Lot's of good options I'm anxious to try , especially simple solutions like facing the tag away from the sun - I tend to overlook the obvious.
More ideas - photos from internet...

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 12:12 pm I make a lot of labels with popsicle sticks!

What type of marker do you use? Sharpies do fade even when facing north. But when used on wood they would penetrate perhaps helping them last through out the season? Lead pencil would last many years but I don't know how legible it would be?

Thanks for the suggestion I now have popsicle sticks on order. I opted for 3/4 inch x 6 inch (1.9 cm x 15 cm) giving me some extra room for writing. I am usually sorry when I use too many abbreviations. I use tape and a sharpie facing north but they are illegible by the end of the season. I try to avoid using more plastic in the garden and that includes tape which has a habit of showing up that shows up everywhere.

@zeuspaul, The research folks at the nursery I worked at used popsicle sticks, small and larger versions and wrote on them with lead pencil. It seemed to last a long time. You could try writing on one side with pencil and on the other side with whatever else you're trying and just see what happens.

One season, I tried dried up bamboo pieces I broke off from larger sections and a sharpie, all I can say is that didn’t work.

Industrial Sharpies don't fade like the regular Sharpies do, in my experience. However, I kind of prefer just doing the map thing and gradually memorizing everything, even when the labels don't fade.

zeuspaul wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 5:47 pm

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 12:12 pm I make a lot of labels with popsicle sticks!

What type of marker do you use? Sharpies do fade even when facing north. But when used on wood they would penetrate perhaps helping them last through out the season? Lead pencil would last many years but I don't know how legible it would be?

Thanks for the suggestion I now have popsicle sticks on order. I opted for 3/4 inch x 6 inch (1.9 cm x 15 cm) giving me some extra room for writing. I am usually sorry when I use too many abbreviations. I use tape and a sharpie facing north but they are illegible by the end of the season. I try to avoid using more plastic in the garden and that includes tape which has a habit of showing up that shows up everywhere.

I use some sharpies, and this year a new one (for me) - Zeyar permanent marker. Not really a sharper marker than sharpies, and it's too early to say if they last any better. But I did get some of last seasons popsicle markers with the sharpie writing on it.

Since you got those 3/4" sticks, you could easily drill holes in one end, to attach them to trellises, if you use a lot, like I do. The plastic ones I just stack a dozen or so, and clamp to something, and drill a 1/8" hole through them.

I use sharpies, card stock and then laminate. Punch a hole in them and tie them to the top of the cage. No bending over to see whats what!

Sorry to a bit late to the discussion. While in a box building store I saw in the trim and moulding section 8 foot long 2" wide 1/2 inch thick plastic cored moulding that was flat. Bought several 8 ft. sections. The stakes were 1 foot long after they got cut at home. We had a couple of Jumbo waterproof magic markers and wrote the variety on the slats. The marker did not fade, in fact some have been easy to see for several seasons. Didn't even have to cut sharp points on the end of the label slat. That was four or five years ago and they still work. At the end of the season I pull them out, store in the garage for the next year. If I plant the variety on the label, it is ready to go. For the new varieties, a little paint remover will wipe off the old name without removing the white on the slat. Dry the wood (really plastic coating rather than painted surface) and write the new name on.

I began with thirty indicators, but only grow 20 varieties now so there are plenty of variety indicators to choose from.

Well it's nice to know that some people still know what direction the sun is.
I've actually ran across people that had to look up what direction the sun came up.
Fresh out of high school.

Been mentioned before, but I use paint pens. My go-to is the sharpie ones in orange because I use dark blue aluminum mini blind slats and that shows up well though it fades to almost white. I tried several colors but settled on orange because it stays readable AND it wipes off pots and labels with rubbing alcohol for reuse.

What's the shelf life of paint pens? I have sharpies that have been around for over five years that still work.

The little Popsicle sticks or the short white plastic plant markers work in the mass planted seed varieties starting trays for me, and then we up pot to solo sized cups for individual plants with sharpie to write on the cups for the variety and dates, etc.. Out in the garden, it is easier for us to use the paint paddles with paint pens to define/ ID plants as they are tallish and easy to read with old eyes. Tomatoes get labeled on the cages with the name/date info clipped out of the solo cup ( sometimes we re use them for next years babies so clean and put the cup away), plus we have a map of the garden for back up.

The garden has a growing hardware store shopping list, it needs a bunch of paint paddles
( they're sure not free anymore ).
Next year EVERYTHING has to be marked , volunteer plants came up all over the place from the compost and I couldn't tell them apart from what I planted. The painful part was about a hundred tomato starts had to be annihilated , I was imagining their names.

zeuspaul wrote: ↑Sat May 20, 2023 5:51 pm What's the shelf life of paint pens? I have sharpies that have been around for over five years that still work.

A couple years at most if they don’t run out, I think. Sometimes they only seem to be putting down solvent with little pigment so you have to shake them and press the point but I still think they’re worth the trouble.

LindaJean wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 7:06 pm The garden has a growing hardware store shopping list, it needs a bunch of paint paddles
( they're sure not free anymore ).
Next year EVERYTHING has to be marked , volunteer plants came up all over the place from the compost and I couldn't tell them apart from what I planted. The painful part was about a hundred tomato starts had to be annihilated , I was imagining their names.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/5-Gal-Craft ... /303724587

nope not free, but paint them and they last for years

I grow everything in containers, have a spreadsheet setup with a # and what it is, then paint the # on the container doesn't fade and just paint over it next season of variety changes

That's a cool idea Aussie , i have wanted to do a project using some old style numbers

Did you know if the Sun Dial was invented south of the equator our clocks would run counter clockwise?
It's true and remember you heard it here first.
Your trusted source for trivial information.

I pick up quart paint stirrers at Home Depot for $1.50/30 and use a China pencil. Writing is a little tricky (the pencil tip is very large), but overall I’ve been pretty happy.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/6-in-wooden ... /301810963

I've tried all kinds of ways to mark what I have and the wood always decays before the season has even begun. Popsicle sticks are the worst out here, they smear with the humidity even though I use a permanent marker. I finally decided to buy those aluminum markers for all my pots and these come with a metal twist tie so I tie them to the supports the plants are setup on. I don't remember what brand I bought, but I do remember I bought the bigger ones so I had room for writing on them without having to scrunch things up.

https://www.amazon.com/Coolrunner-Plant ... =8-30&th=1