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Uses for sheep fleece in the garden

CassiegirlyCassiegirly Posts: 1
in The potting shed
Hi. I'm a spinner and am currently washing and skirting fleeces ready to spin. I have used last year's fleece skirting (unwashed, unwanted fleece edging, full of the pooey bits and other vegetable matter) at the base of a new raised bed my son made me, for fertiliser and warmth. A lovely lady in Wales kindly gives me the fleeces off her jacob sheep each year but this gives me a lot of skirting fibre which is unusable for spinning. I was wondering if it can be used for anything else in the garden as I'm really loathe to just bin it.

Posts

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    You could kind of shred it and use it as a slug deterrent around vulnerable plants, or just put it in the compost bin gradually as it will eventually rot down. As the birds are currently starting to nest, you could also try putting bits into hedges for them to use.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    You can use wool as a mulch. If you have compost bins, you can use the fleece for insulation around them, to raise the internal temps and speed the process. Or insulating beehives (under advice).
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Also use can use it as a layer in lasagna gardening or to line planters / hanging baskets (it will eventually compost down).
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    I have brown Soay sheep and use the wool for lining planters - looks better than plastic and saves using moss.

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Buttercupdays said:
    I have brown Soay sheep and use the wool for lining planters - looks better than plastic and saves using moss.

    Now why didnt I think of that? I was given 2 sacks of brown fleece from a neighbour and ended up just composting them. Kicking myself now...
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • vjwukvjwuk Posts: 30

    My friend uses her fleeces for putting rings around cabbages, lining bean trenches, slug deterrent, mulch, between seed base and  seed trays to keep humidity up on certain plants she grows, insulating compost heaps and I think once finished with its either dug in or put on compost heaps.

    I pinched some once to make a felted cat brooch ha ha

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