As Earth Day celebrates its 45th anniversary, I hope that this easy gardening project inspires you to dust off your green thumb and get dirty in the garden! There’s no time like Earth Day to make your world a little greener — in the literal sense. Planting a garden not only beautifies your home space, but also helps clean the air while celebrating the environment.
On a recent trip to Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe I came across one of the most charming herb gardens I had ever seen. What distinguished it from others was the artsy garden markers that identified what was growing. Upon my return home, I visited my local Home Depot and picked up a few items needed to make my very own identifying markers, personalized specifically for my garden.
This was the original inspiration for my garden markers.
The garden at Encuentro Guadalupe is absolutely lovely!
In just under 30 minutes and about $15 I was able to make two dozen garden markers. That comes out to just over $0.60 per marker!
If you’re an avid gardener, chances are that you know exactly what you’re growing. Other people, however, may not. These cute markers are perfect for identifying what’s in your garden. If you plan to grow your own fruits, veggies, or herbs this season, these are an adorable addition to your garden.
Make your mark on the spring season with these fun and practical creations and you’ll never mix up a jalapeño with bell pepper again!
Supplies:
1 piece of plywood cut into 3 x 8 inch pieces (I used a piece that was 1/4″ thick, and 2′ x 2′) – $6.62
1 pack of 15-inch Dry Cedar Shims – $1.57 for one dozen (or you can use the free paint stirrers they give you at Home Depot, but I didn’t want to take that many!)
1 can black chalkboard spray paint – $3.76
1 white chalk marker – $3.48
12 nails – $0.25 (make sure they’re thin, but long enough to go through the plywood and shims)
Grand total in supplies: $15.68
How-to:
- Spray paint each plywood piece with one to two coats of black chalkboard paint. Be sure to cover the edges and sides. Once dried on one side, you can spray paint the other side if desired.
- Once both sides of your plywood are dry, you can decorate them with the name of your herbs, veggies, or plants.
- Next, nail the plywood pieces into the top of your wooden shims. If nails are too long, simply hammer the point that sticks out so that it’s flesh with the wood. Voilà – your homemade markers are ready to adorn your garden!
Lola's Cocina 
This is a great idea — Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to make some myself.
You’re welcome, Susan! The ones I saw at garden centers and stores just didn’t cut it, and they were pricey. These are inexpensive and can be customized to your own garden.:)
Great project! Thank you for sharing!!!!
You are very welcome! I’d love to see if you end up making them. You can send me a pic at lola[at]lolascocina.com or hashtag #lolascocina on Instagram.
These are so cute! Absolutely love them!
Thank you! I don’t do many DIY projects, but if this one was easy enough for me to do that means anyone can do it!
Thehe I see! 😉
Did you do the lettering and drawings on these markers? They are so creative and pretty! I have plans for a big garden this summer. These would be perfect.
I wish! My friend, Ana, is a natural when it comes to chalk art so I have a list of projects for her when she comes to visit. This was one of them. I’ve had the garden markers for months, but couldn’t post them until she worked her magic.
Good luck with your garden. As you can see, I’m very ambitious with mine and made a marker for everything I hope grows!
Wow!!! What amazing talent! I love her poblano chile pepper drawing 😉