DIY Garden Markers

Our backyard is a very high-maintenance backyard. The previous owners added a lot of landscaping that requires a lot of weed pulling. It’s not lost on me that the backyard is what sold me on the house and admittedly I didn’t understand at the time how much work it would be. But, something I have discovered that motivates me through all the work is the end result and how beautiful and peaceful it is in our backyard. So this year I am setting out to make the backyard as beautiful as it can be. I have planted lots of flowers, I am trying to keep up on the weeding, I have planted a fun variety of vegetables and I have decided to do a few DIY projects that will add a personal homemade and eclectic touch. My first project is these cute tags for the various fruits and veggies we’ve got growing in the backyard!

DIY Fruit and Vegetable Garden Markers

I have been trying lately to get back into crafting and creating things with my hands. Back in college, I was creating every single day whether it was in my classes or something I was working on at my job in the costume shop. It was glorious and while during that time it was mostly costume design/sewing related, I really enjoyed the sketching/design process where I got to draw and use my fancy colored pencils and paint to make my designs come alive. I have posted a few other craft projects on this blog and I love going back and looking at the photos. I am pretty sure that I still use all of those crafts in my decorating during the holidays too so they get to be enjoyed every year! This project combined my love of gardening and my love of crafting. I love how these markers turned out and I am excited to use them in my garden for years to come!

Supplies:

12″ paint sticks
White chalk paint
Acrylic paints
Sharpie
Clear coat spray paint

Using a miter box and saw, cut one end of the paint stick into a point. I got my paint sticks in a 10-pack from Home Depot.
Paint the sticks using chalk paint. I did 2 coats on each side and don’t forget to run your brush along the sides of the stick as well.
Sketch out your vegetable/fruit design on the top of each stick and use your acrylic paint to give some color. For each design, I decided to go around the edges with black paint to give a bit more depth and sharpness.
Use the sharpie to write out the vegetable/fruit name in a fun font. You could easily use a cricket machine to do this but I don’t have one so I hand-wrote my text.
Using the clear coat spray paint, coat each side of the stick. I did 2 coats on each side, this will help protect the paint and the wood since these will be out in the elements.

There you have it, some cute little markers to stake next to your fruits/veggies in your garden! I have more types than these that I am growing and I am considering making markers for those too! I love the way they turned out and I hope that you’ll give this quick project a try! You can follow me on Instagram @learning.to.bloom and follow my gardening adventures @sow.little.thyme. If you recreate these garden markers tag me in your photos, I would LOVE to see them! Happy crafting!