I always think that I will remember which plant is which, but I can only hold so much information in my brain these days {and that amount is very small, I admit}, so I inevitably forget {usually within hours}. So, for me, marking my plants is absolutely essential.
I really liked the organic look of these stick markers and I lov that all I had to do was wander into the back yard to collect a few sticks to make them. 😉
You’ll Need:
Pruners
Veggie Peeler or Sharp Knife
Sticks {about 1/2 thick}
Sharpie
Directions:
Start by wandering outside and cutting some branches off of a tree–or better yet, find a fallen limb. Choose a branch that is about a 1/2″ thick. Cut the stick into segments, roughly the same size. Trim the sticks, so that they don’t have any shoots. Now, using the veggie peeler or sharp knife, remove the bark from one side of the stick. {I totally felt like I was whittling wood–very old-timey of me.}
You only need to remove the bark about half way down the stick, because the rest will be pushed into the dirt. {If you use a veggie peeler, be aware, it may really dull the blade!} Once you have a bark-free portion of the stick, write the name of your plants on with a sharpie.
That’s it. Now, mark your plants and free up some space in your memory bank.
~Mavis
Sherry says
How do you keep the sharpie ink from fading? Everything I have every used to write with on my markers has quickly disappeared from sun and weather exposure.
Tolik says
I live in Arizona , the sun turns dead sticks grey in no time at all . I have had good luck with Varathane , it seals and protects . It was designed for wood decks , its water base , so it dries pretty fast .
Tolik says
Another thing you could do, is simply paint the shaved side white , then use your sharpie on top of it . Not as good as varathane , but faster . So even if the stick turns grey , the paint will not , and should be readable long after you need it .
tholl says
This reminded me of your post a week or two ago about the broken terra cotta pots…I saw the cutest thing; turn those broken pots into little fairy gardens! SO CUTE!
Cecily says
My friend uses small smooth rocks and a sharpie to mark her plants.
banshie13 says
i have used wooden ice lolly sticks
banshie13
Marcy says
This is a neat idea. I wonder how well the writing will show up once the wood ages. Maybe you could do another post in a couple of weeks and show us? I once used some fresh cut sticks as part of a lattice i made for the garden; imagine my surprise when I realized the sticks had rooted and were growing. OOPs!
Usually I use popsicle sticks, but this year I am trying something new. I saw a guy on a Youtube video use cedar shims as plant markers and I thought that was a great idea. A pack of 50 is less than $4, and i can write big enough on them that these old eyes can easily read them. So far, so good.
Erin says
Love it that they took root!
Beth says
I just picked up palm fronds from the yard and cut off the frond part. I’ll use them as stakes for my tall plants or as markers for my plant rows. I made plant markers with skewers and corks, but the permanent marker isn’t so permanent!
Dena says
I’ve used Popsicle sticks for years, as at the end of the season I can ‘recycle’ them in my wood stove. I usually use a Michael’s coupon & get the really big ones. I use a sharpie, then coat the writing in clear nail polish I pick up on sale. This allows the ‘pop’ to weather at least a season. With my starts in the greenhouse, I use 2″ x 4″ label I get in a big pack at Office Max in Jan (paper bag in the Sunday paper, 20% off anything that goes in the bag), folded in half around a toothpick w/ ink writing (again ‘recycled’ in the fall). The labels & toothpicks last through ‘inside’ waterings until transplanted outside, then I switch to the popsicles. Oh, & to make all this writing is shorter, I keep a master list throughout the season. Whether in the greenhouse or outside, all I have to do is look at the ‘label’ & see, eg, “5 TOM”; by consulting my list I know that is (5) Black Cherry (TOM) tomato, from producer “A”, year “B”, seeded “C” & transplanted “D”. Saves writing the same thing again & again. Usually the actual name (Black Cherry) goes on the outside popsicle stick, but just don’t loose that main list!
Candice says
I have been using the paint sticks you get at Home Depot or Sherwin Williams to stir paint for years. I just asked nicely for 15 or so from each place and they’ve given them to me free. I did offer to purchase them but they just bagged them up and said wouldn’t charge me. The sticks are easier to see in the garden than a small marker although I use the Popsicle sticks and tongue depressors when starting seeds in six packs.
dawn b says
I use plastic knives collected thru the year from work and home functions. There are always extras and they just add up in no time. Using a black permanent marker works great. I usually have so many of them I can use them on the end of each row. I only have a small garden so I really pack them in and marking is a way to keep me sane when the plants start coming up.
Mavis says
Great idea!
Angela says
I’ve had the same problem with the ink fading on the markers. Last year, I sprayed a Rustoleum clear spray on them. The ink lasted through the season
Laura Bray says
Great idea and I loved all the tips in the comments for keeping the ink from fading.