The Craftiest Workshop

I have had gardens at most of the homes we have owned. I have tried so many different things to use as garden markers, spending lots of money and always seeming to have to replace them. I have used Jumbo Popsicle sticks, paint sticks, metal spoons and bbq skewers. I have tried writing on them with paint, permanent marker and pen. The wood always rots, the metal rusts and whatever I use to write on them fades so much that I can’t read it.

I have been spending time clearing fallen branches in our trees before the weather gets too hot and the bugs too bothersome. I cart the branches over to an area away from the house and stack them there. The only plan for them will be to rent a wood chipper once I have accumulated enough.

I was looking at one of the straighter branches and had an idea. Why couldn’t I cut some branches into foot lengths, skin one side of the branches and burn letters onto it?? I ran the idea past my husband and he suggested I use the bandsaw and cut a section off the front instead of trying to use a jackknife to scrape the bark off.

Here are a batch of them. I also cut the part that would go into the ground to a point to perhaps make it easier to push it in.

I had some fairly freshly cut branches and some really old dry ones. The fresh ones “frayed” a lot and cutting and sanding was tougher. The old brittle ones were easy to cut and sand but one of them broke as I pushed it into the ground. Burning on both was really easy and smooth because I didn’t need to burn through the grain of the wood.

These are the stakes ready to go for the trees which will be arriving late next week. Not sure we really need garden markers for them but I thought I should put the specific name of them in case we decide to order more down the road.

I have one in my garden chest as well showing what I have planted there.
This branch was a bit crooked but it makes it all the more unique.

These were really fast to make, maybe an hour for all the collecting cutting and burning. The best part was that making them was free. I think the burning will last longer than marker or paint. Even if they only last one season, branches are plentiful and I can make replacement ones next spring.