A very basic question, but what do the majority of you use as labels on the allotment. The commercial variety available for seeds seem a bit small to survive?
???
I buy old venetian blinds from charity shops and cut them up, they work a treat and one lasts years XX Jeannine
;) What a brill idea Jeannine
100 plastic pudden spoons for a squid ,nice bit of space for info in spoon\bowl bit!
I buy 4" labels and erase the writing off them with a piece of steel wool at the end the season.
I find they last me for years.
Incidently my mate and I buy them wholesale by the thousand (much cheaper).
I resorted to cutting up milk cartons at the weekend .... they are working ok, the white plastic obviously a bit better than the clear ones :)
I've used cut up ice cream/ margarine tubs in the past but am going to try Jeannine's venetian blind idea as I've got a couple of old ones and I want BIG labels that I can't lose!
I've tried the milk carton thing in the past with little success, but this year we're going down the lolly pop stick route - writing on them with a permanent marker. Hope they'll work ok!
We tend to cut up 2ltr plastic bottles. They work a treat, and you can make them as big as you like.
Quote from: Tee Gee on April 11, 2007, 14:47:16
I buy 4" labels and erase the writing off them with a piece of steel wool at the end the season.
Ditto, except I use an HB pencil to write on them and a rubber to clean them up (can't touch wire wool, makes my teeth itch just thinking about it :-[)
I dont use labels as such, just different colour sticks (2"*1" and about 18" long). Cheap enough to buy and bang into the ground. Just paint them with sampler pots or what ever I have kicking around.
Then make a note of what the colour signifies. Keep a copy in the shed, one in the car and one at home - in case any get lost.
I don't understand XX Jeannine
Currently I've got :
4 Blue sticks identifying where the Aquadulce are buried (one in each corner
4 Pale blue for Bunyards Exhibition
2 White for the garlic (one at each end of the row)
The onions dont need marking
2 White & yellow for the Red Duke of York (one at each end of the row)
4 White & green for PFK (2 rows)
2 White & black for Accent
6 Yellow and black for Desiree (3 rows)
2 Red for the peas
4 White and blue for the carrots (2 short rows)
2 Magenta for the radish
etc
" I can sing a rainbow"..like your style, wabbit ;D
Packs of 100 wooden tongue depressors. 3x larger than standard lollipop sticks. Cost about £2 per pack from most chemists such as Boots or Superdrug. Or try here for buy 2 get one free:
http://www.genmedical.com/store/index.html?lang=en-uk&target=d5.html
Hey, Pesky, not much good if your colour blind !
Tempted by those, KT!
Can anyone remind me what is the best non-fading pen to use on plastic?
The two I use are Mr Fothergill's waterproof marker and' Sharpie' permanent marker
bought from Tesco last year, both still going strong.
Thinking of doing the same as the old man a bit further down does
has old flat piece of wood with stapled label on and re writes on it every year
I write the contents of all my drills in a lil ol note pad, that way I can add any extra info I might need- when I remember! :)
SharpiesXX
Thanks, will look out for those.
I cut up milk containers to strips about 1" x6" then I write on them in thick permenant marker, saves keep putting the specs on. You say the small ones are liable not to stand up to life on the lotty, only when you`ve lost one and then the next year there it is just laying on the top of the bit you`ve just hoed looking untidy so then you have to walk across the bit that you`ve just done to retrieve it. then what do you do with it? I find them all the time is my back pockets thats if I`m lucky once or twice they have gummed up the washing machine. You can`t win.
I buy the white 6 inch labels. I also use wooden stakes that the old boy chops down for me from bits of wood I 'acquire'. Handy for the big things like spuds, beans and peas. Can write nice big words on them!
visited the golden arches recently and walked out with a large bag with about 50 wooden sticks used for stiring tea.
There a little thin but there fab...
Tried using plastic from milk bottels and dispite using a perminant marker watering has washed away the text!! :'(
Im still using the HUGE pile of plant lables I got from working for Rapitest many years ago & a combination of permanent marker meant for labelling CDs that Ive "borrowed" from my husband & a labelling machine, depending on how organised I am....they seem to have done ok so far.....although I couldnt find them after the move last xmas so used a few lolly sticks as emergency ones until my stash was found ....but I like the idea of the tongue depressers fo something a little bigger....will have to remember them when I run out of plastic ones.
I use pencil as it doesn't fade, usually on bought markers, sometimes on bits of chopped-up disposable drink containers if I run out.
Look at my lovely yellow label on my pea page,
50p for 50 at B&Q. They have big cardboard displays with things at less than £1.
The come with self adhesive labels, but I prefer to write with a permanent pen.
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments_Vegetables_peas.html
Quote from: Jeannine on April 11, 2007, 10:49:39
I buy old venetian blinds from charity shops and cut them up, they work a treat and one lasts years XX Jeannine
this is a great idea! though I imagine you end up with sharp edges..
like the idea of the tongue depressers too.
I got a huge pack on special offer/ in a sale from somewhere like Wilko or Pound land, which have kept me going for 2 years now.
Ikea sell a 'venetian blind trimmer' for about £1 and it trims the ends to be rounded! Great little gadget, bit like giant nail clippers. ;D
I have a problem with the sun bleaching out my labels (no matter what pen I use) so I thought I'd treat mysef and ordered a embossing label maker from Dymo, I ordered it on the 18th feb, still waiting! >:( Does the sun bleach out pen on lolly sticks????
I've bought some label things from another A4A person Gardenantics - he has his own business and uses recycling (well, reusing) ideas.