Don't Throw Out Those Mesh Produce Bags - Use Them To Make Gardening Easier

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A trip to the produce aisle means you end up with those mesh bags once you get your shopping haul home. They're lightweight and super flexible, perfect for holding groups of fruits or vegetables without squeezing them, and the mesh makes sure that ethylene gas — which speeds up ripening — doesn't get trapped in there to make your produce ripen too much before you get it into your kitchen. Oranges are sold in red mesh bags specifically because it makes their color pop and look more appealing to shoppers. But what good is that to you once you've got your oranges or zucchinis?

Don't just toss mesh produce bags — they're actually incredibly useful. Instead of considering them waste, use mesh bags as effective pot scrubbers, for example. Another brilliant hack? Use them as gardening tool storage and organization. They're free since you're already buying the produce, they're sustainable since you're recycling them, and they're perfect for this task. Just like they allow ethylene gas to escape produce, they let your tools air out.

When your shears or trowel retain the moisture they get from the soil and hydrated plants, they rust, especially when they're kept in things like outdoor storage chests. Hanging them in these mesh bags avoids that problem. The bags are sturdy since they have to hold a good volume of produce, but flexible enough to conform to the shapes of your tools. Because they're free and come with any shopping trip, you can build a collection to give each tool its own home.

Gardening provides so many opportunities to be thrifty and eco-friendly, because a ton of things we use every day help with everything from fertilization to pest control. For example, you can start growing seeds in used tea bags or deter insects from your plants with cucumber peels. Mesh produce bags are yet another way you can reuse something and build a thriving garden without spending much.

You'll want to find a place in your garden where it would be handy to have all your tools ready to grab. Ideally, this spot gets a bit of sunlight to further help the mesh work its airing-out magic. You could knot them in a line or a formation along your fence. Another option is to buy an affordable Amazon Basics steel wire storage rack and tie the bags to it, which is preferable to leaving your tools loose on the shelves as they'll knock into and scratch each other, and possibly sit in a dirty, moist mess. Alternatively, snag a set of Kurui metal wall hooks to install on a fence, outdoor wall, or garage wall. Pro tip: Also pick up Prudiut self-adhesive hang tags that can hang on the hooks, too, or stick above them. You can write what tool goes where to stay organized and never lose track of a weeder or cultivator again.