Almost all garbage bags are made of polyethylene, which is thought to be the safest plastic. However, unless it is specifically "food grade" plastic, the dyes and other chemicals used in the processing of the plastic will leach into the soil. Is it enough to really matter? I doubt it. But if you want to be on the safe side, use "food grade" garbage bags, which you can get from restaurant/kitchen supplies. They aren't expensive, but they're usually clear and somewhat flimsy. Ziploc bags meant for food storage are also obviously food grade, and made from polyethylene. Compostable garbage bags should also be safe, but would they last a growing season? I don't know.

Just remember, the "peg" of the developing peanut has to get down into the soil, so you would have to cut a wide enough circle in the plastic to allow this. Otherwise, I don't know why it wouldn't work.

I bought my daughter a hanging flower arrangement kinda like that last summer. It hung verticaly and there were holes/slits cut in various places in the bag, this is where the petunias grew from. It was quite small when I bought it but as it grew and became fuller it looked like a solid masss of petunias. I have also seen it with moss roses as well as ivy geraniums. Cute idea.

Ken, I was just looking more gardeners that have tried them. It seems some people like them, and some don't. So I want to try them (and have begun). Wondering what the negatives will be. So far, it seems those bags need more watering. Spin out bags are heavier, water permeable but I don't think they would dry out as fast if they were on the surface rather than in the ground. Patti, I wish I could answer your questions! Mxk3 said they used a spin out bag and planted it into a ceramic planter. I've done that. Spin out bags are made to be planted into the soil. So I had a large planter with assorted plants. The hosta plant was in a spin out bag, the others weren't. Come fall, I removed it from the planter and dug it into the soil to overwinter. Fabric bags aren't made to be planted into the ground. But maybe it would work? You certainly could put the fabric bag into a pot. Not sure what the benefits of that would be. But it would be helpful when overwintering. That way, you would remove the fabric bag and store and overwinter the ceramic pot away from rain and snow and freezing temperatures. I don't think one should worry about the roots freezing in the fabric bags. The roots freeze in pots that are left outside too! As I understand it, it isn't the freeze that kills the roots, but it is the freeze/thaw/wet conditions that can cause root and crown rot. I will be storing my two fabric bags in a shed.