Ideas for Reusing Old Clothes and Textiles in the Garden

Upcycling old clothes and textiles in your garden can be a great way to find new life in old materials, and keep those items from waste streams. Making use of these old materials can also help us reduce the things that we may need to buy to maintain our gardens and transform them into the productive and attractive places we want them to be. 

When thinking about how to use old clothing and other reclaimed fabrics in our gardens, the first thing to consider is which materials we are talking about. Both old synthetic fabrics and natural fabrics can have a range of uses in a garden. 

The uses for synthetic fabrics can be very different from the uses for entirely natural fabrics, which will break down and rot over time. Some suggestions for upcycling both of these types of fabric are outlined below:

Upcycling Old Synthetic Textiles in a Garden

Before we begin talking about the uses for clothing and textiles in a garden, it is worthwhile taking the time to consider the caveats to this. 

The elephant in the room when it comes to synthetic fabrics reuse and upcycling is the microplastic particles, which these materials shed through their lifetimes and will continue to shed over time. These particles are one of the reasons that, wherever possible, we should aim to choose natural fabrics rather than synthetics when choosing clothes and soft furnishings for our homes. 

Of course, some fabrics will be worse than others when it comes to shedding microplastics, and it is best to avoid using these worst offenders in your garden, to avoid further contamination of the environment.

Upcycling Old Natural Clothing in a Garden

Old natural clothing or other household textiles made from natural materials like linen, cotton, wool, silk etc. can also be very useful in a garden, though they will typically not remain in place for as long as synthetic fabrics as they will break down and decompose in a natural environment over time. 

Of course, old fabric scraps can often simply be added to a composting system. Though remember that these can take a lot longer than food waste or general garden waste to break down. But before we compost them, they might come in handy to help us to avoid buying new things.

Upcycling Ideas for Old Clothes and Textiles

Remember, synthetic fabrics can last a long time and won't rot down quickly. Natural clothing can take a while to break down, but in damp conditions in contact with soil, they will usually do so in relatively short order. 

To Create New Growing Areas

Old fabrics might be used to create things to help us create new growing areas or containers, such as:

• A fabric planting pocket vertical garden.
• The membrane layer in a wicking bed (between the water reservoir and the soil). 
• Lining for certain upcycled planters. 
• Quirky clothing planters. (Such as a wacky hanging planter made from underwear, or trousers planters, for example). 
• Fabric grow bags for a wide range of crops. 

To Protect Plants

Old textiles can be used to improve the growing conditions in a given area, such as:

• Cloches or row covers for plants. 
• Wraps to keep container plants from freezing in winter. 
• A sun shade for people or plants in summer. 

For General Help

• A scarecrow to keep birds off your crops (or maybe just for fun). 
• Ties to tie in plants to their supports (for vertical growing). 
• Upcycled fabric tote bags in which to collect and carry garden produce. 

For Furnishing and Fun

Old clothing and textiles might potentially also be used in ways that help us create the more fun and recreational parts of our gardens. They might be used, for example, to create:

• Hammocks or other garden seating.
• Outdoors rag rugs or upholstery for outdoor living areas. 
• A tent or den for kids. 

If you use your imagination, you can soon see that even when clothing, old bedding, or other materials are no longer fit for their original purpose, they might find, at least temporarily, a new lease of life in your garden.