Labelling updates - how have yours held up?

We're condensing the former lessons learned 'stickies' and #2 had a lot of discussion about labelling containers. I've extracted it all and will post it here so we can all give it a quick re-read. What I'd like to know is what worked and what didn't. What are you going to do different this year?

Next post will be the extract from last year's thread. I will put a link to this thread in the new resources 'sticky'.

thanks for your input.

~ jan

edit to add: hopefully in the near future I will have something to add from the other 5 threads that Terese (tcs1366) has generously condensed for us

dang, I misspelled 'labeling'


This message was edited Feb 19, 2008 8:31 AM

SW_gardener, Southern Ontario, (Canada). (Zone 6a) said:

I just planted my first 4 containers today and already learned a lesson :) Write on something white like a plant marker and stick it in the container. I wrote directly on the outside and once it was filled with soil I can't read it anymore!

kbaumle, Northwest, OH, (Zone 5b) said:

Last year, I used a permanent Sharpie brand marker on my milk jugs and I simply numbered them, then lined them up in order. I kept my list of numbered jugs with the corresponding seeds planted in them in the house, and the numbers didn't even fade a whole lot. I'll be doing it the same way this year.

Anitabryk2, Ronkonkoma, NY, (Zone 6b) said:

I did the same kb...I also put garden markers in the containers which survived well.

kqcrna, Cincinnati, OH, (Zone 6a) said:

I used a Sharpie which did not fade but my containers got only morning sun. The Sharpies did fade, though, on the in-ground markers during the summer. I'm trying a paint pen for that this year.

I'm making labels from my yogurt containers, which I haven't tried before. Not sure where i read that tip, maybe from someone here? They're too expensive to buy in the quantities I'll need, and the strips cut from yogurt containers seem like they will work.

zenpotter, Minneapolis, MN, (Zone 4b) said:

I used mini blinds with a paint marker and then used it as the plant marker when I put them in the ground. Thus using it twice. The markers still have the paint on them.

Clementine, Chapel Hill, NC, (Zone 7b) said:

I started two milk jugs on the 8th (close to 4" of Scott's potting soil). I put first a coffee stirrer down the middle, then sowed two rows on each side of it, each half of the jug having one kind of seed. So - two (future) flowers per jug. To mark them I used wide rubber bands around the pouring hole, like they come with broccoli, for instance. Then I made a Word Table like this (sorry, can't make a table here):

Container# 1 (pink rubber band)
Date Jan. 8
Description By handle of jug: Larkspur, To right of red straw: White Mallow
Germination
Comment

I will admit that I won't find enough colors of rubber bands, abut maybe as additional identification (e.g. #1, #2) I can use the position in the crate (bulb crates from Home Depot, found by DH some time ago).

ecobioangie, Mableton, GA, (Zone 7b) said:

Keep an eye on those rubber bands! Their colors can fade too.


Brent_In_NoVa, Sterling, VA, (Zone 6b) said:

I also used a method similar to kbaumle and I did not have a problem with my marker fading (I do not know what brand). I did learn a lesson though...I thought that I was smart. I wrote the number on the jug in marker and pencil and I also wrote the plant name on a plastic knife stuck in the container. No way that I could end up with unlabeled containers that way!

Well that is what I thought. In the spring when I cut off the tops the numbers on the containers went with them. Now I was just down to the plastic knifes to mark my containers. Wouldn't you know that little kids have a knack for removing items like plastic utensils from containers of soil! I ended up with 4 containers of "mystery" plants.

This year I will: Mark the bottom of my containers as well!

Another thing I learned was how tricky it can be to identify plants by foliage alone. At one point I had "positively" identified one of the containers as Heliposis so I planted it accordingly. When it bloomed it looked just like Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium).

Poojer, East Meadow, NY said:


Rubberbands do worse than fade, they rot! They break down in the UV rays. Keep a bag of them in your coat pocket to take outside. When one breaks just slip a new one over the old one--they last about a month.

Even better, go through your gift wrap supplies and cut strips of curling ribbon to tie onto the jugs--that NEVER fades. Or go to the thrift store and buy a bag of leftover yarn balls--you'll have a lifetime supply of all the colors you'll need. I use curling ribbon and yarn often in the garden, especially early in the season when I'm getting plant stakes in place to use later on. When I put in stakes I tie some ribbon or yarn to them, enough to do a good job encircling a plant, later on, when the plants are bigger and need staking, those stakes are already there with the stings attached. It's a bit extra work early on but you'll be grateful for it later in the season.

Mahnot, DFW area, TX, (Zone 7b) said:

Every window blind you buy will have excess slats at the bottom.
Being careful to not cut the strings, simply remove them. Voila -
free markers.

Also, it will be spring before you know it. Lots of blinds in the trash.
Grab one and put it away for when you will need it.

pepsidrinker, La Salle, MI, (Zone 5b) said:

I used the wide craft sticks with each seed name and put them in side the containers and then wrote on the out side of each jug (w/paint marker) I also have a list of everything I am WSing on Word Doc. I highlight each one I have sown already.

grampapa Wheatfield, NY (Zone 6a) said:

Connie, that's what I was planning on doing. If I have something I only want a few of, but I have different varieties, or different colors, I'll put them in the same container, but divide it in half or quarters.

What was really nice was T's Flowers 'n Things sends plastic markers along when you buy seeds from them. All you have to do is write on them and you're good to go. I already had the paint pens.

merryma, Auburn, MA, (Zone 5b) said:

For markers, I use mini blinds, too. You can mark them with a regular number 2 pencil (although a softer lead writes darker) and it will last through winter. I've had them last through two winters...enough so I had to erase the pencil to re-use them.

Cordeledawg, Cordele, GA. (Zone 8a) said:

, I do use mini-blinds and also plastic forks and knives too. Haven't tried writting with pencil though. I've been using garden ink markers. I've listed my seeds I've wintersown in my journal and also a database I'm trying out on a trial run. I'm writing the RID number on my containers too. Probably over-kill but I like keeping records anyway.
edit to say= when you click on the 'prepare to print' it prints out a nice list of all your seeds and notes. I fold the sheet and keep this in a ziplock bag with the reserve seeds.

zenpotter, Minneapolis, MN, (Zone 4b) said:

It is probably overkill, but last year I wrote on the mini blind markers with paint marker on one side and pencil on the other. I then used them in the garden. So far the markings on both sides are still there. I wonder what spring will bring.

I used the waterproof vinyl labels that can be printed with your computer. They have not faded as of yet.

dylan, they sound good. can you give us more info? anything I can do on my computer I like. Is it an inkjet printer?

I used the paint pens from crafts in wal-mart. They are not expensive and write for a LONG time if you don't leave the cap off too long. I also use mini blinds for tags, I get the cheapest ones from Wal mart and they make a BUNCH! I planted over 500 containers and I sill have not made a dent in the amount of tags... DH and I each used a paint pen and they both are still writing

Mine are the yogurt cups cut up, written in paint pen. They were made last January through May and all are still as dark and clearly legible as the day they were made. A few of the yogurt cup tags have cracked, from exposure to weather I guess, but most are still good.

Karen

I got the labels in a co op last year. They are waterproof vinyl labels, they are 30 to a sheet. This winter I printed just the name of the WS seeds, 4 per label and cut them apart to stick on my milk jugs. Last summer I printed labels with the picture and the common name and Latin names for the garden and they still look great. Some of the labels I just wrote on with an ink pen and they are ok but not as good as the computer printed ones. I think they had some available for laser printers also. I can't remember the name of the place the co op got them from. They were a little pricey if you didn't buy a big bunch. The co op split them up into 12 sheets of 30 labels for $10, that was very doable. I zipped through those 1st 12 sheets in no time so the next time I will definitely order more at one time.

thanks, dylan

I used an industrial Sharpie marker to label my tomato plants last year. The labels were out all summer, and (I'm slightly embarrassed to admit) some stayed out all winter too, attached to a few cages that never made it inside. The writing is still as black and legible as the day it went on. Granted, it was on a vertical surface so it got a little less sun, but that's still a pretty good report on Industrial Sharpie Markers. :-) I'm using them on my WS containers with no fear. The silver Sharpie pens and Metallic (gold/bronze) paint markers that I used on some black pots (they show up well) last summer are also still perfectly legible.

Here's what I did and I hope it works:

I didn't label. Instead, I made a spreadsheet in Excel in which I entered the names of each plant in each cell, which corresponds to a single container. So the spreadsheet is basically a map of the containers I put out on my deck.

What happens if you rearrange your containers? or if the wind does it for you? Are all of your containers distinctive so you can tell them apart regardless?

Well, they're all pretty heavy I think. The lightest ones are milk cartons, and filled with soil I don't think the wind will move them too much. At any rate, I hope not!

I've done the database list before, but I've numbered my containers as a backup. You're bound to rearrange them a bit at some point, maybe as they come up (or don't) and as you start transplanting from them... You might consider grabbing a paint pen and putting some numbers on them, just in case. Even a regular Sharpie would probably work fine if you put the numbers on the bottom of the containers, where the sun won't bleach out the ink. If you look back through old threads, you'll find some folks trying to figure out what was coming up where when their labeling system failed... that's a little adventure you'll want to avoid if you can! :-)

I've tried that with my seeds. Marked them A, B, C or noted that the first three rows were this or that and kept a chart but somehow I always get some of them mixed up. Especially the year I grew several different types of gourds, squash, and pumpkins. You know when they are little they all looks pretty much alike.
Critter, I still have a few of your pots marked with the silver sharpie from the swap.

The silver sharpie fades a bit more on horizontal surfaces (like the top of a plastic WS container), but IMO it's unbeatable for labeling black plastic pots. I use it on all my cell packs, too. :-)

Darn, saw that someone else already posted my disposable knife idea. And I thought I was being so creative! I wanted some way to label individual rows inside a seed-starting tray, and found that if I snapped a knife in half, it was tall enough to write on, but not too tall for the lid to close.

Also tried an idea I saw here on DG, folding squares of foil into thirds, then writing with ink pen, so it both writes with ink and engraves the foil, but am finding those really hard to read.

Booker

I use blind slats I usually find at a garage sale or church rummage sale. One blind lasts a very long time. I used a "grease pencil" this year and so far it shows up very well. You can get them at an arts and crafts store. I write on both sides of the slat so I can look down into the jug and see what is germinating. I put the labels in the jugs. I did not write on the outsides this year.

I bought one of those markers to try on my labels on my WS pots outside, and the writing has held up so far. I wrote on duct tape on the outside and it is fine, and I also wrote on mini blind slats and put them on the inside "just in case". Six more inches of snow today, ugh, where is spring?
Kathy

Every time I go to the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, the Potter's House or other thrift store I look for vinyl and aluminum mini-blinds. I always find them for a couple of bucks and have tons of labels when I cut them up into 4 - 6" tabs. I use a #2 pencil to write with. Last year I ran short of labels and gathered up a few vinyl labels from the previous year (thankfully, I save EVERYTHING!) and using a little bit of Soft Scrub the lead came off easily. I decided to clean every one of the 200+ labels and had tons more ready to be reused!

JoAnn

AAACKKKKK!! All of the writing has vanished off of the duck tape on the outside of my WS containers, lol. I am so glad that I put the names on the inside too. Last time I looked the writing was good, ugh.
Kathy

This is the first time this has happened to me. I made labels on strips cut from lids of takeout containers. Wrote on one side with Sharpie and the other side with paint pen. Both are coming off. AAAARRRGH!!! It must be something about this plastic that even the paint pen is coming off. I have to make new ones before these are altogether blank.

My first two bins are mystery plants, used a sharpie on mini blinds. The paint pen on mini blinds in the other bins is like new. I guess the mystery plants will go on my daughter's sunny hillside until we figure out what they are. Luckily, I sowed the sun plants together.

Yeah, Sharpies do not work at all. The first year I wintersowed I used them and every one of them faded so that's when I read somewhere here on DG to use a #2 lead pencil. Fortunately, I was able to go over all of the tags with the pencil before they had completely faded. Works like a charm on those vinyl and metal mini blind tags. I, too, heard good results with the paint pen, but I couldn't find any of those around here and felt they were too expensive to order online by the time you added the shipping cost.
Joann

This year I also wrote the name of the seed sown on the bottom of the container with a black Sharpie...remains just as clear and black as the day I wrote it! A few containers that were written with the same Sharpie are faded and illegible...thank goodness for the bottom ID. However the mini-blind labels used on a few containers remain just as legible as the bottom.

There are Sharpies, and there are Sharpies. :-)

They make an INDUSTRIAL Sharpie that's resistant to heat, UV, etc. I used those on tomato tags last summer... and after nearly a year of being out in the garden (my cleanup activities were interrupted last fall), I can still read them just fine.

Critter~ where does one find the industrial Sharpie?

I googled, seems they are available in office supply stores and online.

Thanks Cathy! You're proving to be very helpful to me this morning ...in and out of the garden! ;0)

Yes, I think I got mine at Staples.

I've heard good things about paint pens, too.

While you're at it, pick up a silver metallic Sharpie marker... great for writing on black plastic cell packs & nursery pots, and the writing lasts for a couple of years!

Critter will do and thanks for the suggestion for the silver metallic Sharpie as well! ;0)

Why hello garden6, fancy meeting you here! I didn't make the connection until just now.

HI back at you Cathy, I'm not really stalking you! Just enjoying our in and out of the garden conversations!! ;0)

Stalk away, I can use the excitement!

I am a rookie and thought by writing the name on the flat with a marker it would be good enough. Ha, not so much it has been coming off. Luckly I wrote the seed lacket number also and I didn't get a lot of different color plants just different species so I can ID them as they grow.

LOL! ;0)

Update from March 21st. My grease pencil on my blind slats worked very well. I especially enjoyed having the writing on each side because I could tell what was growing in the jugs etc.

The oil based paint markers on the containers and the lead pencil on the mini blinds is
what I used this year and they were better than regular paint markers...

There is 2 co-ops going on that are selling labels and markers...

http://www.growerssolution.com/page/GS/PROD/PlantLabels/treetags

http://www.markersupply.com/madeexfi.html
They are ending friday night.

Pauletta

I've used the Deco paint pens. My in-ground labels are written with them, and after a year they are as clear as the day I wrote them. Of course, many of the labels themselves are missing. I paid $3+, less than $4 anyway, at Michaels Crafts.

Karen

Ah, I was just going to ask about the Deco paint pens.

The co-op looks very interesting if the paint pens would work for Wintersowing, especially.

This winter I had trouble finding paint pens that were fine enough. These are called 'fine' and I wonder if they would be an improvement over the ones I used....?

T: I have an "extra fine" Deco, works well. Also have fine, but I like the extra fine better.

How much are they from the co-op? Seems by the time you pay postage you might as well get it at Michael's.

Karen