Printable Garden Labels for Popsicle Sticks

Garden labels are a popular item that most beginner gardeners wonder if you should or shouldn’t consider them in your seed starting process. I mean, a tomato plant is a potato plant am I right?!

In this post I’ll help you decide why you need to consider using garden labels in your garden planning this year and if popsicle sticks are really the best option out there.

GARDEN LABELS WITH POPSICLE STICKS

popsicle stick garden markers peppers tomato and peas for larger pots

When I first started seeds indoors for our large backyard vegetable garden I used popsicle sticks for labeling my seedling trays.

It seemed easy enough to write on the kids craft supplies using a jiffy marker and stick them with the seedling from start to finish.

Starting seeds is a great way to add a variety of seeds and plants to your vegetable garden and save money on your garden instead of buying starters from the nursery, farmers market or big box garden centre.

But, organic heirloom seeds can also add up in price so it’s important to stay organized and use garden labels to keep track of what you’ve planted.

Materials Needed:

Mailing Labels
Popsicle Sticks
Seeds
Seed Starting Mix
3-4” Garden Pots

GARDEN LABELS FOR SEEDLING TRAYS

Onion Seeding tray with Printable Garden Labels sitting on soil

When starting seeds indoors, there are lots of factors to consider. Do you need to use grow lights, should you consider heat mats? What about the seed starting greenhouse kits that you find for beginner gardeners at the big box stores comes early spring.

There’s a lot to consider when starting seeds indoors. In this post I’m just sharing my thoughts on garden labels.

I highly suggest labeling your seedling trays using address labels on the tray itself to label the type of seed and the variety that you’ve planted. If you’ve started 5 different types of tomatoes this will really help you keep track of the varieties that you have planted.

Some gardeners will suggest using a grid method on a separate piece of paper which can also work well.

Seedlings all look so similar especially with their first little true leaves that form. Pay close attention to your labeling so what when this happens and you pot up into 3 -4” pots you’ve made sure that they are labeled correctly.

STILL READING? PIN IT FOR LATER.

Once you’ve potted up your plants I suggest placing the labels on popsicle sticks and placing them in each pot.

Materials needed:

Mailing Address Labels
3- 4” pots
Seed Starting Mix
Seeds
Seedling Trays
Seeds Greenhouse Kits

GARDEN LABELS FOR LABELING YOUR GARDEN BEDS

garden bed with garlic labeled with a canning lid garden marker using the printable garden marker labels from wandering hoof ranch

Once your plants are ready to be transplanted and have hardened off it’s time to create labels for your garden beds.

Most gardeners will use larger garden markers instead of small popsicle stick garden labels to label their garden for a number of reasons. It’s important to note that how ever you label your outdoor garden plants they will exposed to the weather.

Lots of ideas are cute, but if they don’t pass the water and sun test then they won’t last long.

My favourite way to mark the garden beds is to actually use a larger label that provides all the information I need to remember for caring for the plant and when to harvest it as well as just what it is.

We have so much going on in the garden, that a quick reminder on your label is always helpful.

But any label with hand-written notes won’t last long with the weather, so I’ve made my own markers that pass the test.

Either with Mason Jar canning lids for plain labeling or an actual Garden Marker “Recipe Card.”

With the garden marker recipe card you can record all you need to know about the plant that you are labeling then laminate it. Simply attach to a garden stake and pop a mason jar over it if you don’t have a laminator.

Reusing mason jars throughout the season brings just as much joy as labeling them too.

Materials Needed:

Wood Garden Stakes
Mason Jar Lids ( Used and Clean )
Circle Labels
Hammer and Nails

MAKE YOUR OWN PLANT LABELS

DIY plant labels like the ones I described above are super easy and frugal to make using items you already have around the home.

From using popsicle sticks in our example to wine corks, rocks, bricks, broken pots and ceramics or twigs the ideas are endless.

When you make your own plant labels like I have done above you need to make sure that your markers won't

Fade from the sun
Will still be able to be read if they are rained on
Will stand out once plants reach mature sizes ( popsicle sticks are always too small for this…)

And that you’ll be able to tell …