Writing on those little white plastic pot stakes?

JerryHaskins · May 18, 2018

Every time I plant something in my raised beds, I write what it is and when I planted it on one of those little white plastic pot stakes.

I use a Magic Marker with "permanent" black ink.

A few weeks or a month or so later, the water has washed off all of the writing.

I tried a common graphite pencil, but it was too faint to read, and the surface is so slick, it was hard to write on.

Has anybody found a good (more lasting) way to write on these things?

These:

aftermidnight · May 18, 2018

Grease pencil, stands up well, it can easily be removed with a bit of cleanser if you want to reuse. There are a few permanent markers that work but you have to look for the ones that say waterproof and sunproof, these you find in garden centers.

Annette

JerryHaskins · May 18, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by aftermidnight

Grease pencil, stands up well, it can easily be removed with a bit of cleanser if you want to reuse. There are a few permanent markers that work but you have to look for the ones that say waterproof and sunproof, these you find in garden centers.

Annette

I remember grease pencils from long ago but not sure where to find one. I'll check Walmart and office supply stores. Thanks for the tip.

pmcgrady · May 18, 2018

Use a permanent marker then spray a coat of clear paint/polyurethane over it and let dry. I use wooden clothes pins and clip to my tomatoe cages. The clothes pins can be recycled for next year by spraying a coat of white paint over the old lettering, and repeat. I Get 3 years out of a clothes pin usually.

JerryHaskins · May 18, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

Use a permanent marker then spray a coat of clear paint/polyurethane over it and let dry. I use wooden clothes pins and clip to my tomatoe cages. The clothes pins can be recycled for next year by spraying a coat of white paint over the old lettering, and repeat. I Get 3 years out of a clothes pin usually.

I tried popsicle sticks from the crafts section of Walmart, but they did not hold up when stuck in the ground.

Thanks.

brownrexx · May 18, 2018

I use a Sharpie marker and the markings are still there the next year. I usually write over the same ones to make the names darker again but they are still very readable.

Labradors2 · May 18, 2018

I use pencil

.

Linda

oldman · May 18, 2018

Normal sized black Sharpie works best for me.

When starting seed I use popsicle sticks from a crafts store and fine point Sharpie. A pack of 500 is around $4 and they aren't plastic. I do use the plastic for plants I give away. One's in the house garden get plastic for varieties I'm watching closely, but most just get put on "the map" which is a piece of the stuff used to line shower stalls which has the same coating they use for whiteboards. Buildings and fences and such are in permanent marker and plants are written in in dryerase markers with color coding by expected harvest date. It's not perfect, but no raised beds here so it saves bending over or having tags eaten by the mower.

And I'm going to steal the clothes pin idea ;-)

JLJ_ · May 18, 2018

I also find Sharpie markers to last well through a season, and also find them not too difficult to at least lighten the writing enough to facilitate reuse by doing end of season cleaning soaking in a mild chlorine solution.

One reason this *might* not work as well for you as for those in some other areas is that water doesn't fall out of the sky here in the summer -- not often, at least -- and I suspect that may not be true where you live.

I do usually carry a Sharpie marker with my garden tools -- mostly to add new labels or info if needed, but I also darken any labels that I notice might be fading a little. Might work for you.

Generally, Sharpies seem to be one of the best I've tried.

Worth1 · May 18, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labradors2

I use pencil

.

Linda

You can still get darker softer pencil leads at some office supply places for drafting and art too.
The higher the number the darker it is all the way up to 9B.
Worth

Greatgardens · May 18, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labradors2

I use pencil

.
Linda

I use a soft graphite artists pencil. Holds up well, and an eraser takes most of it off. I still miss those really aggressive "typewriter" erasers.
GG

BigVanVader · May 18, 2018

I use china (grease) markers. Last forever it seems. Then I mark out and reuse; writing on the other side.

BigVanVader · May 18, 2018

I think the heat fades more than the water. My perm sharpie tags would be almost invisible by mid-summer, no issues with the china markers. Customers were complaining about the fading so I switched.

Salsacharley · May 18, 2018

I just got Sharpie Industrial Super Permanent Ink markers. We'll see how well they stand up to a season. So far they are still really dark and readable.

GrowingCoastal · May 18, 2018

Clothes pins also help save my back. I pin them up high on the cage or string, write on both sides with a sharpie and that lasts long enough because it soaks into the wood of the pin.
I also use cut up pop cans and write hard on them 1st with a regular pen to deboss and get an imprint and then go over them with a sharpie. Those go into the pots, a fail-safe.

Both those ideas I got here at Tomatoville, Thank-you all!

May 18, 2018	#1
JerryHaskins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mississippi Posts: 166	Writing on those little white plastic pot stakes? Every time I plant something in my raised beds, I write what it is and when I planted it on one of those little white plastic pot stakes. I use a Magic Marker with "permanent" black ink. A few weeks or a month or so later, the water has washed off all of the writing. I tried a common graphite pencil, but it was too faint to read, and the surface is so slick, it was hard to write on. Has anybody found a good (more lasting) way to write on these things? These:

May 18, 2018	#2
aftermidnight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Vancouver Island B.C. Posts: 116	Grease pencil, stands up well, it can easily be removed with a bit of cleanser if you want to reuse. There are a few permanent markers that work but you have to look for the ones that say waterproof and sunproof, these you find in garden centers. Annette

May 18, 2018	#4
pmcgrady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 1,836	Use a permanent marker then spray a coat of clear paint/polyurethane over it and let dry. I use wooden clothes pins and clip to my tomatoe cages. The clothes pins can be recycled for next year by spraying a coat of white paint over the old lettering, and repeat. I Get 3 years out of a clothes pin usually.

May 18, 2018	#6
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I use a Sharpie marker and the markings are still there the next year. I usually write over the same ones to make the names darker again but they are still very readable.

May 18, 2018	#7
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	I use pencil . Linda

May 18, 2018	#8
oldman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Kansas 5b Posts: 198	Normal sized black Sharpie works best for me. When starting seed I use popsicle sticks from a crafts store and fine point Sharpie. A pack of 500 is around $4 and they aren't plastic. I do use the plastic for plants I give away. One's in the house garden get plastic for varieties I'm watching closely, but most just get put on "the map" which is a piece of the stuff used to line shower stalls which has the same coating they use for whiteboards. Buildings and fences and such are in permanent marker and plants are written in in dryerase markers with color coding by expected harvest date. It's not perfect, but no raised beds here so it saves bending over or having tags eaten by the mower. And I'm going to steal the clothes pin idea ;-)

May 18, 2018	#9
JLJ_ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Wyoming Posts: 759	I also find Sharpie markers to last well through a season, and also find them not too difficult to at least lighten the writing enough to facilitate reuse by doing end of season cleaning soaking in a mild chlorine solution. One reason this might not work as well for you as for those in some other areas is that water doesn't fall out of the sky here in the summer -- not often, at least -- and I suspect that may not be true where you live. I do usually carry a Sharpie marker with my garden tools -- mostly to add new labels or info if needed, but I also darken any labels that I notice might be fading a little. Might work for you. Generally, Sharpies seem to be one of the best I've tried.

May 18, 2018	#12
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I use china (grease) markers. Last forever it seems. Then I mark out and reuse; writing on the other side.

May 18, 2018	#14
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	I just got Sharpie Industrial Super Permanent Ink markers. We'll see how well they stand up to a season. So far they are still really dark and readable.

May 18, 2018	#15
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	Clothes pins also help save my back. I pin them up high on the cage or string, write on both sides with a sharpie and that lasts long enough because it soaks into the wood of the pin. I also use cut up pop cans and write hard on them 1st with a regular pen to deboss and get an imprint and then go over them with a sharpie. Those go into the pots, a fail-safe. Both those ideas I got here at Tomatoville, Thank-you all!