.

I have these seedlings:

2 Jalapeños; an early and an "M".

1 Scotch Bonnet

1 Aji Yellow 2

1 Sandia

1 Serrano

I've grown Jalapeños and Serranos before. I'd not call them small. I have grown several excellent Habaneros too. They are bushier.

The Aji seedling looks to become a tree by its growth thus far. I have concerns about the others, purchased from a NJ internet vendor received on 11 May.

Leggy and stunted are two words I'd use. They are in larger pots to grow up prior to planting in the bags. I bring them in every night as the morning lows are not friendly to hot peppers just yet. Looks like they will be before the weekend.

Maybe I'll post images tomorrow.

Also going to check out a nursery near me for what they have left in the event the others don't make it.

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applestar
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Hi there. Another NJ gardener from across the river. :wink:

I think this would be really fun! I had considered burlap bags a few years ago, but unfortunately I didn’t have/couldn’t find a ready source of untreated/food-grade bags like you.

Here are some thoughts from my old notes —

* Stability - support by grouping together and tying with rope and/or tying to stakes on either side? (this was suggested for re-purposing/growing in potting mix, mulch, gravel, etc. other gardening media bags)
* One interesting idea I came across was to put the bag inside plastic basket-bags (looked a bit like a typical beach bag — could have been since this idea was from a Mexican gardener). I realize this defeats the purpose if trying to avoid plastic.
* You could adjust height by folding down the top
* Would dry out easily — growbags can sit in water since they will breathe from the sides
* You might be able to combine with raingutter or 4” PVC pipe sub-irrigation system. (PVC pipe closed system is supposed to be better for mosquito control, but you could use mosquito dunks, microbe-lift, etc. )
* One idea I was noodling was to slip the burlap bag inside of wire/cable spool core (bottomless) then folding over the top — A blog or article or somebody’s post suggested using carpet roll core and I almost died thinking about the horrific chemicals saturating carpets.... I was trying to find out if wire/cable spool core was safer....

...ultimately abandoned because I couldn’t source the burlap bags. :roll:

...peppers don’t mind being — some people say they prefer to be — planted two to a container.

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Sasquatch
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applestar wrote: ↑
Mon May 17, 2021 11:19 pm
Hi there. Another NJ gardener from across the river. :wink:

I think this would be really fun! I had considered burlap bags a few years ago, but unfortunately I didn’t have/couldn’t find a ready source of untreated/food-grade bags like you.

Here are some thoughts from my old notes —

* Stability - support by grouping together and tying with rope and/or tying to stakes on either side? (this was suggested for re-purposing/growing in potting mix, mulch, gravel, etc. other gardening media bags)
* One interesting idea I came across was to put the bag inside plastic basket-bags (looked a bit like a typical beach bag — could have been since this idea was from a Mexican gardener). I realize this defeats the purpose if trying to avoid plastic.
* You could adjust height by folding down the top
* Would dry out easily — growbags can sit in water since they will breathe from the sides
* You might be able to combine with raingutter or 4” PVC pipe sub-irrigation system. (PVC pipe closed system is supposed to be better for mosquito control, but you could use mosquito dunks, microbe-lift, etc. )
* One idea I was noodling was to slip the burlap bag inside of wire/cable spool core (bottomless) then folding over the top — A blog or article or somebody’s post suggested using carpet roll core and I almost died thinking about the horrific chemicals saturating carpets.... I was trying to find out if wire/cable spool core was safer....

...ultimately abandoned because I couldn’t source the burlap bags. :roll:

...peppers don’t mind being — some people say they prefer to be — planted two to a container.
Thanks!

I looked at short tomato cages as forms for the coffee bags. Near as I can tell they might provide a 6 gallon "pot". Most sources I have found indicate 7 is the minimum for happy hot pods. I'd rather go bigger than smaller.

I planned on folding from the top. Seems the excess might make for some built in mulch moisture control too.

All of the burlap I have ever had my hands on had this nasty chemical-like aroma. Freshly processed jute?

These bags are aroma neutral. They held green beans of which I have a few dozen that did not make it into the roaster. I may go back to the roaster and get more bags for double bagging for better moisture retention.

Food grade is still a question whether organic or not. Green beans get roasted - does this kill off nasty volatile compounds?

I do not mind manually watering as I read in several sources over watering is a common mistake with peppers.

Still unsure - flat or tall with the same volume. :?:

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applestar
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If you can get hold of fresh enough “green” unroasted seeds/beans — you might want to try this :arrow: Subject: COFFEE SEED IS SPROUTING!


...when I dig up pepper plans for overwintering, they tend to be shallow-rooted with very long exploratory roots radiating out.

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Sasquatch
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applestar wrote: ↑
Tue May 18, 2021 12:07 am
If you can get hold of fresh enough “green” unroasted seeds/beans — you might want to try this :arrow: Subject: COFFEE SEED IS SPROUTING!


...when I dig up pepper plans for overwintering, they tend to be shallow-rooted with very long exploratory roots radiating out.
I'll see if I can get some to sprout. :-()

pepperhead212
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Sasquatch, That 18" spacing is mainly a ground spacing. They can go closer, as long as you have a lot of space for the roots to spread, or, as with an SIP, not much of a reason for the roots to spread! Here is a photo of how close together I put 4 peppers in each of these Earthboxes, with about 15 gal of mix. They are very tall because I had them covered, to prevent pepper maggots, and they grew straight up!
ImagePepper plants growing through the tops of the covers 7-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr



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