I have been experimenting with a number of ways to label things in my garden. I already use a Homestead Planner to recored what a plant and when, which has proved to be so valuable to me each year to see what worked and what to avoid. I also use it to work out plant rotation etc.
My daughter and I had made some great rock garden bed signs which were cute and a fun project for us to do togethe...but my scientific mind needed something that I could have all the data I like to keep right there in the garden!
So I have come on the answer - waterproof paper labels. These are just fantastic - you write on them with a pencil, they survive rain, and hose watering, and you can add to them as you go...and you can even write on them when they are wet!
I do a 'cheap and dirty' version with Venetian blind slats or cut up icecream containers poked in the ground.
I'm a 6b pencil girl-my vision sucks and I don't want to squint hopelessly more than I have to!
Leila Rich wrote:I do a 'cheap and dirty' version with Venetian blind slats or cut up icecream containers poked in the ground.
I'm a 6b pencil girl-my vision sucks and I don't want to squint hopelessly more than I have to!
I've tried those as well They worked really well as long as I used a non-water based ink (like a laundry marker).
If you have an inkjet printer, just print out your seed order (Fedco usually sends a nice list on email) on regular paper. Take clear packing tape and cover the paper on both side, cut out the titles and attached to bamboo skewers - cost you about $1 for your whole garden.
I use my old canning lids and a set of punches from harbor freight. Punch the name of the veggie, plant, tree or whatever, poke a hole in it hang it from a piece of wire or bailing string. Guaranteed not to wash off or fade, problems I have had with sharpies and blinds. An added plus is they swing in the wind and are shiny which spooks some of the foraging critters.
Leila Rich
steward
Posts: 3999
Location: Wellington, New Zealand. Temperate, coastal, sandy, windy,
I used a non-water based ink (like a laundry marker)
I've tried out loads of markers on blinds/plastic, and I find pencil much more resistant to fading.
But pencil shows up much better on the metal Venetians than plastics
As a bonus, you can actually rub out stuff with an eraser
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