i've relooked at my options and ive decided to mainly scrap the plywood and go for real wood labels, in a variety of different wood types. they look amazing are 100% environmentally friendly,the problem is that they can be very expensive to make and i have to sell some of the real nice ones, like cherry and American oak for around £1.
what do you think, how much would you pay for a label?
Real wood labels.
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Jenny Green
- KG Regular
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Sorry Charlie, you haven't put down my option, which would be 0p! I've never paid for a plant label and don't use them. I will put a bit of masking tape on the pot or seed tray just to remind me, but sometimes I prefer the challenge of trying to guess what I've sown from the look of it when the seedlings come up. 
(Formerly known as 'Organic Freak')
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
Hi Charlieart,
I actually paid £9.50./1000 the last time I bought any labels which somehow puts your minimum price of 5p a little bit out of the question.
I use plastic ones and write on them with either graphite pencil or crayon and are easily reused.
As for paying £1.00. for something that has been shipped across the Atlantic I feel that it is something that should denied entry and sent back on the next boat. Mine might be plastic but at least it is British Plastic!
JB.
I actually paid £9.50./1000 the last time I bought any labels which somehow puts your minimum price of 5p a little bit out of the question.
I use plastic ones and write on them with either graphite pencil or crayon and are easily reused.
As for paying £1.00. for something that has been shipped across the Atlantic I feel that it is something that should denied entry and sent back on the next boat. Mine might be plastic but at least it is British Plastic!
JB.
Hi Charlie,
How are you approaching this Charlie - as a gardener, or as a woodworking craftsman?
As a gardener, I would not pay anything for a plant labels - I make my own from sticks and cuttings around the garden, plane a flat area on them, and write on the flat bit, they last several seasons, no transport, no machining, no processing, no chemicals - now that's what I call 100% environmentally friendly!
As an "objet d'art" piece of craftwork, you could well be on to something - a handful of nice wooden labels, tied with some rustic twine could make a nice gift. I personally wouldn't buy it, regardless of the price, though some would, and I wouldn't knock them for doing so.
I'm a woodworker myself, so I'm not knocking you; good for you in fact, I love to see real wood in the garden! But we have lots of lovely timber in this country - I'd love to see willow, ash, oak, Hawthorn, Yew, Hazel etc. labels. I try to use native timbers wherever possible. Importing a chunk of American oak across the atlantic then chopping it up for plant labels seems horribly wasteful to me, but as a craftsman, I feel if you are able to sell it as a thing of beauty, then it is less of a waste.
Cedar should be good for labels - easy to work, full of natural rot-and-insect-beating chemicals, and smells gorgeous when you work it!
How are you approaching this Charlie - as a gardener, or as a woodworking craftsman?
As a gardener, I would not pay anything for a plant labels - I make my own from sticks and cuttings around the garden, plane a flat area on them, and write on the flat bit, they last several seasons, no transport, no machining, no processing, no chemicals - now that's what I call 100% environmentally friendly!
As an "objet d'art" piece of craftwork, you could well be on to something - a handful of nice wooden labels, tied with some rustic twine could make a nice gift. I personally wouldn't buy it, regardless of the price, though some would, and I wouldn't knock them for doing so.
I'm a woodworker myself, so I'm not knocking you; good for you in fact, I love to see real wood in the garden! But we have lots of lovely timber in this country - I'd love to see willow, ash, oak, Hawthorn, Yew, Hazel etc. labels. I try to use native timbers wherever possible. Importing a chunk of American oak across the atlantic then chopping it up for plant labels seems horribly wasteful to me, but as a craftsman, I feel if you are able to sell it as a thing of beauty, then it is less of a waste.
Cedar should be good for labels - easy to work, full of natural rot-and-insect-beating chemicals, and smells gorgeous when you work it!
Most keen vegetable gardeners are intensely practical as you have seen from this selection of replies, and tend to use bits they have around for all sorts of uses. They also like to keep the cost down.
Your labels might be hitting another market. Gardening is very popular amongst a rather monied set of people these days, who go for 'the look', view the garden as a place to entertain in etc. I'm not knocking them. I'm in favour of anyone taking an interest in gardening for whatever reason. But I rather feel that your labels would go down well with that type of gardener because they would add to the ambience of the garden.
Your labels might be hitting another market. Gardening is very popular amongst a rather monied set of people these days, who go for 'the look', view the garden as a place to entertain in etc. I'm not knocking them. I'm in favour of anyone taking an interest in gardening for whatever reason. But I rather feel that your labels would go down well with that type of gardener because they would add to the ambience of the garden.
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madasafish
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I can't vote: 5p is far too much a.. about 2p from ebay..fpor plastic: last about 10 years before becoming brittle and breaking.
(Brillo pads are great for cleaning them)
(Brillo pads are great for cleaning them)
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alan refail
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No vote from me either, I'm afraid.
I'm happy enough with plastic labels, which I re-use from year to year. I haven't bought any for about 10 years now. Same with plastic pots.
I am no lover of the profligate use of plastic, but where it can be used again and again (recycling) I have no problems.
Like Johnboy,I'm not at all sure of your easy use (in your previous post) of the phrase "environmentally friendly". American oak!
You are certainly not aiming your business (?) at vegetable growers who use labels for purely functional purposes. We're not really worried what a label looks like - what's important is what it tells us.
Alan
I'm happy enough with plastic labels, which I re-use from year to year. I haven't bought any for about 10 years now. Same with plastic pots.
I am no lover of the profligate use of plastic, but where it can be used again and again (recycling) I have no problems.
Like Johnboy,I'm not at all sure of your easy use (in your previous post) of the phrase "environmentally friendly". American oak!
You are certainly not aiming your business (?) at vegetable growers who use labels for purely functional purposes. We're not really worried what a label looks like - what's important is what it tells us.
Alan
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charlieart66
- KG Regular
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 10:03 pm
GaGa wrote: Importing a chunk of American oak across the Atlantic then chopping it up for plant labels seems horribly wasteful to me.
i don't order it especially, i just take the offcuts away from a local timber yard. if i were not to take them away to make labels then that wouldn't stop anyone from ordering the wood, i merely pick up and recycle the pieces from the larger jobs.
i also plan on powering my tools with solar panels.
if anyone wants anymore info its more or less explained here on My website.
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Mr Potato Head
Charlie, I'm inclined to go with the earlier suggestion of the 'premium gift' for gardeners approach.
You could bundle 10 or 15 together in a bit of pretty, 'rustic' packaging, and sell them from your website (or even eBay)
You should make more of the fact that these are from timber-yard offcuts, as customers may assume that you're importing timber just to make plant labels!
You might also want to show how people can use (and re-use) them. This will encourage confidence in your product.
Hope this helps!
You could bundle 10 or 15 together in a bit of pretty, 'rustic' packaging, and sell them from your website (or even eBay)
You should make more of the fact that these are from timber-yard offcuts, as customers may assume that you're importing timber just to make plant labels!
You might also want to show how people can use (and re-use) them. This will encourage confidence in your product.
Hope this helps!
Good for you Charlie!
I see where you're coming from now!
Yes, I wasn't implying YOU were doing the importing....But it's still been shipped an awful long way. The fact that you're using offcuts which may well have gone to waste, is a good thing in my book, but then again, there are those who would say that if you didn't take these offcuts, and your supplier was always left with a load of unuseable waste offcuts, then he too would eventually decide that it was too expensive for him to import.
A few tips - from someone who also sells his woodworking produce:-
1. Be very careful with the "sustainable source" claim - you may be required to prove it one day, so just make sure you can provide proof from your supplier. Labels, certificates etc from the timber you used, should be fine.
2. Native, UK species of timbers can be a good selling point - particularly to traditionalists, or as gift items. Spalted Beech, Flatsawn London Plane, Yew sap/heart wood, Plum, Oak are more beautiful than anything chopped out of an Indonesian jungle in my book, and probably last much longer, as they're much slower growing.
3. Try a few hand tools, old traditional tools, or human powered tools - old treadle sewing machines can easily be modified to make scroll saws or sanding discs. Again, this can be used a selling point - the traditional craftsman at work!
Good luck, I hope you sell lots!
I see where you're coming from now!
Yes, I wasn't implying YOU were doing the importing....But it's still been shipped an awful long way. The fact that you're using offcuts which may well have gone to waste, is a good thing in my book, but then again, there are those who would say that if you didn't take these offcuts, and your supplier was always left with a load of unuseable waste offcuts, then he too would eventually decide that it was too expensive for him to import.
A few tips - from someone who also sells his woodworking produce:-
1. Be very careful with the "sustainable source" claim - you may be required to prove it one day, so just make sure you can provide proof from your supplier. Labels, certificates etc from the timber you used, should be fine.
2. Native, UK species of timbers can be a good selling point - particularly to traditionalists, or as gift items. Spalted Beech, Flatsawn London Plane, Yew sap/heart wood, Plum, Oak are more beautiful than anything chopped out of an Indonesian jungle in my book, and probably last much longer, as they're much slower growing.
3. Try a few hand tools, old traditional tools, or human powered tools - old treadle sewing machines can easily be modified to make scroll saws or sanding discs. Again, this can be used a selling point - the traditional craftsman at work!
Good luck, I hope you sell lots!