I cut up plastic Philadelphia cream cheese containers, and write on them with paint pens. I've found that paint pens, once they dry, also do not fade, and my DH eats a lot of bagels with cream cheese, so we always have a supply.

Great idea!!

I used the paint pens before too. The one I got wore off though. I am sure I got the wrong brand or something :)

Karen

Hi ladies! How long do you cut your mini blinds for plant markers? I plan to use mine outside too. Do you use them in your garden as well?

Jodie

I cut them 3-4 inches with a point at one end.

I don't measure them though.

When I plant out I have to stick them in the hole then fill. My dirt is so hard they don't go in the ground well. (I can't just push them in unleess I dig first)

I like using them inside my WS containers because they do not fade and they are ready to label the plant when I plant out my seedlings.

Last year was my first time to use the mini blind markers. I used an industrial Sharpie and didnt have any fading. I'll reuse them again this year. I cut those about 4 inches but as the veggies grew, I found myself wishing they were a bit taller.
After joining GW I now have lots of new flowers which means more markers :) I made the new ones 6-7 inches long. This also allows for the longer names of some of the varieties.
For tomatoes I'm going to try putting a hole in one end and use a twist tie to attach the mini blind tag to the tomato cage. I grow several varieties of tomatoes but only a couple of each. Hopefully this will help me remember what I planted where.
Good luck with your new markers :)

Oooh, I like your idea, Nancy, for marking the tomato cages.
The markers I put in the ground always get covered with mulch or stepped on and broken.

I make mine short with a pointy end like Karen's.

Because I have clay soil, I'm not that fond of mini blinds, either. I can't just stick them into the dirt, I need to dig a hole first.

I like the firmer plastic ones that I can easily sink into the ground. I write with paint pens, never fades.

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: plastic labels

I am lucky to have an endless supply of mini blinds. I work for an apartment community and many residents leave them behind when they vacate. My maint. tech saves them for me.He thought it was very clever when i told him what I was using them for. Of course I had to give credit to the good folks here for giving me the idea.

I also tried mini-blinds as markers for the first time last year. I really like them! I cut them about 5", with a point at the bottom. Mark them with a black paint pen.

I scrounged the extra slats from the mini-blinds that were hanging in one of my apartments. Most mini-blinds are much longer than the height of the average window. You can carefully undo the blind at the bottom, remove the extra slats, and tie it back up.

I've tried popsicle sticks as markers, which don't last more than a year or so - which is good as a temporary marker because they biodegrade. Plastic plant tags tend to get "lost" in the soil; I am constantly digging up plant tags from the previous owner!

I use mini blinds as well,marked with a paint pen,about 5 inches long,leaves me plenty of room to write other things, like, sun, shade, plant with.......,
I also cut some about 6-8 inches, if I want to use one container for a couple of seeds, I will use it to divide the container.
Love the idea of marking the tomato cage,:0)I will use this one for sure.
cAROL

Karen
I like those plant markers too! Not too bad of a price either!!

Karen

A few years ago we replaced the mini blinds in our home with bamboo shades. Had no idea what I'd do with them but the pack-rat in me wouldnt allow me to pitch them.
One blind made >250 markers (6-7 inches each). Glad I kept them now :)
The pointy end didnt work well for me. It just seemed to bend over.
In an area where the clay was worse I used a narrow hand shovel...poked it down into the soil a couple inches, pulled it out and that left a little slit in which to place the mini blind marker. Maybe that would work for you Karen :)

Please tell me about the paint pens? Can you get them at Walmart? What is the name brand on them? Thanks.

Mine is called DecoColor. Opaque paint marker, fine line. I can't remember where I got it! Not Walmart, but maybe Staples?

Walmart has them. I bought mine there.

I tried clear plastic 1 litre bottles that we usually have a good supply of but they aren't really good for winter sowing containers. I cut those into strips and used the industrial marker that is uv resistant. I like them because they disappear into the background but if you want to read them you can hold them up to the light and they are easy to read. They do have a certain amount of shininess to them so you don't lose them entirely.

Although this year, I didn't use any labels, except on the top and bottom of my milk jugs. I realized that by the time I am ready to plant out, I have cut off the top, and some seedlings can get mixed up. I tried putting plant markers in each milk jug last year, in addition to labeling the outside of the container, so that wouldn't be a problem, and I had the plant tag to use when the seedlings were planted out. But this year, I didn't have time so I just wrote the name on the bottom of the milk jug and the top.

I keep going back & forth on using either mini blind tags or the clear plastic forks. (which I bought a bunch of already & I do have a mini blind to cut up too)

The problem with the forks is the writing area is so small, yet I think it will look better to have them "fade" into the garden cause they are clear. It will be hard for me to write the full name of the flower-like Columbine, Mckanas Giants. I am new to plants & would like the FULL name on my tag.

The mini blinds give me lots more room to write but will be way more visible! Won't be a problem when plants are in full growth summer/fall but then when they die back & before they get buried under snow they will be Very visible! Again in the spring when snow melts....

decisions, decisions.......... I haven't written any out yet. My plan is as I see sprouts than I'll write out the tag for it & just keep them alphabetical so come planting time I can be more efficient.

What do you all think?

Jodie, if you can cut up strips from a clear litre bottle, you can really make them as long as you need to. We buy soda water and those are the bottles I've used. The other thought is maybe you can use some kind of shorthand. For instance, I like to always write out the entire latin name, but I can abbreviate the hybrid name and that works for me. Like... Columbine 'MGiants' or 'M-Giants'.

Would clear plastic knifes work for those of you who use forkes?
cAROL

I use yoghurt containers. Not the small ones, but the 32 oz ones (I think it's 32 oz...). Cut them into strips, and Bob's yer uncle. :o)

Though, back in college, I really liked the yellow wooden markers they used together with a pencil. But those aren't affordable right now :oP

I figure you can use what ever you can get your hands on. I like my pencil and blind method but each of us like our own ideas. I figure do whatever is cheapest or easiest for you. :)

I also have used the paint pens. Seems when I need the label to stay it fades then when I want it to fade (on containers I re-use) it stays

Karen

I usually use mini-blinds. Although I have found that some of them after two or three years have gotten brittle and broken off so that I don't know what the plant is. And I've found that some pencils fade.

I also bought some metal stakes for permament plants but found that the metal is two flimsy for hard ground and bend too easily. I typed up labels for the square part and then covered them with clear tape. Those I've made have lasted pretty well.

Great thread! Tempusflits, what dept at Walmart has the Deco paint pen? I've looked in office supplies & school supplies & only seen the Elmer paint pen. NancyPlants, where did you find the industrial Sharpie and does it say "industrial" on it or exactly what? My Hobby Lobby boxstore only has wide tip Deco or the Elmer paint pen that takes so long to dry that it is easy to smudge.

I like to cut up hard plastic out of my recycle bin & re-use whatever I have. Thanks to this thread I am now going to cut the label longer & plant it with the plant instead of after.

{{gwi:359458}}

Because above ground markers often have a way of 'going away'...ie unreadable, heaving out of the ground and getting lost or misplaced, breaking off, dogs damage, I try to always put a mini blind marker in the hole, completely covered with soil before planting plants, bulbs, rhizomes.

Being an avid daffodil collector, (about 500 cultivars so far), I certainly don't want to lose the names of any of them. When digging a clump of daffodils, it's nice to unearth the tag that was buried with the bulbs and to see that it matches the above ground metal marker.

I'm sure we all have plants that were once named (bulbs, irises, daylilies, hosta, etc,) that have lost their names over the years. A 'buried/planted' marker does away with the risk of named plants ever becoming NO ID plants.

Sue

Miniblinds for me too. And pencil.
Just found 4 or 5 sets in a garbage can by the curb a few weeks ago.
Right now, I have probably 6 - 7 of them stashed under the rafters of my garage. :-D