How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

Blog friends, I have to let you in on a little secret: I have always wanted to be a good gardener! I always thought that when we had a yard, I’d plant bulbs in the winter and watch beautiful flowers blossom in the spring. Or have a few rows of veggies so we could make fresh salads. But alas, no luck – my thumb isn’t showing any green tendencies and our yard is filled with wildflowers and weeds (and maybe a few too many “presents” from our dogs Molly and Conrad). My grandparents, however, were very active gardeners.  I spent many summers enjoying perfectly ripe and flavorful tomatoes, juicy strawberries, sweet corn and crisp cucumbers…Yum!

 

While I may not have inherited their green thumbs, I bet a lot of you, our OOO readers, have one. In honor of National Fruit and Vegetable month, we’ll show you how to make signs for your garden. They’re pretty easy – and if you use heavy cardstock and have them laminated, you can enjoy them for years to come. 

 

Here’s how to get started:

 

  1. Decide if you want to draw your signs or use some type of design software to make them. If you want to go the digital route, check out the Templates & Tools section for the template I used in the picture above. If you draw them, you could set it up as a family project and have your kids practice their penmanship and write the fruit/vegetable name and draw it.
  2. If you draw, you’ll need to purchase pretty heavy cardstock (any color) and break out the markers. If you design them on a computer, you can send them to print at a FedEx Office location using FedEx Office Print Online and select heavy cardstock as your paper choice after you upload your file.
  3. Once you’ve gotten your signs designed and printed, have them laminated. You can do it yourself at a FedEx Office location, or ask a team member there for help. It’s just a few dollars and increases the durability of the signs, especially during those spring and summer showers.
  4. Finally, take your laminated signs and affix them to a dowel with hot glue or another adhesive to make them stand upright. You can pick these up at any home improvement store and many craft shops. 

 

So there you have it – pop those adorable little signs in the (heavily tilled) soil and watch your garden grow!  And if you have an avid gardener in your life, this could also make a great handmade gift. 

 

 

Related FedEx Office Solutions: FedEx Office Print Online, Lamination

 

Comments

I have a black thumb. When I

I have a black thumb. When I moved in to my house in 94, I brought with me 5 indoor house plants. By 1999 all were dead. I have stopped buying plants. My husband starts gardens from time to time. He is more successful as he babies the plants.

Great for seedlings

Hi Kellie. These signs are tres cute. This is a great idea, especially if you plant seeds so you can remember what those the little seedlings are when they do come up. 

Thanks Lisa!

Good suggestion.  Could be useful for planting bulbs in flower gardens too.  Thanks for reading!

I love the idea of having

I love the idea of having your children write the names and decorate them...What an awesome idea!

sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com

Love them!

Those signs are adorable.  It is definiltey something we should do.  My daughters wrote on sticks and we put those in our garden.  It would be fun to have them draw on one side of that paper for more personalization.

gardening and animals

What cute signs! We aren't great gardeners, but our biggest problem is with animals eating the things we actually manage to grow - we get deer, squirrels, turkeys...

Oh no!  Too bad you can't

Oh no!  Too bad you can't make "keep out" signs for the animals! ;)

 Ahhh, how great it would be

 Ahhh, how great it would be to have a backyard garden!  Alas, we live in an apartment, so ours would have to be more of a container garden.  Still, great ideas to think about!  :)

Indoor garden

Tara, you could have a potted garden inside!  You could do potted plants, or herbs in the kitchen windowsill.  Modify the signs a little bit and use popsicle sticks for the stake instead of paint stirrers (like I did).  Happy planting!

What a fun idea!

What a great idea!  I especially like the suggestion to laminate and protect the signs from the elements.  I like to do treasure hunts, this is a great idea to mark the spot where the clues are hidden (for 4 year olds) and attach the envelope with the next photo clue.

 

 

Excellent idea

I LOVE, love, LOVE the idea of using these as part of a treasure or scavenger hunt.  Creative!

I don't have a green thumb.

I would love to have a beautiful garden, but I'm sure everything would die.  These signs are really easy to make..I'll pass the tips on to my friends with the green thumbs.

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