In July last year single use plastic bags were banned in Produce Departments. Paper bags have been supplied since then and re-useable bags on sale. One Supermarket has heavy cotton bags for sale and the other, I have just discovered, has lighter bags made from recycled plastic.
They are only 20 cents each and I bought 6 to try them out.
They are brilliant. We have Green Vegetable Bugs here that cause a hard unripened lump in the fruit and these bags work in keeping the bugs away.
Yesterday, I bought another 10 and they are now all in use. Still plenty more problems that can beset the plants, blight being the main one, but I have my fingers crossed.
At the moment I am picking about 1.8 kg a day with the largest just under 400 grams so plenty for us, friends and family and, hopefully some will go in the freezer for adding to casseroles and soups in the winter months.
Glad to read that the bags are working out. Your tomatoes look stunning, btw. Those bugs must be very sad not to be able to have a nosh. ;)
ReplyDeleteThey still have a nosh on my beans etc.
DeleteNice Toms, nice Trug. We have those bags in France, but we have to buy them.
ReplyDeleteI was thrilled to guy the trug (many years ago now) handmade at the north of the South Island. We have to buy the bags as well, as I said for the princely sum of 20 cents.
DeleteClever idea, I refuse paper bags as the paper takes so much water to make, I always carry reusable bags.
ReplyDeleteI have other, thicker, re-useable bags that I use for the supermarket and fridge storage but, occasionally use the paper bags as they are useful when giving veg away.
DeleteA great idea. Cheap and effective.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled with how well they are working.
DeleteThat is a brilliant use of those bags...I will invest in some!
ReplyDeleteI have used one to hold the pith and pips when making marmalade.
The veg bugs I would call Shield bugs here...so named because of their shape...and they are sap suckers here too
Yes, also called shield bugs here.
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ReplyDeletereusable ones like yours are awesome, I wish more people would use them. When I worked at NW we found people used and still use paper ones that produce depts have and not only that they were taking handfuls home with them causing the supermarket to run out really quickly. I've seen those bugs in my garden in Kerikeri and wondered what they were.
ReplyDeleteThe bugs suck the sap from the fruit. A real nuisance.
DeleteWeed mats really help simplify garden maintenance. They effectively block weeds, save me time, and allow my plants to grow uninterrupted. I’m very impressed with their performance.
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