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General => Top Tips => Topic started by: claybasket on March 15, 2012, 18:50:17

Title: veggie lables
Post by: claybasket on March 15, 2012, 18:50:17: The price of plant and veg markers are shocking! over £2.00 for a pkt 50 little labels >:( So i had some throw away plastic plates, the picnick kind I cut them in 1/4s, then stapled them on to some small ornamental pallings that were falling to bits, I pulled the pallings of first ;D they looked OK, and you can read the names nice and clearly, the plates were 99p from my favorite cheap shop!
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on March 16, 2012, 19:31:42: They're a lot cheaper on eBay.
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Jeannine on March 17, 2012, 04:04:52: I use old venetian blinds, plastic or aluminium they work really well, just cut to size, hundreds from 1 blind.XX Jeannine
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: artichoke on March 17, 2012, 09:38:40: Ah, that reminds me that I picked up an old venetian blind from our local dump for exactly that reason; just in time to get it out and try using it.

Otherwise I use empty cream and yoghurt pots, cut into strips. The few bought labels I have go into bleach as I pick them up, and can be used again.
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: chriscross1966 on April 01, 2012, 19:14:44: I've used cut up milk cartons this year.... saved a few quid if nothing else... something to do in the winter when you can't get outside in the evening...
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: manicscousers on April 01, 2012, 19:31:14: We are using some old plastic knives my daughter bought a couple of years ago for a party, she says they were £1.00 for 100, good in root trainers ;D
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Duke Ellington on April 01, 2012, 20:36:16: I cant be bothered to cut up plant labels life is too short. I bought about 200 from Wilkinsons about four years ago and they probably cost me all £2.50 at the time. They are still going strong. Each year I clean them up and put them away ready for the next season ;D

Duke
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Aden Roller on April 05, 2012, 00:40:15: Who's a clever boy then? 8)

Not me :-[

I got out my cheap old, nicely cleaned-up Wilko labels then set to marking four seed trays containing different varieties of newly sown marigolds. :)

Next, as you do, I watered them carefully and placed them in a heated thermostatically controlled proppergattory thingy.

Later I discovered some very white, beautifully blank labels. :o

My tip for today:
Always remember to use a waterproof, permanent marker on seed labels! ::)
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: DawnF on April 05, 2012, 01:25:18: Snap !!
Thats exactly what happened to me today!!

I sowed 6 different types of tomatoes.
Into 6 different trays - then carefully labelled them up.
Watered them in with my watering can ( not my hosepipe) and voila ..... names had dissappeared...like magic.

Note to self - Throw away my sharpie and use my trusted permenant marker !
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Aden Roller on April 07, 2012, 10:33:43: Quote from: DawnF on April 05, 2012, 01:25:18
Snap !!
Thats exactly what happened to me today!!

I sowed 6 different types of tomatoes.
Into 6 different trays - then carefully labelled them up.
Watered them in with my watering can ( not my hosepipe) and voila ..... names had dissappeared...like magic.

Note to self - Throw away my sharpie and use my trusted permenant marker !

There's comfort in knowing that you are not the only one. ;) Thanks. :)
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: gavinjconway on May 15, 2012, 16:48:38: Quote from: Jeannine on March 17, 2012, 04:04:52
I use old venetian blinds, plastic or aluminium they work really well, just cut to size, hundreds from 1 blind.XX Jeannine

Brilliant idea there... I'll keep my eyes open for blinds on skips... Oh - I do love skips!!
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Toshofthe Wuffingas on May 22, 2012, 14:14:15: It's refreshing to realise I keep discovering the wheel! I as a thrifty (stingy, miserly) East Anglian demurred at paying MONEY for labels and set to cutting up big plastic milk bottles. There is a daily supply of them and they provide nice long strips.
I had the same disaster with 'permanent' pens washing off. Is the consensus to use CD markers?
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Duke Ellington on May 22, 2012, 15:39:00: USE A GOOD OLD FASHIONED HB PENCIL it lasts all summer!
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Aden Roller on May 22, 2012, 23:28:11: Quote from: Toshofthe Wuffingas on May 22, 2012, 14:14:15
It's refreshing to realise I keep discovering the wheel! I as a thrifty (stingy, miserly) East Anglian demurred at paying MONEY for labels and set to cutting up big plastic milk bottles. There is a daily supply of them and they provide nice long strips.
I had the same disaster with 'permanent' pens washing off. Is the consensus to use CD markers?

Permanent marker works well for me when I remember to check to see it really is "permanent" rather than any old black felt pen I've grabbed. ::)

I love the plastic milk bottle idea. I'm going to experiment with that one tomorrow. As a thrifty (stingy, miserly) West Sussex (by adoption) lad it appeals to my ingrained sense of recycling-not-wasting. ;)
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Ninnyscrops. on May 22, 2012, 23:47:07: Quote from: Duke Ellington on April 01, 2012, 20:36:16
I cant be bothered to cut up plant labels life is too short. I bought about 200 from Wilkinsons about four years ago and they probably cost me all £2.50 at the time. They are still going strong. Each year I clean them up and put them away ready for the next season ;D

Duke

Same here Duchess, son's ex-girfriend found me a box of 200 at a car boot sale years ago. I use a good old HB pencil and rub it out after use, no bleaching as I think that makes them brittle.

Ninny
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on June 05, 2012, 17:14:43: I use pencil, it lasts longer and is easier to remove.
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: pumkinlover on June 05, 2012, 19:32:00: I'm into pencils at the moment! I really object to the freebie pens we get from reps at work, they do not last for long and get chucked in the bin.
No one thinks about the waste because they are free ???

-off soap box now!
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: Ninnyscrops. on June 05, 2012, 22:57:21: Another thing, always write on both sides - the sun can be a great bleacher. I bought some dafs from Wisley and when I planted them wrote on both sides as our front garden has a harsh sun from mid-day onwards in the summer and the front of them is now so faded, but the backs are still ligible. ;) Time for a re-write on the front then a turn of them.

Ninny
Title: Re: veggie lables
Post by: singingrhubarb on August 21, 2013, 08:09:20: The lids of ring pull cans can be tied to canes and last really well. You have to use a permanent marker of course.