Organic hemp bedding is made through a careful and eco-friendly process. It all begins with growing industrial hemp using natural farming methods that protect the environment. After harvesting, the strong fibers inside the hemp plants are separated, cleaned, and prepared. These fibers are then turned into hemp fabric. Finally, the fabric is woven, dyed with safe dyes, and sewn into hemp bedding products like sheets and blankets. Every step helps create bedding that is good for both people and the planet.
1| GROWING ORGANIC INDUSTRIAL HEMP
Growing organic hemp means using farming methods that are good for the Earth. Farmers do not use man-made synthetic chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Instead, they use natural ways to keep pests away and make the soil healthy. This helps protect animals and plants that live in the area.
Organic hemp farmers often grow different crops in the same field at different times. They also plant other helpful plants nearby. These methods keep the soil strong and help stop plant diseases. This way of farming is better for nature and helps keep farms healthy for a long time.
G. Kaur and R. Kander explain in their 2023 article that industrial hemp is grown for fiber and can be used to make textiles. Farmers plant industrial hemp very close together—35 to 50 plants in one square foot. This keeps the plants from growing branches or flowers. These plants grow tall—usually 10 to 15 feet—before being harvested (The Sustainability of Industrial Hemp: A Literature Review of Its Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability, April 2023).
In a 2014 report by KHGCA and WVHGCA, they said that hemp uses land very well. It does not need many pesticides and can grow even when there is little water (Hemp: An Energy Crop to Transform Kentucky and West Virginia, 2014).
Charles Wortmann, a professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, shared growing tips in the 2020 article called Hemp Production for Fiber or Grain:
- Farmers plant many seeds close together in rows less than 12 inches apart. This helps the plants grow tall and have longer fibers.
- They can use a machine called a grain drill to plant the seeds. Seeds are usually planted about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch deep.
- The soil should be warm enough, around 55 degrees fahrenheit (13 degrees celsius).
- The seed typically starts to grow and emerge in around three to five days.
- It's important to keep the weeds away from the young hemp plants. Planting the hemp close together helps with this.
2| HARVESTING ORGANIC INDUSTRIAL HEMP
Hemp usually needs around four months to fully grow. Harvesting hemp fibers includes several important steps. Farmers usually harvest hemp when the plants are in full bloom. They collect the stalks, which hold long, strong fibers.
When hemp plants begin to bloom and grow seeds, and the bottom leaves turn yellow, it is time to harvest. Farmers usually trim the plants about 8 inches above the ground. They often use machines to do this and place the stalks in rows called windrows to dry (Wortmann, Hemp Production for Fiber or Grain, March 25, 2020). In some countries, farmers use blade tools like sickle or scythe instead.
After cutting, the stalks stay in the field for a short time. This allows retting, a natural process that helps separate the fibers from the woody parts of the stalk.
3| EXTRACTION AND PROCESSING OF ORGANIC HEMP FIBERS
After harvesting industrial hemp, the stalks go through steps like breaking, scutching, and combing. These steps help clean and prepare the fibers. The fibers have to be pulled away from the rest of the hemp stalk. After that, they can be twisted into yarn or crafted into fabric. These steps help keep the fibers strong and high-quality. Today, machines help make these steps faster and easier, while still keeping hemp natural and eco-friendly.
The stalk of the hemp plant is used to get fiber. The stalk has two parts: the outer layer has long fibers called “bast,” and the inner part has shorter fibers called “hurds” (G. Kaur and R. Kander, The Sustainability of Industrial Hemp: A Literature Review of Its Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability, April 2023).
The longer fibers are better for textiles. Naithani, V. et al. echoes this by stating that bast fibers, which come from the outer part of the hemp stalk, are the best for making things like textiles, special papers, and composite materials (Naithani, V. et al., Ecofriendly and innovative processing of hemp hurds fibers for tissue and towel paper, 2020).
To collect the fiber, the woody center of the plant is removed from the bark. This can be done with machines like a decorticator, or by retting, which removes the glue-like parts that hold the plant together.
Decortication is when machines separate the strong bast fibers from the woody part of the stalk, called shives or hurds.
Retting can be water retting or dew retting. Dew retting involves farmers leaving the cut hemp in the field for a few weeks so it can rot a little and help to separate the fibers. This isn't always the best way because the weather can change how good the fibers are (Wortmann, Hemp Production for Fiber or Grain, March 25, 2020). Water retting involves soaking the harvested hemp stems in a water tank or other bodies of water.
At times, both decortication and retting are used in a single process.
After the fibers are removed, they are dried and packed into bales using a machine (Wortmann, Hemp Production for Fiber or Grain, March 25, 2020).
Next, the fibers can go through more steps. These include making them softer like cotton (cottonization), cutting them into small pieces, and spinning them into yarn. Hemp fibers are strong, long, and durable. Some fiber bundles can grow between 1 and 5 meters long (G. Kaur and R. Kander, The Sustainability of Industrial Hemp: A Literature Review of Its Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability, April 2023).
4| WEAVING TECHNIQUES FOR ORGANIC HEMP SHEETS
To make hemp sheets, weavers cross hemp fibers together to create strong and breathable fabric. There are different weaving styles, such as plain weave, satin weave, and twill weave.
In a plain weave, the threads go over and under each other in a simple pattern. This makes the fabric strong. A satin weave is more complex. The threads pass over multiple other threads, creating a soft and glossy fabric. Twill weave makes a diagonal pattern. It is known for being extra strong.
Hemp sheets often use these weaving styles to get the right look and feel. The fabric is not only strong but also breathable, which makes it comfortable. The type of weave used affects how the fabric looks, feels, and works.
5| DYEING AND FINISHING HEMP BEDDING
After weaving, hemp fabric goes through dyeing and finishing steps. These steps give color and improve the fabric’s quality. Hemp soaks up dye well, which makes the colors bright and long-lasting. Eco-friendly dyes are often used to keep the product sustainable.
Hemp becomes softer each time it is washed. This naturally helps make hemp sheets comfortable without using chemicals to soften it. Most synthetic fabrics use fabric softener to help them resist wrinkles or stop them from shrinking. These softeners are basically harsh chemicals that are bad for the environment and bad for the skin.
After the finishing process, hemp sheets and other hemp bedding are sewn and ready to be used at home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS OF HEMP BEDDING’S JOURNEY FROM THE FARM
The making of hemp bedding starts with sustainable farming. Industrial hemp is grown without synthetic chemicals. Once the plants mature, they are trimmed close to the bottom, and retting begins. This natural process helps separate the valuable outer fibers from the woody core inside.
Once harvested, the fibers are removed by machines in a process called decortication or by water or dew retting. Then the fibers are dried and yarn is created and woven into fabric. At the end, the finished hemp fabric is cut and sewn into hemp bedding like sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, comforters, blankets, and etcetera.