Plant markers

[digitS']

Since Mary brought up the issue of climate -- I'm going to suggest this pen:

Weatherproof Marking Pen

Bright, bright sunshine in my garden and a marks-a-lot- or sharpie-written sign won't be readable by the end of the season. These pens have ink that will last and the pens themselves seem to go on forever . . .

Steve

 

[Dave2000]

Great idea! I was just thinking about ordering some plant markers from Farmtek because my current system of ballpoint pen on popsicle sticks doesn't make it a week outside before they are unreadable. I don't use that much bleach, but we *do* have opaque white gallon milk jugs. -Wendy

Wendy, I'm surprised your popsicle sticks don't make it very long. Mine easily last a season. I could probably reuse them 2 years but I like mine nice looking. It could be due to my mild weather.

Mary

My popsicle stick markers usually last most of a season at which point some start rotting in two below soil level. A few mistakes I made using the wrong types of pens and markers. Don't use regular Sharpie magic markers, or gel type ink pens. The old high oil content ball point pens work well enough but I have one of those writes-underwater Fischer Space pens (well actually just 3rd party cartridges for them in a couple different regular ink pen bodies). I'd thought about trying sharpie industrial markers which have sort of a lacquer ink but when I was going to use one last year I found it had dried out.

What I might try this year is laser printer plastic sheets, I have some around here SOMEWHERE and if I can ever find them they seem like a nice, though a bit flimsy/thin, idea.

 

[ninnymary]

I forgot to mention that I use a sharpie marker on my popsicles and I don't have a problem with them. My sticks don't rot and my writing stays very legible. I don't understand why they don't for some of you.

Mary

 

[lesa]

I read a tip somewhere about writing on the stick and putting the writing side down into the dirt. The claim was the writing would stay legible longer?? I use the stick method. They don't last the whole season, but by the time the plants are big I can recognize what they are! If I don't mark where I have planted seeds, I have a bad habit of planting something else in the same spot!

 

[peteyfoozer]

That's a great idea. If I have anything actually LAST, the dogs seem to rearrange them. I gave up and started painting on rocks

 

[trunkman]

I use an old mini blind, you get hundreds from just one blind, easy to cut, just the right width you get lots from one blind and your spouse will love the opportunity of being able to get a new blind put up.