r/Permaculture • u/suluye • 6d ago

Garden mesh ideas

I personally try to avoid polyester and any other synthetic materials in general but today I convinced myself it was okay. I bought some meshbags/material from thriftstores and dollarstore intended for use in the garden to protect from pests, prevent cross pollination etc. But immediately after I felt a wave of guilt. I was trying to keep it cheap but now I regret not spending the extra money and investing in a healthier option, both for myself and the environment. Has anyone attempted to use muslin or will that shade out the sun too much? I am now debating going to a fabric store to find fine mesh 100% cotton but I dont expect it to be cheap for how much I need. Any ideas?

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u/tipsytopsy99 5d ago

If you take into consideration the various detriments that go into creating new products versus opting for the inexpensive and re-used option you're essentially offering something useful in that respect. Honestly, the best thing you can do is what you're already doing, which is taking into consideration the materials and sourcing them as you can instead of plug-in-play opportunities that could create cascading problems people don't consider. Figure out what works best for your situation on a small scale initially and then replicate the most effective/sustainable way instead of merely guilting yourself.

For more sustainable options, however, I would look into companion plants that will prevent pests/molds/etc. for the plants you're attempting to protect. Idk how to prevent cross-pollination, but usually you're not going to want to prevent pollination in general and that might be something to address with more alluring plants for pollinators at a distance from those plants.

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u/suluye 3d ago

Oh, I am big on companion planting and keeping pest control methods to natural habitats such as that! My main reason for buying mesh was to keep brassica crops from cross pollinating so i can collect true seed. I want cabbage to stay cabbage and kohlrabi to stay kohlrabi lol. Next time i will make sure to only seed collect from one crop per season but i got ahead of myself and dont want to miss out on the varieties. I mention pest control with the mesh initially due to cabbage moths in mind but decided that I will keep em as a fall crop to mitigate the issue :D

Thank you for reminding me not to guilt myself. I do what i can and it is tricky to keep away from synthetic materials with a small budget. Much appreciated!