Is there a good non-plastic alternative to a) horticultural fleece, and b) very fine crop protection netting like Enviromesh?
The environmental solution is to not use it at all. Easy to say I know and it restricts your garden quite a lot but using hardier plants and natural crop protection measures like companion planting etc should be the goal if you're trying to avoid plastic.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
And, I suppose, using what fleece etc I have, thoughtfully and carefully, to give maximum effect for the longest time, before it goes into holes... I've been known to mend holes in fleece with a needle and thread before now...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Is there a good non-plastic alternative to a) horticultural fleece, and b) very fine crop protection netting like Enviromesh?
hessian is a reasonable alternative to fleece. Sold in rolls and not expensive compared to the heavy duty type fleece. I haven't found one for environmesh yet. I bought some environmesh 4 or 5 years ago and it's still in good condition so I've not yet looked seriously at how I could replace it. Closest I've come across is a very fine aluminium mesh sold in a roll for flyscreens which I think you could make into panels to build a 'cage'. Certainly fine enough for butterflies. I don't know whether they would be good enough for some of the smaller flies and aphids. Not cheap but presumably could last for decades if it doesn't get blown away.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
This whole "get rid of plastic" thing is a load of hysterical nonsense. We are now far too reliant on it to be able to live without it except in small instances. Whatever measures we in the UK put into place is far outweighed by the sheer amount of plastic emanating from the Far East for example and I can't see them cutting down on their use any time soon. As forgetting rid of cotton products, God give me strength, what do you suppose we put on our backs, our beds and our babies?
Isn't the problem with cotton that it uses too much water and land rather than whether or not it's organic? I believe linen and bamboo are better from this point of view.
I have to admit I rather agree with Lizzie. I make plastic last, get the most possible use out of it. I kept my children's plastic toys and now my grandchildren play with them. As I said earlier, I use my plastic flower pots again and again. One thing I hate is biodegradable plastic. You store something in a plastic bag then it falls apart, shedding bits everywhere. My daughter's wedding dress had a lovely zip up white cover, but it's fallen into shreds.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
My daughter is a child minder, she doesn’t buy plastic toys anymore, all the toys are wood now and the children like them better, much more tactile, in her opinion.
I do feel though that our flower pots are a drop in the ocean (scuse pun) Some people will continue to buy plants, and when you see something you want you will buy it. I remember hearing many years ago that Enviromesh is made from recycled milk bottles, but at what cost to the environment, it’s another factory after all.
I feel that the main problem is that there are too many people in the world, population growing, all wanting, wanting, wanting. All growing up to want a car.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I've remembered that before horticultural fleece was invented, people used to use old net curtains and sheets so that is one option still available. I don't think many people kept tender plants over winter, apart maybe for dahlias, that's a fairly recent fad.
There isn't a lot you can do with any plastics already on the plot.
I've always reused pots till they fall apart and if I need any extra at sowing time make them out of news paper or get the biodegradable ones which can be planted out with seedlings.
Heavy duty plastic bags are repeatedly reused and any bags of manure from farms are returned empty for reuse. Farmers in these parts ask that you return the bag for reuse.
Some GC's and nursery's near me ask you to bring back any pots so they can be recycled. Do you think there is any mileage, if like pop bottles many years ago, a small refund of say 10p or 20p per pot is given. I recall returning pop bottles for extra pocket money.
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I haven't found one for environmesh yet. I bought some environmesh 4 or 5 years ago and it's still in good condition so I've not yet looked seriously at how I could replace it. Closest I've come across is a very fine aluminium mesh sold in a roll for flyscreens which I think you could make into panels to build a 'cage'. Certainly fine enough for butterflies. I don't know whether they would be good enough for some of the smaller flies and aphids. Not cheap but presumably could last for decades if it doesn't get blown away.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I do feel though that our flower pots are a drop in the ocean (scuse pun)
Some people will continue to buy plants, and when you see something you want you will buy it.
I remember hearing many years ago that Enviromesh is made from recycled milk bottles, but at what cost to the environment, it’s another factory after all.
I feel that the main problem is that there are too many people in the world, population growing, all wanting, wanting, wanting. All growing up to want a car.
I've always reused pots till they fall apart and if I need any extra at sowing time make them out of news paper or get the biodegradable ones which can be planted out with seedlings.
Heavy duty plastic bags are repeatedly reused and any bags of manure from farms are returned empty for reuse. Farmers in these parts ask that you return the bag for reuse.
Some GC's and nursery's near me ask you to bring back any pots so they can be recycled. Do you think there is any mileage, if like pop bottles many years ago, a small refund of say 10p or 20p per pot is given. I recall returning pop bottles for extra pocket money.