Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
attemptedgardener

labeling plants for market

attemptedgardener
18 years ago

I have been selling perennial seedlings at home for the past few years and want to take them to a new farmers market this spring. I haven't labeled any of the plants in the past and was wondering how those of you that sell plants handle labeling.

Thanks,

Chris

Comments (9)

  • trianglejohn
    18 years ago

    I use popsicle sticks because I can buy them so cheap in large quanitities and in bright colors. Most of my customers don't seem to care about the plant's names. Some of the customers just want the common and scientific names so that they can conduct their own research after they've bought it. Printed handouts were rarely wanted.

  • hedwig
    18 years ago

    I'm just a beginner, still planting and I start out selling in four to six weeks... I label like this: I buy or search in my home any thin plastic material f.e. old overhead foils and cut them. I write the common name with specie f.e. "cape gooseberry golden nugget" and then the date of seeding. Its plenty of work. But I can do it with the kids. And it is cheap. The sticker I make like this are quite nice because like this they are normally coloured.

  • billtex
    18 years ago

    triangle john, great idea,where do you buy them ? bill

  • trianglejohn
    18 years ago

    billtex - I buy them at the Dollar Store. I think the package holds like 100 sticks for $1 and they have the plain wood and the bright colors in a mixed package. I use the colors to designate price differences. You do have to sit up one night handwriting all those names on the sticks which is a pain. Sometimes I do that while I'm sitting at the market and things are slow - or I wait til someone wants to buy the plant and then I write the name on a plain popsicle stick and stick it in the pot (while I remove the colored stick to reuse it). You have to memorize your plants info which can be difficult should you get busy but I rarely have more than 3 customers at a time. It is surprising how many people want you to tell them the info on the plant - yet they don't want to take a printed handout and they don't write anything down themselves. They seem to keep everything in their head because they always come back the next week and tell you how well the plant is doing. Many of my customers want the basic info and then they want to go home and research everything online themselves.

  • gullywash
    18 years ago

    I've used old thrown away window-blinds. Cut them to desired length and use permanent felt tip marker.

  • popi_gw
    18 years ago

    I use icrecream cartons, plastic ones. I choose the colour of the container that I think would look pretty, or bright. Then when the icecream is all eaten up, by grateful children!!..I can cut up the plastic and get quite a few labels out of them.

    I use a waterproof black texta to write on the labels.

    I also use the icrecream sticks, you can get a huge bag of them for not much money, but they dont last in the rain for long.

  • trianglejohn
    18 years ago

    I just checked the bag of popsicle sticks and its 200 wooden sticks for $1. So thats a half cent (US) each. They don't last long enough to leave in the plant all season. I like to rubber band the sticks together and then stick them into the pots after I set everything up at the market. I write on the stick in permanent ink and push the stick all the way under the soil to keep it from fading. Then I dig it out and replace it before market season. I only do this on the few plants I offer that can be confused with something else. Most often I only grow one species or cultivar each season so it rarely gets confusing.

  • butterflychaser
    18 years ago

    I've found the popcicle sticks will rot faster than some of my plants sell. I've been using cut up mini blinds for years. My dog gave me the idea when he chewed up a mini blind at just the precise moment I needed markers. Now I buy used ones for 50cents a set at yard sales and recycle my own when I buy new ones.

    You can cut the ends, just past the hole, and have tags that you can twist-tie to shrubs and trees. And use the pieces you cut between the holes for potted plants.

    As I'm lazy, I invested in a Brother Ptouch labelmaker. I print out labels with the botanical name, common name, color, growing info and price on them. The labelmaker has a "repeat" key, so I can type in the info once and print it out as many times as I want quite effortlessly. And then I affix these labels to the markers. They last forever! The time I save is worth every cent I spend.

    I got the labelmaker (Brother Ptouch 2200) off Ebay, where I also buy the Labels (tapes). I get the TZ black on clear tapes. They are weather resistant, unlike a permanent marker which will fade in just a couple of months in my sun. I use these same labels for permanent markers in my gardens, and years later, they still look as good as when I printed them.

  • edwoodtick
    18 years ago

    ive used wooden sticks plastick markers, last year i started to use a paint pen on the pot name and price seems to last and tags dont get swiched around ed , think spring

Sponsored
SURROUNDS Landscape Architecture + Construction
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars10 Reviews
DC Area's High-End Custom Landscape Design/Build Firm 9x Best of Houzz