Heavy duty garden bags have to endure heavy, messy and oftentimes, moist garden waste. A good quality garden bag should withstand years of use without tearing or coming apart.
It should also be large enough to carry lots of grass clipping, leaves and other waste.
In this buying guide, we review the best heavy duty garden bags and give you tips on how to choose the right one for your needs.
These bags are ideal for landscapers as well as gardeners.
What To Consider When Choosing A Garden Bag
a) Size
Garden bags come in different sizes. The right one for you depends on how much stuff you think you’ll need to carry.
If you have a large garden or lawn, you’ll likely benefit from a large garden bag or even several of them. Most manufacturers sell garden bags in packs of two or more, so you can buy as many as you need.
The smallest bags are usually around 50-60 litres. They are ideal for smaller kitchen gardens and basic yard work. Huge bags can be as big as 500 litres. They are perfect if you have a large garden or yard.
Even with a large garden, the largest bag you can find is not always the best. A 500L bag may be cumbersome or even impossible to lift and carry.
Depending on your strength and level of mobility, you may find a smaller bag to be more suitable.
b) Material And Stitching
Most garden bags are made out of polypropylene (PP). It’s a tough and durable material that’s perfectly suited to the outdoors.
Make sure the bag is heavy duty such that it can endure lots of lifting and carrying without tearing. It’s a good idea to check customer reviews to see how well the bag has held up for other people.
Check the quality of stitching used along the seams. The most robust bags have double stitching to ensure the seams don’t start coming apart after some time.
c) Carrying Handles
The quality of handles is super important. The bag is useless without good quality handles that can withstand frequent lifting without tearing.
As you check the stitches on the seams, also check the quality of stitching on the handles. They should have a webbed stitching patterns with multiple lines of stitches to reinforce the handles.
Also, check the number of handles.
The best garden bags have a pair of handles at the top and one or two more handles at the bottom. The handles at the bottom make it much easier to tip the bag over and empty the contents. This is especially important for large bags.
d) Rigid Top Ring
Check if the bag comes with a rigid ring around the top to keep it upright and open. This is a small feature but it makes a whole lot of difference in terms of ease of use.
Instead of struggling to hold the bag open while scooping garden waste into it, a bag with a rigid top ring stays open and upright, allowing you to fill the bag quickly with both hands.
e) Waterproof
Though they are designed mainly for outdoor use, it’s not automatic that any garden bag is waterproof. If you plan to mostly carry grass cuttings, dry leaves and other dry or semi-moist garden waste, this is not a big deal.
But if you need to carry wet soil or waste, we highly recommend a waterproof garden bag. It ensures moisture doesn’t seep out at the bottom and sides, leaving your clothes and various surfaces messy.
A waterproof bag is even more important if you plan to transport any garden waste or compost in the trunk of your car.
Using And Maintaining Garden Bags
Here are some useful tips for using and maintaining garden bags.
- Check if there are any manufacturer specifications on what kind of loads you can carry. Some bags are designed only for carrying large amounts of dry garden waste while others are ideal for heavier loads like soil.
- Don’t fill the bag to the brim if you are carrying wet garden waste. It may not seem like a lot but moist waste is heavy. Fill the bag only partially to keep the weight manageable and ensure you don’t damage the bag itself.
- After you are done, wash and rinse the bag to get rid of dirt. This will prolong its life. Note that most garden bags are safe to rise with water. But don’t use any harsh detergents. When the bag dries, fold and store it somewhere safe away from moisture and heat.
- Gardening bags are not just for gardening. You can also use it for storing your kids’ toys, as a laundry basket, as car storage and for any other kind of storage. Some garden bags can also be used as vegetable or flower planters.
The Best Heavy Duty Garden Bags Reviews
1. GardenMate garden waste bags, 272L
If you are looking for mid-size garden bags, we recommend these ones from GardenMate. They are available in packs of one, two, three, four and fifteen.
Each bag has a volume of 272L: large enough to hold lots of garden waste but not too large that it’s going to be cumbersome to carry.
The bag is made from tough polypropylene woven fabric. It’s lightweight but tear-resistant and durable. Don’t worry about exposure to the elements. It is UV-resistant and water repellent.
It’s not waterproof so be careful when you are carrying wet garden waste.
To prevent tears and fraying, the seams are double-stitched. The handles have webbed stitching to make sure they don’t tear away from the bag.
There are four handles, two at the top and two at the bottom. You’ll find the lower handles to be handy when emptying waste from the bag.
Scooping waste into the bag is just as easy as emptying it. A plastic hoop goes around the top of the bag, keeping the whole bag upright and wide open.
What I like about them:
- Large but easy to lift and carry.
- Tough and durable PP woven fabric – water repellent, UV-resistant and tear-resistant.
- Seams and handles have reinforced stitching.
- Included bottom handles for easy emptying.
- Plastic top ring keeps the bag upright and open for easy filling.
2. Glorytec XXL Garden Bags, 2 x 500L
If you have a large garden or yard, this pair of Glorytex XXL bags provides plenty of space to carry plant cuttings, grass clippings and other types of garden waste.
Each bag has a volume of 500L, the highest volume among our picks. You can fit small branches in the bags.
As many customers have noted, the bags are bigger than you expect. Be sure that you really need a large garden bag and that you can carry one before you go for these.
Some customers say they’ve found them useful as a central collection point for garden waste, which can be useful when tending a large garden.
The bags are suited to large amounts of dry and lightweight garden waste. You can fill the bag and still carry it without a problem.
If you need to carry wet or heavy waste, only fill the bags partially.
The Glorytec bags are also great if you plan to transport garden waste with your car or truck. But they are not waterproof. Use a protective mat if you are carrying anything moist.
The bags are well constructed and can withstand heavy and rough use without tearing. They are made from PP fabric with a double bottom.
The handles – there are four of them: two at the top and two at the bottom – are reinforced with multiple lines of stitches, as are the seams.
In addition to the bag, you’ll receive a plastic ring that goes around the eyelets at the top to keep the bag open and upright for easy filling.
What I like about them:
- Extra-large – perfect for large gardens and yards as well as trimming hedges.
- Four handles for easy carrying and emptying.
- Rigid top ring to keep bag upright and open.
- Tough and durable construction.
3. Spares2go Large Garden Waste Bags, 3 x 120L
If you find large bags too cumbersome to carry, these 120L Spares2go bags are perfect for you. They are much smaller than most of the garden bags you’ll find online but large enough for most gardeners’ needs.
The bags come in a pack of three. If one bag is too small to fit all the waste, you can fill all three bags.
The bags have the same heavy-duty polypropylene fabric as other garden bags. They are designed to handle rough treatment, including dragging on the ground, without tearing.
The stitching is high quality, with most seams having double stitching.
The handles are also reinforced with multiple stitches. You can carry heavy garden waste without worrying they’ll rip away.
Talking of handles, there are three of them: the usual two at the top plus a third one at the bottom. The bottom handle is handy when you are emptying the bags.
What I like about them:
- Easy to carry – the perfect size for most garden work.
- Tough and durable.
- Bags come with a bottom handle for easy emptying.
4. GIOVARA Waterproof Garden Waste Bags, 3 x 272L
If you often carry wet soil, compost or garden waste, we recommend this pack of three waterproof bags from GIOVARA.
Unlike other garden bags that are just water repellent, these ones are waterproof. They won’t leave a wet mess when you set them down on a surface. This is handy if you are carrying the waste in your car.
These bags are also useful if you want to protect whatever you put inside from the rain and elements.
Each of the three bags has a 272-litre capacity. They are large enough for most garden and yard work. You can put in grass clippings, leaves, weeds, hedge trimmings and small branches.
The bags are made from tough polypropylene that’s not only waterproof but also UV-resistant and tear-resistant.
Each bag comes with a plastic clamping hoop that you fit around the top of the bag to keep it open and upright for easy filling.
Emptying the bags is also easy thanks to the bottom handle on each.
What I like about them:
- Waterproof.
- Heavy-duty polypropylene construction.
- Bags come with bottom handle and plastic hoop for easy filling and emptying.
- Large enough for most garden work.
5. GroundMaster Garden Waste Bags, 120L
GroundMaster bags are another good choice if you prefer smaller, more manageable garden waste bags.
Each bag a capacity of 120L, large enough for foliage, grass cuttings, small hedge trimmings and other garden waste.
Depending on the amount of garden waste you deal with, you can get just one bag or choose a pack of 25. In between, there are packs of 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 and 20.
The heavy-duty polypropylene bags are double-stitched to ensure tear-resistance and durability. They are also UV-resistant and water repellent.
Filling and emptying the bags is easy.
The bags are designed to stay upright and open to make it easier to put garden waste inside. As for emptying, there’s a bottom handle to help you tip over the bag when it’s full.
What I like about them:
- Very durable – can withstand years of use without tearing.
- UV and water-resistant.
- Manageable bag size.
- Multiple pack options available ranging from a single bag to a pack of 25.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do with garden bags?
Gardening bags are incredibly useful. You can fill them up with weeds and prunings ready to take to the compost heap or to be recycled; you can carry heavy loads of topsoil or compost to places where it’s needed; or you can fill them to the brim with your precious vegetable and flowers at harvest time.
Most gardening bags are made from long lasting materials, which means that you can use them over and over. In this way, a gardening bag is an investment, so make sure you get a good one.
What are the best uses for gardening bags?
Gardening bags come into their own when transferring things from the garden to the compost heap, or for bringing things to the garden or allotment from the house. Carrying a load of gardening equipment, or seedlings, or harvested vegetables, is not easy with just two hands!
Using a gardening bag means that you can carry things – even bulky things – much more easily, and you will still have a hand left to carry other things (presuming you don’t have a gardening bag in each hand, that is!)
You can use your gardening bags as makeshift wheelbarrows; they are great for piling weeds into that you need to transport to the compost bin or burning pile.
Ok, it’s not as easy as using a wheelbarrow or wheelie bin, but it’s certainly easier than trying to carry half a garden’s worth of weeds in two hands! You can even use your gardening bags as a substitute garden, if you have plants that need a bit of extra care.
Can you do planting in gardening bags?
You can use gardening bags for planting. This is a great solution for those who don’t have a lot of garden space, as they are generally big enough to house long roots and allow plants to grow big enough to thrive.
All you need to do is find the biggest gardening bags you can find, fill them with good potting compost, and plant your seedlings at will! You will have to weed as you would in a normal garden patch, of course, but otherwise you can just treat this gardening hack as if it were a normal garden vegetable patch. Just make sure that you allow enough space for the developing roots.
