They are an important source of nutrients.
Carpet for mulch in garden.
I cut holes in it big enough for the squash and pumpkin plants and just let them grow out over the carpet.
Photo by john krill.
Not replacing the carpet yet in your home.
Carpet was well worth using though so long as you mulch heavily with newspapers underneath it to suppress most of the weeds from growing through it.
And your plants will thrive.
I have used old jute backed carpet in a large winter squash and pumpkin garden with great success.
No weeds or grass all summer.
Use discarded carpet to control weeds and provide weed free walking paths.
Used carpet keeps weeks down while letting water through making it an outstanding garden mulch.
Do not use clippings from lawns treated with herbicides or toxic pest controls.
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Clippings used as garden mulch should be sun dried for a day or so.
Hi alison very long time no see years ago you sent me some brugmansia cuttings but you would not believe the brug seedlings i have growing now two double pinks among them.
Larson an earthly answer to a gardener s heaven is just under your nose.
Hi carole i have seen carpet used as weed mat around native plantings in gullys etc and it works really well but not so much in a home garden.
Keep mulch at least an inch away from plant stems to avoid rot and fungus problems.
It should last several years.
Except for pulling an occasional weed from the squares a carpet based garden mulch requires little care.
I think the most important thing would be perhaps to use a wool carpet rather than nylon as you might find it could have chemicals leaching into the soil.
Turned upside down with the jute back on top it looks like mulch.
Photo courtesy of carol s.