Repurpose Leaf Bags

Fall leaf bags are excellent for storing dug up plants. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins(

Fall leaf bags are excellent for storing dug up plants. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Repurpose Leaf Bags

There’s an excellent garden tool usually available in the fall but it’s not just for gathering leaves. Those large tall brown leaf bags make excellent temporary plant storage when you dig up plants.

Fall is an excellent time to move peonies and daylilies as long as they have about a month to settle in their roots before a hard frost. Well even if there is a hard frost, they need warm soil for their roots and that can stay warm until January.

Back to the brown paper bags.

Brown bags can be used to collect compost additions from the garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Brown bags can be used to collect compost additions from the garden. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

These brown paper bags are sold for leaf collection and are often used to haul leaf and grass clippings to our local recycling center.

The brown bags not only are double and triple thick but they can also be used to kill off hard to reach grassy areas. Once down, cover with wood chips to hold them in place.

Brown bags can also store plant trimmings for easy moving to compost piles.

If you are putting something with weight on it, add a piece of cardboard at the bottom to minimize the bags ripping from the weight.

If you happen to use these for leaves, dump the leaves and bring them back home. You can keep using them for many garden uses.

Now I haven’t decided when to introduce one of these to my cats as a cat toy. They love the smaller brown paper bags that hold groceries. What do you think, are these too big?

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Charlotte