Make Your Own Plant Labels for Seedlings

Here is a quick way to make your own plant labels with a few items from around the house. These plant markers are useful for identifying seeds started indoors.

These plant labels are for temporary use indoors to keep track of seedling varieties. They are not designed for outdoor use. If you need plant labels once you seedlings are ready to go outside, look for more durable materials such as Plant Stakes.

What you will need:
paper or card stock
pen or marker
wide clear scotch tape
toothpicks, coffee stirrers, straws, bamboo or similar that won’t deteriorate from moisture

1. On a piece of paper, write your plant names. Pictured is a 3.5″ x 3.5″ square piece of paper, about the size of a post-it note. The finished tags are about 1″ x 2″. You can make them any size that works for you.

2. Place a wide piece of clear scotch tape over the top of the paper and wrap it around the back too. Apply enough to cover front and back completely. The tape waterproofs the writing and gives the paper some stability.

3. To make the individual tags, cut around the plant names. They should have tape on the front and back.

4. Cut the wide tape into a strip, attach it to the tag, and wrap it around the stick once. These sticks are coffee stirrers but you can use anything that will not deteriorate from moisture.

5. You’ve made your own plant labels!

The sticks might be too long if you are using a cover for your seed tray. Either cut them shorter or slide them between the rows so the labels are vertical as shown below. The cover will sit on top.

Easy-to-make plant labels help you keep track of seedling varieties from germination to the garden.

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