Hi, a tip worth sharing for newbies.Plant labels can be expensive and I object to the cost,among other things I have found venetian blinds,plastic or aluminium works super, it cuts easily with scissors , doesn't rot and is easily written with permanent pen.I usually pick one up in a charity shop for about £1 and it lasts for years. XX Jeannine
we use margarine/icecream tubs if you cant write on the plastic put a bit of tipex on and write on this.
the 4 pint plastic Milk bottles cut up easily and no prob writing on them with garden pen
keep an eye open in Poundland and other 'all for £1' shops, we picked up 100 x 4" white labels for £1
also wooden 'lolly' sticks, but they seem to getting quite rare
We have a store 'Tickety Boo' which has incredible deals on many gardening bits (maybe only local to us at Humberstone / Cleethorpes) ?
Mikey
Quote from: glow777 on March 06, 2007, 12:45:41
we use margarine/icecream tubs if you cant write on the plastic put a bit of tipex on and write on this.
Great idea, also the lolly sticks! My problem is that whatever so called light resistant pen I use It's never long before the sun bleaches it!! Thanks to Geordie's brainwave I'm waiting for a label maker from dymo label maker and will never have this problem again!! ;D
If you go into Cafe Nero or stabucks before leaving with spent
grounds ,nicley bagged up and free, the drink stirry stick
things make good labels too .After coffee though,.....
we got wooden lolly sticks from ebay last year but are going down the cut up milk carton route this year ;D
wow just found 100 lolly sticks on an online shop for £1.32 although the £1.80 post stinks
total comes to £3.47 still thats 3.4 pence a lolly
Some' The Works' book shop had lolly sticks in the craft bit
last year and were very cheap
I was just about to recommend The Works too, or any other shop that sells craft stuff - look in the children's craft section, they usually come in diff colours too!
I tried the milk carton thing on Sunday but when i came to water my seeds the writing ran off & smudged - charming! Think it was something to do with my non-waterproof pen tho... ::)
x
I'm using the milk carton idea, I'm also still choking on the fact that lolly sticks are sold on ebay, I collected thousands when I was a kid, now where did I put them. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
[ My problem is that whatever so called light resistant pen I use It's never long before the sun bleaches it!!
I use 'Stabilo - Write-4-All' permanent pen, Fine Black, their stock code
'Art. No. 156/46
Labels written Aygust 2005 (when we moved here) still clear on white plastic labels
Mikey
still using 8 year old papermate permanent markers, not sure they make them any more ;D
I wish I had this information a few days ago as it's excellent.
My children love lollies and have a 'mini' one each day (after the fruit, yogurt etc ;)). They just get thrown onto the fire. I spent ages printing off the names of the seeds on the pc, covering them with sellotape, making a hole with a punch, and threading a food bag tie. I was going to clip them onto tent pegs. It was a bit of a long shot as I am sure the water will get through and I would have to check my planting plan to know what is where!
I use the cut up milk cartons which work fine - I also have a permanent marker but when I lose it [which is often] I find pencil works quite well even if I have to squint a bit to read it I can still make it out.
Just found this on the internet. Lakeland sell wooden lolly sticks @£2.50/100
=http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/kitchenideas/icecream!10351_1741 (http://=http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/kitchenideas/icecream!10351_1741)
or this @£1.00/pack of multicoloured.
http://shop.kidzcraft.co.uk/products.asp?cat=45 (http://shop.kidzcraft.co.uk/products.asp?cat=45)
I liked the idea of lolly sticks and I bought some (from the Organic Gardening Catalogue if I recall correctly) a couple of years ago. But a word of warning: they rotted really quickly. :(
G x
would agree with G- rotted far too fast and dont like the idea of green mould right beside seeds and seedlings
If you don't want to buy as many as 100, Tesco's are selling 25 4" plastic labels (inc. a pencil!) for 92p or buy two for £1!
The venetian blind idea is a good one, I have been using proper plastic ones but I am always breaking them.
I have used the milk cartons for some time but they look a bit rubbish. Venetian blinds on the other hand seem like a great idea.
thanks Jeannine
I have been using margarine tubs and lids but on the lolly stick thing, Ikea restaurants also have the wooden sticks for stirring with. I asked for some last year and the lovely lady obliged with a great big handful but they did rot very quickly. I have found that a permanant dvd marker is good to use on plastic. fine tipped too.
Donna.
I brought a load of beautiful coloured lolly sticks from the Range, 99p for 50 - 30 normal size ones and 20 massive ones, I don't care if they only last a season, they look great! They are designed for kids to do craft with but I have had a better idea, I used them with the chilli seedings and colour coded them according to temperature - red = hot, blue = mild and the orange, yellow and green were somewhere inbetween, the purple are for the prettiest ones :-) All the pumpkins have orange sticks too. I had a lovley afternnon with seeds and lolly sticks !
Helen
I used plastic milk cartons and wrote on them with a thick permenant marker as talking of squinting thats my problem and the specs are always in the shed!! The idea of venetian blinds is great as the milk cartons are a bit fiddely. Thanks.
When I started the thread I forgot to say ,if I find a blind in a funny colour(most are white or cream) I use it as a second label if I want to remind myself something about that plant,eg I have some silver ones at the moment and they have sticks in my tomatoes that 'vine,prune' or 'bush don't prune' and in my squash 'summer squash' or 'winter squash' . These can be kept and used over and over again . I find this very useful as the stick stays the life of the plant and I don't make a mistake further on with pruning for eg.My squash go in differnt parts of the lottie depending on what they too. XX Jeannine
As someone that works in Theatre we use "Sharpie" permanent markers that you can get in fine or think and last forever and NOTHING gets rid of it (as the guy that we drew a glasses on whilst he was sleeping hehe). It doesn't fade in light, wash, run or disappear. they can be write on all surfaces.
Always a good investment.
That is exactly what I use, my best freinds are Sharpies,along with duct tape.XX Jeannine
Thanks, Jeannine- I have a coupleof venetian blinds which I've tried to freecycle without success. Can't bear to take them to the tip, so now I know what to do with them! :)