Category: DIY

We as gardeners are always looking for the best thing to use to tie up and support our plants.

I give you repurposed T-shirts!

What you Need

• T-shirt that is no longer wanted or wearable
  • Cotton works best – you can compost it when you are done, but blends will work too
  • The less writing below the armpits the better the ties will come out

• Something to cut with
  • I use a rotary fabric cutter like this one (OLFA 60mm RTY-3/G Straight Handle Rotary Cutter – OLFA.com) for the strips
  • Scissors for the final cuts and to clean up any areas the rotary cutter misses

• Something to cut on so you don’t damage your counters
  • I use a Fiskars cutting mat like this one (Self Healing Cutting Mat: Large (24″ x 36″) | Fiskars)

Procedure

• Lay shirt on cutting pad and cut straight across under the armpits.  Discard the top of the shirt

• Cut the hemmed edge off from the bottom of the shirt

• Turn so one of the sides is at the bottom and fold almost in half to the other side, leaving about an inch at the top.  Make sure the “bottom” is actually a fold.  The two open ends should be left and right.
  • There are now 4 layers of shirt, except for the very top inch, which will be 2 layers.

• Using the rotary cutter or scissors, even up the left and right sides and discard the extra.  These sides should both be open, with only the fold at the bottom and staggered area at the top.

• Now, cut one inch strips through the 4 layers of fabric, just past where the bottom meets the top and it transitions to 2 layers, but not all the way to the top or you will have many separate small strips.

• Using a rotary cutter with a very sharp blade will work on the first pass, provided you use enough pressure.

• Scissors can also be used, but is more difficult to get a straight line.

Fan the “strips” out to ensure all are cut through.  If any fibers are hanging on, cut them with scissors or the rotary cutter

Now, the fun part!

• Slide your left hand between the two layers of the T-shirt at the top

• You’ll be cutting across the intact area (what was the 2-layer part) to make one long strip.

• Grab your scissors and starting on the left side, make a diagonal cut into the top edge of the intact area.  This will be one end of the long strip.

• Now, make a diagonal cut across each strip with the beginning of the cut being the lower left of the intact area and the end of the cut being the top right of the next strip.

• Continue on to the end.  The last cut will be similar to the first cut to end the strip.

• Beginning with one end, pull the strip through your other loose fist.  Then, go back the other way.

• This will stretch the material out a bit and also make it more like a rope than a flat piece of fabric.

• Once that is all done, start with one end and roll the whole thing into a ball.

You’re done!!

Now, when your homegrown tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers (really, anything growing on a trellis or stake) need to be tied up, you can cut off the length you need and tie it on.

I would suggest making a figure 8 when you tie it so the plant is not too close to the stake or post, which could cause damage to the stem.  This also gives you a good place to cut the tie off in the fall.

If you’ve used a cotton T-shirt, the ties can go right into the compost.

Happy Gardening!!