30 gallon smart pot vs in ground compost peat mix

decisions are having to be made for this years outdoor grow and I’m stuck between

A. buying 30 gallon grow bags then using Peat moss bales, perlite, worm castings and compost with a booster added.

B. Dig 40-60 gallon holes . Then 60/40 mix custom blend soil / native soil. Plants will be in corn fields so native soil with be tilled and amended with cow manure. So I was thinking peat moss perlite worm castings and compost with booster. Mix it together with the native soil at a 60/40 mix.

Which method would produce the best yields ? The plants will be in the same location either way so the only difference would be pot or not pot.

Thanks !!

Zbud94 said:

decisions are having to be made for this years outdoor grow and I’m stuck between

A. buying 30 gallon grow bags then using Peat moss bales, perlite, worm castings and compost with a booster added.

B. Dig 40-60 gallon holes . Then 60/40 mix custom blend soil / native soil. Plants will be in corn fields so native soil with be tilled and amended with cow manure. So I was thinking peat moss perlite worm castings and compost with booster. Mix it together with the native soil at a 60/40 mix.

Which method would produce the best yields ? The plants will be in the same location either way so the only difference would be pot or not pot.

Thanks !!

Click to expand...

Try some of each, then you'll find out.

you can grow much bigger plants in the ground than in a pot, but that may not be a good thing. you don't want plants towering over their surrounding cover. you should be able to grow pretty damn big plants in 30 gallon pots. and unless you have very nice loose soil, digging 40-60 gallon holes is a lot of work. guess it depends on how many plants you intend to run. digging a couple of holes is one thing, digging 20 or more would suck.

If your going for best yield out of the two. The ground is going to get you bigger plants/more yield. Now I've grown 12+ft plants in 30gal pots.

That's the simple answer with best case scenario. I grow in greenhouses and use smart pots. They both have their advantages and disadvantages....GL

I think I’m gonna try 5 smart pots and 5 in ground. Try to keep the holes around 30 gallons so I can compare how well the smart pots do compared to the in ground plants. Thanks all for the answers I was looking for.

If you are growing in corn, plant in the ground. The farmer has already spent the money on ferts, you might as well use them.

Zbud94 said:

I think I’m gonna try 5 smart pots and 5 in ground. Try to keep the holes around 30 gallons so I can compare how well the smart pots do compared to the in ground plants. Thanks all for the answers I was looking for.

Click to expand...

You'll notice that depending on how much sun is hitting the sides of your smart pots, you'll need to water those plants a bunch more than the ones in the ground. I look forward to hearing about your results.

...and I don't know what kind of climate you are in, but if you are in a hot zone, having the roots in the ground and cooler seems to help the plants through heat waves.

Humanrob said:

...and I don't know what kind of climate you are in, but if you are in a hot zone, having the roots in the ground and cooler seems to help the plants through heat waves.

Click to expand...

This^^^^
If you are in a hot climate in the ground. If you are in a more temperate climate smart pots. I always prepare the ground underneath my smart pots. The roots grow right threw and into it. But here on the east coast of Canada the Smart pots help with making the wet dry cycle more frequent.
Cheers