Housebound? DIY decorated, individualized garden markers with your children by Vicky Spelman

Photo: Vicky Spelman

So now you’ve got your vegetable garden started – either with some early plantings outside (maybe carrots and peas), some starts inside or you’re working on your garden layout and you’re going to need a way to tell all those plants and varieties apart. 

Decorated garden markers are a delightful way to personalize your garden.  Shown above are some samples of fun things you can do to give your garden vegetables a finishing touch. 

1.  Those little tin lids that come on the refrigerated rolls are perfect for garden markers.  You can either write on them or cut veggie photos from your seed/gardening catalogs to glue on.  Use a nail to make a small hole at top for attaching to a pole, wire, or a small tree branch.

2.  Flat rocks are great garden markers.  An outside trip to look for some to decorate makes a great outing.  Markers seem to work best (on light colored rocks), unless you want to paint them a solid color before labeling.  

3.  Have some of those plastic garden markers waiting to be decorated?  

4.  Have you been saving your corks?   They work well and make unusual garden markers with shish kabob sticks.

5.  What about all those pottery chards?  They will make an interesting display with your plants.

Photo: Vicky Spelman

Spray all your garden markers with a sealant so they will last through several garden seasons. 

Have fun doing and creating the garden preparations you are doing now for a great gardening season.