Nothing is labeled

M

mitchNC

I bought some white plastic garden tags and wrote on them with industrial Sharpie.
Within a week there was no writing whatsoever.
 
I figured no big deal, I'll know them by their fruit.
But I have 7 pot, arroz con pollo, that look like habs.
 
I have sweet banana and hot banana...can only figure out by tasting.
I have several things I've never grown before like Anaheim, poblano.
I can't tell shishito from pepperoncini because they both have those grooves.
 
Hopefully you guys can help me out as things progress.
 
And by the way...I need suggestions for labels that actually work through the sun and rain.
 
 

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I  make my tags from those used  vinyl  mini blinds...I cut them to what ever size ,use a # 2 pencil & they last for years.
Never fail in my case...My grow season is short compared to say people in California or Florida etc where the tags 
get a stronger case of the sun rays, year round  here it's a kinder gentler sun ;)   so the impact on the tags
is not as harsh.YMMV.
 
 
DontPanic said:
Look at it on the bright side!
 
Now that your tags are sun-bleached out, you'll be able to use them again next year!  :)
Click to expand...
 
That's good.  :)
 
Actually I threw them all in the trash.
 
Hey maybe write it on a slip of paper and put it in a plastic Easter egg and set it in the bucket.
 
DontPanic said:
Look at it on the bright side!
 
Now that your tags are sun-bleached out, you'll be able to use them again next year!  :)
Click to expand...
 
No, because by next year, the sun will have made them as brittle as a Pringle, and they'll break in pieces when you touch them.
.
Oh yeah, that happens, too...
 
label maker labels seem to be more durable than sharpie.
 
or just make a label using paper, then cover it with clear packing tape aka laminate it pretty much.
 
 
 
CaneDog said:
You're far from the only person to suffer that fate. Was a "live and learn" for me when it got me.  Hopefully it will sort itself out pretty well for you as things progress. 
Click to expand...
+1 to that CaneDog!
 
Can't help with sun fade as I press the tag deep enough in media so it's not an issue. BUT! Sometimes the tag is hard to find so I put two tags in the pail. BUT! That has failed too until end of season removal of media.... My latest add-on solution to this problem is a tag added to the the bail, see below (Bought on Amazon, sorry no link.)
 
FOi5gWF.jpg
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
+1 to that CaneDog!
 
Can't help with sun fade as I press the tag deep enough in media so it's not an issue. BUT! Sometimes the tag is hard to find so I put two tags in the pail. BUT! That has failed too until end of season removal of media.... My latest add-on solution to this problem is a tag added to the the bail, see below (Bought on Amazon, sorry no link.)
 
 
Click to expand...
 
The failsafe to this method, is to write it directly on the container.  Sharpie will actually fade after one full season in the sun on almost anything.
.
I have a black sharpie for containers that are colors other than black and a gold one for black containers.
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
+1 to that CaneDog!
 
Can't help with sun fade as I press the tag deep enough in media so it's not an issue. BUT! Sometimes the tag is hard to find so I put two tags in the pail. BUT! That has failed too until end of season removal of media.... My latest add-on solution to this problem is a tag added to the the bail, see below (Bought on Amazon, sorry no link.)
 
Click to expand...
 
That's funny NECM, because I'm doing things so similar to your solutions.  I write on both sides of the tag and put one side facing the planter low so the sun doesn't hit it.  I have the same loop tags from Amazon on some of the bucket handles. Anything in the ground I can write out the location on paper or in a memo on my phone, but the buckets continue to be the challenge!  I may have to start looking for old vinyl blinds and try Wiri's solution.
 
:cheers:
 
there are also paint sharpies that will solve this problem. i replaced our mailbox a few years ago and didn`t want to tape a paper label with names because of fading so i used a silver colored sharpie paint pen on the black box and it has held up perfectly. you can buy singles or sets.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Oil-Based-Paint-Markers-Assorted/dp/B005WXOKOW/ref=asc_df_B005WXOKOW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241973154385&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13966711023781592331&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003429&hvtargid=pla-418002435532&psc=1
 
Best labeling solution I've found so far is silver sharpie on blue painters tape, stuck right on the side of the plastic pots or buckets. 
 
I plant mostly in beds, and I just make tables on GoogleDocs that show me what's what, like a map. The plants I got in containers, I got them figured out the same way, but I'd have to be careful if I rearranged them, I'd need to update the charts... Although, by this point in the season, I know exactly which ones are which, like I recognize the individual plants, lol.

Having a GoogleDoc behind it is really easy bc I can consult the charts on my phone. No muss, no fuss... No fading in the sun.
 
Those nice full-color plant tags that come with plants you purchase...are those available to consumers?
Those things go forever.
 
I'm having better luck with Sharpie's on the Vigoro bamboo labels, which I'm trying for the first time this year. 
 
Helpful info above about using the gold or silver on black containers, because that's previously why I haven't written on certain containers.  That and it generally getting messy over time.  But I can deal with messy.
 
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