You might ask, "Can't you get those little plastic ones for 5 cents each?" I'll answer, "Yes, but I didn't make them, did I?" This was definitely a project more for fun than for practical sense.
So, all you need is a handyman, a table or chop saw, and a belt sander. (optional tools are a scroll saw, band saw and wood burning kit)
I had some scrap wood around about 3/4" by 4" by about 2' long, so I cut it down into a bunch of 3/4" X 1/2" X 4" rectangles. Then I used the saw to make one end tapered so that it will go into the ground easier. Last of all I sanded all of the edges smooth so there won't be any splinters, etc. I didn't mark them yet, but it will be easy with a sharpie or wood burning kit. Or if I feel like a fun mess, Lucy and I will paint them with stencils come spring time.
If you are fortunate enough to have a lathe and know how to use it this would be a very easy and rather fun job, however I am currently lathe-less...
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| scrap wood ready to get cut into rectangles |
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| Rectangles ready for shaping |
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| Markers shaped and ready for sanding |
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| Sanded and ready for labels |
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| Examples of marking. Try not to notice the bad penmanship. My teachers did try. |
Also, another blogger, Julie at Budding and Blooming, mentioned the below article from birds and blooms. It is another way to make nice plant markers that I will try later. I think they are nicer than mine, but I didn't have any copper so I used what I had.
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Backyard-Projects/Garden-Crafts/Classic-Plant-Markers
Winter is the best time to get all of those projects in! Once the weather warms up and we get busy in the dirt, it's hard to remember to do the other projects :)
ReplyDeleteI used those cheap plastic ones last year, but I guess they were too cheap as somehow whatever I wrote came off of them by the end of summer (and I'm pretty sure I used a Sharpie). Wood seems much nicer in a garden, and hopefully the writing will stay on!
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