It’s been a couple weeks in the urban farm and garden – time spent pulling weeds, tending to the hens and bees, filling in gaps in the succulent garden and herb planters, and seeing where I can add a pop of color to keep the summer tones going.
While I was installing one of the Ollas for the herb planters, I noticed that I had some of those plastic plant markers in the barrel planters – and they were either breaking apart or looking ragged. I’m familiar with what herbs I plant, but growing up, I was taught to stick those plant markers once I planted anything – so I guess it’s really stayed with me. The other reason I have herb markers is if a family member goes out to harvest any herbs, they can identify what they need!
Since I really want to stay green on the urban farm and garden, I thought I could transform some leftover stones I had from the Ollas DIY project and make some herb markers. This turned out to be super fun, easy, and I already had all the supplies! You can use rocks you have in your garden or collected from a hike or beach, wood, or other items like small tile, small terracotta saucers, popsicle sticks…whatever you have, you know I’ll always say: recycle, repurpose, reuse!
Here’s what you will need:
Rocks, preferably flat, 2-3” wide (you can also use wood, tile, etc. as stated above)
Permanent marker in colors of your choice (I found white and black to work the best)
Paints (spray paint or acrylic paint)
Garden Herb labels (these are available for free if you search online)
Elmer’s glue (if adhering garden herb labels to your herb marker)
Rustoleum clear coat (I used glossy – you can use any finish you like)
You can leave your rocks (or herb marker material of choice) plain or painted. You can glue garden herb labels or write with a permanent marker – you can even paint pictures on your herb marker – so many options. The key thing is, make sure you let the paint, glue, permanent markers, etc all dry fully – then finish with a coat of Rustoleum clear coat so your herb marker is protected from nature's elements. Let the clear coat dry fully and you’re ready to place your herb markers in your garden!
Happy Gardening!
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