About this episode
Learn when, why and how to grow fruit trees in fabric pots. Our show guest on the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Kevin Espiritu of EpicGardening.com. Kevin is the author of the book Grow Bag Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow Bountiful Vegetables, Herbs, Fruit and Flowers in Lightweight, Eco-Friendly, Fabric Pots . The images used in the video version of this episode were supplied Giving Grove ( www.givinggrove.org ) and by Smartpots , the original US company that invented the idea of fabric container and the leading brand of Grow Bags. The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com . Tune into show LIVE by going to RealityRadio101.com on the last Tuesday of every month at 1.00 pm Eastern Time or download the podcast. Learn to grow organic fruit trees successfully. Sign up for OrchardPeople.com's premium online courses at https://learn.orchardpeople.com/ . These show notes may contain affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Thanks for your support! (00:00) - How Giving Grove uses Fabric Pots in their Community Orchards (00:42) - The Benefits and Challenges of Bare Root Trees (02:09) - Exploring the Use of Fabric Pots with Kevin Espiritu (02:45) - How to Submit Questions and Comments (03:18) - Why Fabric Pots are Useful in Small Spaces (03:52) - Why Fabric Pots Boost Root Health (06:05) - Fruit Tree Pruning for Food Forests (07:01) - Fruit Tree Pruning in Permaculture Food Forests (07:28) - Kevin's Approach to Fruit Tree Pruning in his Food Forest (09:07) - Susan's Approach to Fruit Tree Pruning to Improve Fruit Quality (10:03) - Pruning and How it also Helps Thin the Fruit on the Tree (11:51) - Using Fabric Pots in the Low Desert (12:44) - Using Lined Grow Bags and Fabric Pots (13:56) - Using Large Grow Bags and Fabric Pots for Raised Beds (16:02) - Using Grow Bags in Cold Climates (19:30) - Growing Blueberries in Fabric Pots (22:01) - Soil Mixes for Plants Grown in Fabric Pots (22:30) - Where to Learn More about Kevin (23:01) - What are Grow Bags and Fabric Pots Made of (24:10) - Recycling Materials to Make Your Own Grow Bags and Fabric Pots (25:40) - Maintaining and Reusing Grow Bags and Fabric Pots (27:19) - Kevin Espiritu's Publications and Where to Find Them (29:05) - Protecting Apple Trees in Grow Bags from Heat (29:57) - The Benefits of Mulching and Grow Bags (30:18) - The Use of Grow Bags for Trees (31:08) - The Importance of Root Care (31:46) - Mixing Soil for Blueberries (33:16) - The Legacy of Ruth Stout and Her Gardening Method (35:12) - The Benefits of Perennial Vegetables in Orchards and Food Forests (35:42) - The Use of Citrus in Planters (38:40) - Commericals (41:57) - Introduction to Part 2 (43:10) - Introducing Matt Bunch from Giving Grove (44:21) - Using Smart Pots Fabric Pots in the Giving Grove Nursery (45:38) - Irrigation and Fabric Pots (46:49) - Do Grow Bags and Fabric Pots Damage Tree Roots? (48:29) - Sanitizing Fabric Pots after Use (49:55) - Tips and Tricks for Indoor Gardening (53:20) - Orchard People Contests (54:28) - The Ideal Applications for Grow Bags (55:33) - Kevin's Favorite Uses for Grow Bags and Fabric Pots (56:47) - Using Grow Bags for Potatoes