Garden Markers, show us yours

I know there is an old thread about this, but I simply cannot find it...
Show us your garden markers.

The website was very interesting, I like the rustic french style markers. Have to make my way over to the Hobbby Lobby store and check out their supplies to make some.

How's about some plastic spoons

That works too Nr!
I haven't done a craft project in at least 10 years. Basically a non-"crafty" type. Glue, cutting, drawing, blah, but those rustic frenchgarden markers are SO neat looking so I'm willing to suffer a little

I used to to use these nice copper ones, but the past few years I just use tongue depressors. They end up in the compost and are gone by the next season.

I have those in the "economic" form, the part you write on is not made of copper. Ended up not liking the look of metal all over the garden. Tongue depress. would be quick and easy like Nr's spoons too.

I was looking for something like this. Hd wanted i think it was $3 for 20 little plastic things. My need to get some tongue depressor or even popsicle sticks from a craft store

What nifty ideas! DH just said ... "get some free paint stir sticks at the hardware store and cut them into 3-6 pieces" ... ... He does come up with good idea's on occasion!

Camp, I like the markers you pictured in the OP

Someone else here makes markers by cutting strips of plastic from like sour cream and cottage cheese containers. I can't for the life of me remember who or find the thread. Gwennifer maybe???

wncsohn wrote:What nifty ideas! DH just said ... "get some free paint stir sticks at the hardware store and cut them into 3-6 pieces" ... ... He does come up with good idea's on occasion!

We used the paint stir sticks for the children's beds at the community garden. They only lasted one season, (damp soil caused them to rot at the bottom) but that is fine, they were free. We just cut them in half so there would be more sticking above the ground to identify the many many squares we had. There was even room to list the name of the child that planted that square/

That is such a cool photo.

Husband! Whittle some of these for me!

Oh honey...do me a favor with that new knife of yours....

I was just asking the youngins about pop sickle sticks. I have a a lot of the plastic T's still. They last a long time, even if they are yellowed by the sun. I have the plastic version of sticks, too.

The youngins will be happy to 'produce' them for me!

camprn wrote:

I buy an old venetian blind from the Salvation Army store for a dollar and cut the slats into lengths that work for me.



You can cut small ones like these for my 2" soil blocks or tall ones for outdoors to mark your plants. And there's lots of room on front and back for info.

That's very cool. I like the reuse recycle idea.

How do you get square blocks for planting? Ice cube trays?

Ava....I use soil blockers. I got mine from johnnyseeds.com a couple years ago and love them. No pots to recycle and no root disturbance when transplanting. There are videos on youtube on how to make your own from plastic containers if interested. I have the mini 3/4" size (it makes 20 at a time) for seed starting and the midi size that makes four 2" blocks at a time. You just drop the mini into the midi (there's a hole for it) when the plants need more room. When I need larger pots for tomatoes, I make my own air-pruning pots from used 2- and 3-liter soda bottles.

I use white plastic knives. We had a ton of them at work and hardly ever use them. I think we've had this box for 5 years or more. lol I write the plant name with a black sharpie on the knife part and stick in the square. The markings stayed all season. Will have to be redone this year but I thought it worked great and quite economical since they were free.

Someone (sorry I can't remember who and give credit) suggested using the Sharpie marked INDUSTRIAL Super Permanent Ink. It is UV resistant and "Remains permanent under most chemical washes and extreme heat up to 500*F" quote from the package.

nKedrOoStEr wrote:..Someone else here makes markers by cutting strips of plastic from like sour cream and cottage cheese containers...

That was my picture; I'll be forever grateful to Pattipan for the idea.

Furbalsmom wrote:Someone (sorry I can't remember who and give credit) suggested using the Sharpie marked INDUSTRIAL Super Permanent Ink.

That was also Pattipan's idea.

boffer wrote:

nKedrOoStEr wrote:..Someone else here makes markers by cutting strips of plastic from like sour cream and cottage cheese containers...

That was my picture; I'll be forever grateful to Pattipan for the idea.

Furbalsmom wrote:Someone (sorry I can't remember who and give credit) suggested using the Sharpie marked INDUSTRIAL Super Permanent Ink.

That was also Pattipan's idea.

That was it boffer

That is great idea love it I knew I was saving all of my containers for something.. free works for me

I saw these, thought of this thread, and had to tell y'all...

How about 2 sticks (from a tree) pushed in the dirt to make a V with the seed package in the V (kinda like upside down clothes pins).

Or one tree stick, in the dirt, with the seed package upside down on it?

Cheap, yes. Durable, no. But done!

We cut up our water and milk jugs and write on them with a Sharpie. I saw that on Pinterest. Here's some in my daughter's flowers:

Or one tree stick, in the dirt, with the seed package upside down on it?

You could wash out a sandwich bag, put it over the seed package and close it on both sides. It might last a little longer that way.

quiltbea wrote:When I need larger pots for tomatoes, I make my own air-pruning pots from used 2- and 3-liter soda bottles.

Quiltbea, I don't understand...do you mean that you end up with freestanding soil pots from the 2 liters that are kinda like the soil blocks? Or are you talking about those self watering pots that Josh made from two liters? Sorry to be so dense.

a little piece of paper glued to a toothpick

morgan.....No, I mean air-pruning pots. When the roots hit the air, they stop circling so you don't get any girdling, popping out the transplant is easier and with little root disturbance, if any.



Above: See the slits cut into these 2-litre soda bottles up from their drainage holes for these seedlings? I use a screwdriver and hammer to hammer a hole in each of the 5 lobes at the bottom of these bottles. I always water from the bottom once the seeds germinate and go under the lights. Note: Don't use the bottles that narrow in the midsection. The plants are too hard to get out perfectly. Straight sides are best.

I also do the same for 16-oz soda cups when I'm using them for smaller plants:



I've had no losses from transplanting using these pots and the plants get their needed water as they need it and not too much. The water is sucked up thru the slits when the soil gets dry so you don't overwater. When done, I can wash and disinfect the bottles and put them away for another year.

Thank you for explaining that Quiltbea. I have never seen that before. Wonderful idea! I'm putting it in my garden folder. Thanks again!

I've done the yogurt containers in the past, but make my own yogurt now, so I looked around and used the jumbo cottage cheese container we got from Sam's Club. You can make a lot from one, but I'm actually on my second container.