Gardens without labels

[bikermike]

I make notes in my book of what I plant, but it seems that every year there are different varieties of things like tomatoes, so I never seem to be able to make use of my results.

I mark ends of rows with sticks so I know where things should come up

[Penellype]

I understand what you're all saying - that you need to know what varieties work for you and eliminate the ones that don't. I have some favourites that I will always grow but I also have lots of seeds sitting around doing nothing.
I pick "by eye" rather than by time, that is, I pick veg when it looks ready not because the packet says matures in July.

With leeks, say, I pick the biggest and leave the rest to grow on. It doesn't matter what variety it is - they're all much the same to eat. If I fancy a mini-leek, I pick a small one. Seed packets that tell you that mini-leeks, if left to grow on, will become big leeks are, putting a marketing spin on a normal leek, in my view.

I'll still label tomatoes and, maybe, squashes, but the rest can live anonymously in my muddled garden.

Mmmm, but (for example) not all leeks are equal. At my friend's I grow Musselburgh because they are reliable, easily sourced and the seed is relatively cheap. I can sow direct into the ground and not worry if some of the seedlings are eaten by slugs. But being a fussy eater, I find that Musselburgh soon goes tough and stringy. My friend doesn't mind this at all. I therefore grow softer varieties for me - the one I like best is Oarsman, although I am trying Northern Lights this year as an experiment on the allotment. Oarsman is much more fussy than Musselburgh and needs growing in a pot until it is big enough to cope with the slug onslaught. Its also much more expensive seed. I also grew a summer variety which is not frost hardy - it was important to know which was which as these needed eating first.

I'm just very particular, so I label everything, then I know what's what.

[Thelma Sanders]

I think it may be more important on a small plot, to plant varieties that have a given harvest date (roughly at least) so you can have a follow-on crop ready. If you've got plenty of room it doesn't matter if things take longer to grow and then any variety will do.
I'd be interested which ones you will choose to grow, once all the old mixed up ones have gone - or will this happy state never happen, with your eclectic buying habit? lol

[veggiechicken]

My future choices will probably be based on "what's cheap" - as have most of my past ones!
I can only think of a few varieties I always grow. I guess I'm not very discriminating!!

[TrialAndError]

Recently I read about someone who had purchased several bottles of wine and wanted to keep them a few months before drinking them. He put them in his greenhouse under the impression this would provide them with an even, cool temperature.

When he came to drink one of them he found that slugs had eaten the paper labels and he had no idea which bottle was which.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ...."

[veggiechicken]

But did it matter? I'm sure all the bottles tasted fine - unless they were cooked in the GH.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I don't label every pot but if I have say twenty pots of a variety of say onions, I will label one pot and every other plant of that onion variety will go into exactly the same type of pot.

Other onion varieties will be treated in the same fashion but will go into a completely different type or colour of pot.

Saves a whole lot of label writing.

I also keep a diary and keep a note of what is in what type of pot in case labels go adrift.

[Mark_Riga]

My future choices will probably be based on "what's cheap" - as have most of my past ones!!

and preferably don't cost anything.

[veggiechicken]

Even better

[Bren In Pots]

Nearly everything I grow is started in modules/paper pots so i group them together in trays sharing just the one label, things that need repotting often like toms and courgettes have their own labels.
I sow Lettuce, chard and peas in guttering using one label each, thinking about it I don't have that many labels to write.

[ESBkevin]

I label seeds wether in pots, trays or drills in the ground. White plastic and pencil typically just name and date. In the winter when there is time for such refinement I make labels from cutting up 2Ltr plastic bottles and stick on a fancy labeller script, looks posh. Sometimes the label progresses with the plants when set out and sometimes it's not really needed.

[casejones]

if you don't want to label things you can do diagram of the pots with names for each pot on diagram.