Don't know if its been mentioned before but McDonald's wooden tea and coffee stirrers are ideal for pot labels and they are free!!
what a brill idea! thanks Id never thought of this one before!
i use the wooden forks from the local chippy
You either need to eat a lot of McDonalds or have the nerve to walk in and take a large handful of the stirrers!!!
You can make them from old plassie milk bottles - would save your figure.
I get mine in Starbucks along with the free spent grounds for the plot.
I don't need labels, I always remember, that is why my cabbages turned into cauliflowers. ;D ;D Also be careful what pen you use or the writing will disappear, have tried to be good and label but have ended up with invisible writing. Don't care, like a good surprise.
so what pen do people use..my writing always vanishes
Use pencil
I also saved milk bottles and cut them up last year but used permanent black pen and then found that they had vanished after I watered them. So had a frustrating time trying to work out which seeds were courgette / pumpkin / squash / cucumber. I find the best thing on the white labels you buy is a pencil. I would also be interested to see what other peeps say about this.
I see SR site has slate and metal ones with white and black makrers. Anyone tried these?
Regards
Jitterbug
I really can't be bothered to cut up things to make labels. I bought a bunch of them from Wilkos and the pound shop and have been reusing the same for the past three years. I have also tried many types of marker pen and have found that ordinary HB pencils are the best thing to use. I soak my labels and then use one of those block things that remove scuff marks to remove pencil mark. give them a rinse and they are good for the next use.
Duke ;D
I get the plastic plant tags through our lottie shop... a box of a 1000 for £10... and then HB pencil... :-X
I haven't had to buy any labels, ever! I worked for a firm that made them many years ago and the warehouse manager gave me a massive box of them when I left ;D. I either re-use ones from the previous years if I'm sowing the same varieties/crops or scrub off the writing and re-use every year.
A few years ago I couldn't find my stash after I'd moved house and ended up saving my son's wooden lolly sticks to use instead. They lasted quite well.
Just get an old venetian blind from the car boot for about 50p and you will get hundreds out of it .. :o
I use pencil too as it lasts for years if wanted for permanent plants.
If not, usually wash & use a rubber to remove each year, this is strangely enjoyable but probably a bit sad, so might try and track down the block thing that removes scuff marks from a lot at once.
Cut up margarine tubs and a chinagraph pencil......
i got 5000 cheap plastic labels from garden center year before last before they closed for season. I paid $10. pencil or grease pencil works better then markers.
I use pencil on my labels, stays on all season...then easily cleaned for re-use. (http://steverandles.co.uk/alottment/?p=218)
Steve...:)
CD markers are usually OK, but I use pencil as well.
Quote from: Allotment-junkie on March 02, 2011, 06:30:41
Just get an old venetian blind from the car boot for about 50p and you will get hundreds out of it .. :o
I did same. Got a white plastic blind from daughter and it worked so well plus you can see the white
markers a mile away and use them year after year if desired.
Strangely, the same marker pen didn't work well on plastic milk jug strips. It faded completely. Must have something to do with the way ink is absorbed?
I used permanent ink the year before last and that came off easily. I now use pencil too. I actually make them out of plastic milk bottles then i cellotape a bit of paper onto it with the name of plant written on in pencil. They last for ages