save the 4.50 (plus shipping) and go to WM/Kmart and get a set of 2 grease pencils (China Markers). Or save it all and use a #2 pencil on a mini blind.

I have not tried it but it sure would be nice to find something.. I know the ones I have aren't worth a hoot! :0)

Kylie

A No# 2 pencil will write on a slick mini blind? I thought that is what some people were saying but figured I was just missing some important tid bit of info.

Yes, a pencil will write on a mini blind and stay there. But the writing is pretty light. You need better/younger eyes than mine to see it. If you have the middle-aged farsightedness you'd better have a real good pair of glasses.

I use a paint pen, about $3 from Walmart or Michaels. The writing lasts at least years, doesn't fade.

Karen

Would #2 work for an index card covered with tape? That's what I do on the handles of my jugs, cut strips of plain index cards and surround them with packing tape, wrap them around so they are about half 'n half, trim off excess sticky part, goes fast if you get your labels ready to go.

It worked great but I used a regular pen that faded, still could barely make it out.

I really like my method for the jugs.

Mini blinds I have some I could cut up but it's hard on my arthritic hands so why couldn't I use pencil again and tape the strips to the sides of plastic cups or other containers I might use?

$4.95 is too much, rather put it into something else. China marker is a good idea if I can get out to Wal Mart which is way out by the interstate.

I have used a China marker before but the one I had was difficult to write on a reg label.. Do they come in different sizes???

Kylie

aliska, the mini blinds I use are plastic and to "cut" them, I just fold them over then fold in the opposite direction, and they pop apart ... no need for scissors. I used to cut one end into a point, but I don't do that anymore and it slides into the wet mix easily. I put the mini blind label inside the container, facing outward. I use a dark pencil or china marker and can see the writing from the outside if I'm using a milk jug or two-liter bottle.

plays, thanks! Maybe my daughter can cut them for me. So that is still an option because I might need more than I thought.

I do cut a lot of chicken wire which is an awful chore, had my tin snips sharpened but have to keep tightening the bolt for them to work right after a few cuts. I used to fix my screens back when I had the wire ones.

But I'm still using my method on my jugs lol.

Best thing to use on any tags is a Deco Paint Pen. Get them at ACmoore all the time. Prefer the black color to use.

Most of my plant markers are at least 6 years old now, and look as if I just started using them.

Another cheap plant marker to use for WS containers are the plastic covers that come on margarine, cream cheese, coffee, etc.

I cut them in half, and then then cut the half in half again. I keep that lip on them as well.
Paint pen works perfectly on them. write the label on the side as well as on that lip, stick it in the container and out it goes.

I save the tags from year to year as I usually sow much of the same seeds every year.

Fran

Wow, Fran! Six years, I'm impressed. I lose my paint pens in the house, in the garage, in the garden. I try to keep one in my seed box and one in my basket that I use outside in the garden.

I eat yogurt for breakfast and use a lot of those plastic cups, cut out, for markers. They eventually break from exposure to the heat and cold but usually last as long as any plastic outside, a couple of years. The paint pens never fade though. The writing lasts longer than the plastic label itself.

The only problem with soft material like blinds or cut up plastic cups is that I can't just stick it into the garden and move on. They're too pliable and just bend. I have to make a cut in the soil first with something else, insert label, then firm the dirt around it. I do buy some sturdy plastic ones from Novosel. They're stiff enough to just stab into the clay I call a garden and move on.

Karen

"Yes, a pencil will write on a mini blind and stay there. But the writing is pretty light. You need better/younger eyes than mine to see it. If you have the middle-aged farsightedness you'd better have a real good pair of glasses. " Love it Karen! But so true for many of us.

I have been using a UV resistant marker from Lee Valley for a few years. I have an arsenal of about 5 since I have different jackets for different weather and at times might even leave one in the gardens. Getting the tip wet is not good as they won't work if that happens, but it's nice to have a product that keeps on doing it's task for two to three years. Posting a link. Well worth the investment. A friend gave me one a few years ago and since then I've bought them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley marker

I'm always surprised that I seem to be the only person who has luck with a plain ol' Sharpie. I have some jugs that are a few years old (some columbine and lavender living in their milk jugs for years, I'm embarrassed to say!) and I can still read the Sharpie.

Some people at our regional swap use styrofoam cups, and a regular ball point pen, but it has the added benefit of the pen digging into the styrofoam. So, even if the pen fades, the indentation of the name is there. I have several plants out in my garden for which those tags have lasted a few years till I get around to making a more permanent label.

Boy, I'm really exposing my bad habit of procrastination with this post, aren't I...?

:)
Dee

I must second Tiffy's recommendation of the Lee Valley pens. I bought one about three years ago and it is still going strong. Of course, I am a bit nerdy about my 'tools' and I do not use it for anything but labels. I have left labels out overwinter and the writing is still clearly readable. I first started with Sharpies, but they will fade with UV rays.

Karen, my nerdiness carries over to my labels. I save plastic containers from detergent, fabric softener, even olive oil. Using another of my 'tools' from Lee Valley, the crash/clamshell scissors, I cut them up into labels (nerdy again) according to a template of a favourite label I've kept for years. What's nice about these labels is that you can read them through the 2-litre bottles I use. The only thing that removes the ink is finger nail polish remover, so I re-cycle all my labels, even if I have to re-write them. And this kind of plastic lasts for years in the outdoors. I first made these labels while watching TV and still have some blanks left in my 'pen and labels' container, so I won't need to make any this year.
My nerdiness and my tools is family joke: no one touches them!!!

FYI- from personal experience: "laminating" any sort of regular paper with tape doesn't work. It'll be legible for several months, but WILL fade.

I've tried sharpies, china pencils and regular pencils on blinds with no luck. They fade away before the end of the 1st season for me. What does work is my Krylon Paint Pen. I got it at Ace Hardware for $5. No fading whatsoever. I used it last year and plan to use it again this year. I believe you can get replacement tips for when they wear down too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Krylon Paint Pen

Ollie,
I like that one. Might try it next year since I have garden tours and sometimes feel the need for something a bit more fancy. I have worked with Krylon before and their paints are quite durable outside on many surfaces.