How To Upcycle Fabric Storage Bins For Growing Plants

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Beginner gardeners face a common question: Should you grow vegetables directly in the ground or in raised beds? Raised beds have several benefits, like the ability to choose soil and better water drainage. However, they're a huge undertaking, which is a bit daunting for first-time gardeners. What if we told you that the solution might already be in your home? Here's how to upcycle fabric storage bins into garden beds.

Raised garden bed designs are typically made of wood, although some people have built them from brick, old cattle drinking troughs, and even cinder blocks. But using fabric storage bins instead is a great hack for gardeners who aren't ready to commit and build a permanent garden bed in their backyard. They're also fantastic for renters who would like to dabble in gardening without undertaking any major construction projects.

It's possible to buy individual fabric planters, like these Vivosun Plant Grow Bags, to use in the garden. But instead of buying new ones, look at home to see if you have any fabric storage bins to reuse. Anything like the Amazon Basics Cube Organizers made of fabric can work, or even a Youdenova Hanging Closet Organizer with separate sections that you can use for different crops. You should think twice when considering fabric storage bins for home storage because they can quickly rip or break, so upcycling them into garden beds is a fantastic way to give them a second life. 

To start a raised garden bed using individual storage boxes, use them separately as if they were each their own individual pots. An upgrade is to create a structure with multiple ones by attaching them to each other. This will help keep crops organized in one area of the garden, and it will be more sturdy in case of winds. In addition, attaching the individual bins into a square or rectangle with sections makes the setup look more like a traditional raised bed garden. To do this, either use some thread and a needle to attach the bins to each other, or use some staples for a faster and simpler solution. When using multi-section hanging closet organizers, your sections are already pre-made, so you can skip this step. 

To set up an upcycled fabric raised bed, lay out the containers on the ground outside and choose where to place them based on sun exposure. While you can still move them around, filling them with soil is easier to do beforehand. To avoid wasting too much soil, it's best to use a Garden Weasel Potting Scoop to fill each bin with the right amount.

Then, garden as you usually would! Using fabric has a few advantages: it lets water through, so you won't be dealing with stagnant water and are less likely to drown plants' roots. The fabric also lets air in more easily, which can help make roots stronger.