Gardening and Landscaping DesignGarden Ideas for Planting & Design

Shadecloth Scrap Storers

Have you got some scraps of Shadecloth lying around the shed doing nothing? Have you ever wondered what you might be able to do with them? Well here are a number of suggestions for ideas to make use of this valuable resource.

It is far better to use the knitted shadecloth rather than the woven kind, as the knitted one will not fray at the edges as easily. Nor will the weave spread apart like the woven ones tend to do after a while.

When sewing the Shadecloth together into either a packet or apron style of storer, you might consider using a nylon thread or using a fine grade of fishing line, as these are less likely to deteriorate when exposed to environmental conditions.

Apron Style Storers

Garden Apron

Make your own version of a garden apron (carpenters nail bag style), and secure it to an old belt to provide you with an easily accessible storage solution to all those small items you can suddenly find you need while out puttering around the garden.

Garden Tote

Make up a round version of a carpenters nail bag slip it over a large garden pot, and suddenly you have a garden tote with pockets for storing small tools, packets of seeds, name tags, pens, tie wire, or anything else you may need while out in the garden.

Wheelchair Tidy

If you are or know or someone in a wheelchair, why not make a tidy bag with several pockets to hold all sorts of things they may need to use either out in the garden or even out on the street.

These wheelchair tidies can be made to go either over an arm of the chair or over the backrest of the chair.

Garden Shed Tidy

Try making yourself a hanging tidy, with a variety of pockets to hang on the shed wall, (along the lines of a hanging shoe tidy). You can store an amazing variety of small items you constantly need but can't often find in the shed.

Peg Bag

Why not try making your own peg bag to either hook onto your clothesline, or over the laundry trolley. This will assist in keeping the pegs up off the ground and/or getting lost. It is up to your own personal preference as to whether or not you have one or more pockets.

Barbeque Organizer

How about making an organizer to hang near your Barbeque to store all those cooking and cleaning tools as well as things like matches etc.

Outdoor Chair Organizer

What about making an organizer to go over the arm of your outdoor or fold up chairs. You could even make up a pouch to hang on the back of your chair to take the handle of an umbrella to provide you with instant shade over your head.

Car Tool Tidy

How about making up a roll up tidy to hold all those tools, which are currently rattling around in the back of your car. If you designate one pouch for each tool, you will soon be able to tell if one is missing. Probably taken out and left lying around courtesy of the kids'.

Packet Style Storers

Drying Bags

If you need to collect seed from seedpods/fruits, or use dried flowers for crafts, then make up some small bags, and put in your drying seedpods. Hang them up somewhere airy and out of the sun. These bags will allow air penetration for drying while not allowing anything but extremely fine seed to collect in the bottom of the bag. Just don't overfill the bags with seedpods or flowers as this in itself may cause them to go mouldy.

Bulb/Vegetable Storer

Whether you need to store onions, potatoes or bulbs for a few months till you need them again. Why not make a Shadecloth bag to hold them in. They can be kept together while still allowing good air circulation around the bulbs/ vegetables.

Soap Bags

Slip a piece of soap into a small shadecloth bag, and tie it onto your outdoor tap/s. You will find that the Shadecloth is rough enough to make a gentle scrubber to assist in removing the dirt from your hands without being too harsh. This is great for the impulse weeding as you go by, but forgot your gloves occasions. The soap will dry out between washings and will not get lost or stolen by animals.

Small scraps of shadecloth can be used as a scourer to clean cold Barbeque plates or garden tools. Just don't use these on hot Barbeque plates because they are made from plastic.

String Bags

How about making up a small bag to keep that ball of string or garden twine in. Just thread one end of the string out of the top to keep it all tidy.

Toy/Game Bags

Whether it is for the various items required for a particular backyard game, or items used in the kids sandpit or pool, why not make a storage bag to keep them in and organised out in the shed.

Carryall Bags

Either make a big bag or even just tie some small gauge rope to each of the corners of a large square of shadecloth and you have an instant carryall for garden prunings, leaves etc.

Camping/Fishing/Boating Bags

Why not make up a variety of sized bags to carry those Tent pegs, Tent poles, oars, hand reels, ropes etc. Or even to carry that 'catch of the day', till you can get to an esky.

Shed Storage Bags

How about making up a variety of different sized bags to provide storage solutions in the shed. Whether it is newspapers, spare garden pots, Christmas Display accessories, or whatever. I'm sure that every shed owner can come up with a number of different items in need of organising.

Kneeling Cushion/Chair Pads

What about making up a shadecloth cushion which you can stuff with plastic shopping bags, as either a garden kneeling cushion or as an outdoor chair pad/cushion.

So don't throw out those old scraps of shadecloth, as there are a number of useful purposes for them in and around the garden and shed.

Other Ideas include

Screen Door Inserts

This is where the woven type is better than the knitted version. As I have seen it used instead of Fly screen mesh in doorways that are hit by strong early or afternoon sunlight.

Permanent or temporary patio/veranda shelters

Make your own permanent or roll away patio/veranda shelters to help protect you from prevailing winds, rain and strong sunlight. For temporary ones rig up a way to roll them up or to the side of supports for when you need or want to see the view outside.

Light Well Covers

Put a cover over a light well where the well is providing too much light indoors.

About the Author

The Bare Bones Gardener is a qualified Horticulturist and a qualified Disability Services Worker. He hates spending money on stuff which doesn’t live up to the promises given. So he looks for cheaper, easier, simpler or free ways of doing the same thing and then he passes these ideas on to others.

Garden Blog - http://barebonesgardening.blogspot.com/

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Posted by Mike | Posted in Planting & Gardening | Posted on 03-05-2009

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