Repurpose Mesh Produce Bags For Convenient Garden Tool Storage

If you've ever brought home pre-bagged potatoes, oranges, or apples and thought that the mesh bag looked good enough to reuse, you're correct. Those mesh produce bags are sturdy; if they can hold five pounds of potatoes without tearing and survive through the handling they receive on the way to the store and then into your home, they'll hold up to other uses too. They're ultra handy for keeping a campsite tidy or even carting wet beach gear back to the car, but they're just as useful at home. 

Instead of tossing those mesh produce bags in the trash, give them a quick wash and save them for garden tool storage. If you need more than one, ask your friends and neighbors to save some for you because it's better to repurpose some things than to throw them in the trash. Many of these bags already have handles built in, doing double duty that allows you to both close the bags and hang them from pegs or hooks in the garage or shed. 

If you've ever acquired hand tools such as pruning shears or even a spade, you know just how quickly these smaller garden tools can accumulate. A garage or shed without ample storage becomes easily overcluttered with garden gear so repurpose those mesh produce bags for some of the small tools. For instance, all pruning shears and garden-variety scissors for cutting twine can be stored in the same mesh bag. Store small digging tools in another mesh bag, then hang the items from pegs on the garage walls near similar seasonal tools such as hoes or the string trimmer. Use a label maker to print a large label to wrap around the handle area of each bag, noting the contents. 

Use another mesh bag to store smaller garden stakes and plant markers you've accumulated over the years. A smallish bag may come in handy for storing spools of replacement string for the string trimmer. A mesh produce bag also works well for storing wet garden gloves, keeping them up off of flat surfaces so they can easily dry. They're even handy for storing car-washing supplies. No matter how you use them, the airiness of the bags is what makes them wonderful for the garage. Seed packets, small tools, you name it, none of the bagged goods will collect moisture, which means they won't rot, rust, or get ruined by moisture as long as the bags are hung in a dry area.  

If you have extras, use some of the mesh bags with smallish holes in place of laundry bags to protect plants from pests. Paired with a few small plant stakes for height, the bag will keep curious squirrels and chipmunks from chewing your newest plant shoots. The small-holed bags could also be used on small fruit trees to keep pesky wasps away from fruit.