DIY Plant Markers

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Do you start your garden from seeds? If so, you’ve probably forgotten what you’ve planted from time to time. I know I have. So, I created these DIY plant markers to help identify each row of my seedlings. They will last you at least one season, but they are so inexpensive, you could afford to replace these every year if necessary.

Step one: Print your vegetable names

I used Word to list the vegetables that we start as seeds for our diy plant markers. Ballet Harmony is a beautiful font and it’s still easy to read, so that’s what I chose. The size of the font was 20 and I made two columns of names on an 8.5×11″ sheet.

a computer screen showing a word document that lists vegetable names

Once you have all your vegetables listed, print this out.

a sheet of paper with a list of vegetable names in two separate columns

Step two: Cut out the vegetable names for your diy garden plant markers

A hand using a paper cutter to cut out the vegetable names from a piece of paper

Using a paper cutter, evenly cut out each row of names. I bought this cutter from Hobby Lobby probably 10+ years ago and it has been the best little paper cutting utensil. So, I highly recommend it.

You will cut them one row at a time.

a paper with vegetable names printed on it showing one of the row cut out already and laying vertically on top of the piece of paper

Once all the rows are cut, then you will cut each one in half.

a pile of paper strips that has vegetable names printed on both ends of them

Fold the strips in half and just use scissors to cut them.

a hand holding a strip of paper that has been folded in half

You can cut multiple at a time to speed things up.

someone using a pair of scissors to cut a strip of paper in half

They will look like the picture below once they are cut apart.

short strips of paper laying on a table with vegetable names on them

Step three: “Laminate” your tags and add to your pick

Using just regular clear tape, cover the printed side of your tags. Go over the ends a bit because this is seal them.

Adding a strip of paper with the word cantaloupe written on it to a piece of clear tape

Then you will use toothpicks to fold the marker at the center. They have 500 packs of toothpicks at the Dollar Tree, so you can make lot of these! Wrap the tag around the toothpick and enclose the tag by connecting the exposed tape to each other. You’re almost finished with your diy plant markers!

Buy Your Crafting Supplies Now at The Dollar Tree!

using a toothpick to create a diy plant marker using paper and tape

a box of 500 toothpicks from Dollar Tree

Some markers will have longer text than others, and if you want to have the whole name on the front, you will have to fold it at a different spot. You might also need to add a bit more tape to cover the back if so.

Step four: Secure the tag to the pick

The label might slide around on the pick, so just use a bit of hot glue at the top and bottom of your tag to hold it in place. This isn’t pretty, but we’re going for functional here as these are temporary tags that won’t last forever anyways. They are non-toxic unlike markers sealed with polyurethane or plastic markers that will leach harmful chemicals into your soil.