Herb Garden Marker

There are several ways to get a good herb garden marker. The first and most obvious is to purchase the really nice ones that match your garden decor and sense of how you want your garden to look. They come in a wide variety of materials and styles so its really a question of what you can afford and what style you like. I'm not able to help you there I'm afraid.

If you want to make your own, here are a few thoughts.

You can easily use a permanent magic marker on flat stones. Once you get the feel for writing on stone with a fine or medium tip pen, you can quickly make your own markers for the cost of some time and effort. Dig the rocks out of your own garden. The advantage of this kind of marker is that it is inexpensive and permanent. A little sandpaper on a drill pad will remove the writing if you decide in a year or two to renew or change the writing.

I have used wooden stakes in the past with great success. Stakes too come in a wide range of styles and woods. I had a large quantity of pressure treated dividers from the pallets in lumber yards and these worked well in the nursery. A little sanding to smooth them off and I could write in magic marker or my favourite – pencil to give a good result. I note that pencil will outlast magic marker on wooden stakes. You can purchase large stakes from a lumber store or cut your own (to size for your own garden) to make your own personalized herb garden markers.

Smaller wooden stakes are often available in packages from garden supply shops and I've used these as well. They aren't as conspicuous in the garden and can get knocked over and buried easily. I've also seen crows picking at them and pulling them up for no reason other than the crows were bored. Use a pencil on these and they work very well for both seed starting of herbs as well as later in the garden for a single season use (they rot after one winter).

Some gardeners like plastic stakes and purchase packages of commercial stakes from garden shops. I've never liked plastic tags in the garden but I have used them on occasion. They go brittle after one season in the sun so you can eithe replace them or bury them at the head of the row so sunlight doesn't effect them. Put them in the same place for every row and plant and you'll be able to find them when you want. You can use a permanent magic marker or pencil on these. Some frugal gardeners use old yogurt or tall plastic tubs to cut their own plastic tags for their herb garden markers.

Whatever system you use, do plan on marking the individual varieties of plants so that if you grow several varieties of basil or thyme, you can “remember” which is which a week after you've planted them. :-) Not that we forget these things of course but that's why we have plant markers in our gardens.

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