Sow much the very best intentions:
Are you like me, one of those gardeners with the best intentions, who just can’t seem to get it all done? I ummm. finally started most of my seeds at the end of May.
The easiest way to tag all of your seedlings fast
One of the things that holds me back, other then time, and disorganization is tagging each pot. I find it tedious, time consuming, and rather a boring. So I avoid doing it as much as possible.
I mean, after pricking out tiny seedlings, pouring soil, watering carefully, you expect me to tag each pot? “Hi, my name is Jane, and I am a bad gardener.” I am sure there are support groups for people like us.
So here I was, a hour free, piles of seed packets desperately waving at me, peat pots, starter mix, flats, and no more excuses. Then I remembered my gardening fiasco last year. Being overly confident that I could remember what each pot contained.
I had not bothered to label anything. [ Yes, I am a bad gardener, and I should have know better. ] Which worked great until tiny pots of seedlings got moved around. Especially my prized heirloom sweet peas, vibrant blue, and coral pink. When it came time to give away a few pots to a friend for her garden, I accidentally all of the blue ones to her.
Every time I looked out onto my patio and saw only coral pink, and not the stunning blue I had envisioned, I kicked myself. My friend had a remarkable showing of glorious blue heirloom sweet peas, that gambled up her antique trellis. Leaving everyone to comment on their beauty. Garden jealousy anyone?
Me, I saw coral pink, which was beautiful, but not what I had wanted. My gardening advice to myself, Live and learn.
So this year, I had resolved to do a better job of identifying my seedlings. Poor babies, they deserved a better life, with a better gardener. But they got stuck with me.
This new gardening resolve didn’t involve wanting to expend too much effort, so I looked around for something to mark the pots with. And found my scrap paper from all my card making.
Perfect size, perfect colors, and so easy to use.
I cut strips of the same color for each variety, and tagged one pot with a name, and date. Placed them into each pot of dry starter mix, added the seeds and watered.
Now even a month later, they are still holding up well, slightly stained, but so easy to know which seed is going to grow into which plant.
You might have started all of your seeds for this year, but imagine just how easy it's going to be to tag them next year, using this garden hint.
And anytime you want to join my support group for bad gardeners, just let me know. We will be arranging a meeting sometime in the future, maybe after we finally get our seeds into the ground.
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