It’s been a year since I wrote about using fabric as vegetable garden mulch, and I am more convinced than ever that fabric mulch is simply grand. I have reused old fabric to mulch garlic, lettuce, carrots, beans, peppers, and tomatoes, all with excellent results. A double thickness of cotton cloth suppresses weeds better than plastic, keeps leaves clean, and doesn’t host slugs the way organic mulches sometimes do.
But there’s more. In addition to using fabric as mulch, different types of cloth can be reused as shade covers, shelf covers, or even seat covers. You can make plant ties from old tee shirts or other stretchy fabrics, or use a pillowcase as a giant teabag for brewing plant-pleasing teas. Beyond mulching with fabric, here are more of my favorite ways to use fabric in the garden.
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A pillowcase is the perfect size to use as a table covering for small potting projects
1. Garden Uses for Pillowcases
Once I had used up my own old curtains, sheets, etc., I went to the local thrift shop for more. The shelves were overflowing with well-used pillowcases at giveaway prices. I suppose most of us prefer new to used, like we don’t want to take on anyone else’s dream baggage. That’s good with me, because pillowcases are supremely useful in the garden.
For example, when I need to turn my kitchen table into a potting bench, I start by covering my workspace with an old pillowcase. Most standard pillowcases allow plenty of room for dirty potting projects. The double thickness of soft cotton absorbs water, spilled soil can be shaken off when you’re done, and then you can use the damp cloth to wipe off your hands. I now keep a pillowcase with my seed starting supplies.
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Steeping a compost-filled pillowcase in water yields a liquid fertiliser
Perhaps you’d like to try fermenting weeds into fertiliser, or making homemade liquid fertilizers from compost or grass clippings? Thin, lightweight pillowcases are ideal to use as giant teabags when making nutritious garden brews. You can reuse the same pillowcase many times, and simply hang it in the sun to dry between uses.
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A bedsheet protects maturing lettuce from grass clippings on mowing day
2. Protecting Plants with Sheets and Sheers
Whether the threat is frost, wind, hail or grass clippings, an old bedsheet can save the day. In the past month, the same well-worn bedsheet that protected my potatoes from a late frost has shielded lettuce from grass clippings and stayed in constant use as a temporary shade cover for transplanted flowers and veggies.
You also can use a bedsheet as a garden tarp for gathering and moving piles of this or that, or as a surface mulch when you have a lot of space to cover, like in the melon patch. When I have an area prepared for planting but need to wait for favorable weather, covering it with a sheet keeps it in pristine condition.
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A sheer curtain is used as a shade cover for transplanted seedlings
Before horticultural fleece became commonplace, I used old sheer curtains to protect plants from insects and hot sun. Sheer curtains admit more light than bedsheets, and you can sew pieces together with a needle and thread, or even use safety pins, to make a custom-size cover. Wind passes through sheer curtains easily, so they can be attached to stakes or cages with clothespins. Taping the edges of a sheer curtain with duct tape, folded lengthwise over the edge, can add enough weight to keep it in place when draped over plants or used to shade a cold frame.
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Strips of stretchy fabric allow room for growth when used as plant ties
3. Plant Ties From Old Tees
When it comes to tying peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables to stakes or trellises, you can’t do better than strips cut from tee shirts or other stretchy fabrics. Unlike plastic clips, soft cloth ties allow for growth and movement, which results in fewer abraded or broken branches. For a treasured old tee shirt, there is no more honorable end than this.
