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Keeping track of all your plants can become tricky if you grow too many plants to keep up with or if you have several cultivars of the same plant. You may be able to tell them apart once they have fruit, but what about when they’re young? Nicole Gainey on TikTok found a solution to this problem: Turn old-fashioned clothespins into markers for easy plant identification. She wrote the name of each plant on thrifted clothespins and stuck them in the ground by her plants.
You don’t have to use the classic style of clothespin, any kind should work, but pick a size that will suit your needs. Larger gardens and handwriting will benefit from larger clothespins, but average or small clothespins will work well for single raised beds. You can even use them for individually potted plants if needed. If you choose a color-coded system, you can opt for smaller sizes that come in fun colors without worrying about fitting your handwriting onto the small space. These colored wooden clothespins on Amazon for $7.99 will allow you to write on them and use a system based on colors.
Using clothespins as plant markers
@nicolegaineyart
I repurposed vintage clothes pins for my garden today. I used them to create garden stakes that I needed. #repurposed#vintage#clothespins#garden#gardenstakes#repurpose#gardening
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♬ original sound – Nicole Shuff Gainey
The simplest way to utilize clothespins is to write the plant’s name directly on the wood. You can use a Sharpie, but try the Artline paint marker on Amazon for $37.49 for a longer-lasting option that won’t fade as easily in the garden. Sharpies and other markers tend to fade on plant tags as they’re exposed to the elements, but the Artline marker was designed for outdoor use and will work much better. Add a healthy layer of Mod Podge outdoor sealer, $11.19 on Amazon, to make your plant marker last even longer.
To use your DIY plant markers, stick them into the ground near your plants. You may want to keep the plant marker at the edge of your growing space for bushy or vining plants if it’s difficult to reach the center. You can also attach clothespins to raised beds, trellises, or vines and branches if you have a lot going on in your growing space and need to keep close track of which plant is which.
Turning clothespins into garden markers is simple, but you can extend it into a crafty DIY project that will fill an afternoon. If you have access to a laminator, consider drawing or printing photos of the mature fruit, laminate them, and attach them to their respective clothespins. You can also write short notes on the other side of the clothespins to remind you of each plant’s essential needs. You won’t have a lot of room, so use phrases like “full sun” or “water often.”
