How We Use Leftover Wool to Keep the Garden Thriving
From Fleece to Flowerbed
Every year around the end of May, we shear the wool from our sheep, as they don’t naturally shed their fleece. We only do this once a year — it keeps them comfortable through the warmer months and give us a fresh batch of fleece to work with.
We don’t do it alone (I tried hand-shearing once and about 2 minutes in, realised it would take me until October to finish)… Ryan, a lovely young farmer from Wexford, comes to shear for us. He’s kind and calm with the sheep, and slows down his usual F1 speed to let us process the wool in real time as it comes off each sheep. Most farmers don’t need to do that, but for us, it makes all the difference.
We sort the wool as it’s coming off the sheep into different bags. The best-quality fibre, the “good wool”, is set aside for crafting. It’ll be carded for our Felting with the Flock needle felting workshops, or sold raw to other makers. And the rest? That goes into what we affectionately call the “garden wool” pile.
That garden wool might be a bit too coarse, too short, or just too… lived in, but it’s PERFECT as a sustainable garden mulch.
Why wool in the garden?
We lay the wool around fruit bushes, veg beds, and young trees like a soft, earthy quilt. It’s surprisingly effective, and here’s why:
Keeps moisture in the soil: Wool helps retain water in the soil, which means less watering.
Weed suppressant: It creates a thick mat that keeps weeds down.
Slug deterrent: The texture seems to throw slugs and snails off course—an added bonus!
Feeds the soil over time: As it slowly breaks down, wool releases nutrients like nitrogen into the soil.
Insulation: It helps protect roots when the temperatures drop.
It’s our way of closing the loop—nothing wasted, everything with a purpose. The land feeds the sheep, and in return, their wool feeds the land.
So if you’ve been searching for an eco-friendly mulch that doesn’t cost the earth – why not ask your local farmer if they have any wool to spare?! And if you’re close to us in Co. Wicklow – drop me an email, we usually have some excess garden wool every year (and the added bonus is that our wool is black, so it blends in super well with the soil!).
And if you’d like to see how we use our sheep’s wool for needle felting – why not join us for one of our Felting with the Flock needle felting workshops or a Private Meet & Greet with the Flock! They’re relaxing & fun and you even get to meet our real sheep!
Sophie x