Alternatives to hanging basket liners?

We acquired a hanging basket stand with wire baskets when we bought this house. I used it successfully for strawberries and nasturtiums for a couple of years, but the plastic liners bit the dust this year. I obviously don’t want to buy new ones—is there a sustainable alternative? I was thinking maybe of wool felt.

Hi Louise. My first thought is burlap. It’s made from jute and biodegradable. I’m curious to hear what everyone else has to say as well.

For a bought-new option:  I buy these burlap sacks every year to rake leaves into.  They sit for a year and I get something like a decent leaf mold out of them.  Usually by then the bottom has rotted out and I toss the intact scraps into the compost pile. Last year for my new pond I used some of the scraps to line plant baskets.  They were pretty well done by the end of summer, but a) they were still holding soil in and b) that's after 1-2 years of perfect-for-rotting environments.

For a recycled option:  I'd suggest looking at thrift stores after Easter for used baskets.  Wood/straw ones will last a few years, plastic longer if you're not anti-plastic. Of course if you're looking for many of a single size, normal stores should have decent Easter basket sales too.

Edit:  Re-reading the original post for comprehension this time it sounds like you might want something that would hold more water in, where my pond baskets want water to flow easily in both directions.  Wool felt should work nicely!  If you know someone with sheep, you should be able to get scraps for cheap/free.  Otherwise I'd probably go to the thrift store, get their ugliest/cheapest all-wool sweaters, wash and hot-dry them, and piece together liners.

The usual liner that I see at garden stores that are made from coconut fiber or sphagnum moss.

Have you thought of using those or are you looking for a DIY option?

Wool sounds like a good option, though I wonder if it stays wet will it mold?

I like the basket option mentioned above so I maybe you have some trees that might need trimming that might work for making a basket.

Well, I am going to make a willow basket but that will take barely any.  I know, chop and drop!  Yeah.

https://permies.com/wiki/30/98575/Chop-Drop-PEP-BB-gardening#1160238

There is even a BB (Badge Bit) for making the basket if you take pictures:

https://permies.com/wiki/105756/pep-textiles/Weave-basket-PEP-BB-textile