I tend to check for address of Internet source because I want to *try* to minimize shipping distance as a (futile) attempt to minimize carbon footprint. It's not perfect because sometimes or often, the vendor I'm ordering from will, in turn, send an order to their supplier... Wherever that may be
-- One point to point to point shipping go around that I REALLY try to avoid is ordering something from a far away vendor who is selling something made by a manufacturer located nearer to my address.
-- not a criticism or blame, but just something I do for my own peace of mind.
(I admit I still end up getting stuff from Amazon for convenience's sake and feel guilty when they arrive with their origin labels....
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Plant labels -- I guess I'm *still* trying different methods. I tried cutting pieces from different materials year before last, and got tired of the extra work. Last year, I don't know why but I had a huge stash of plastic utensils from take out and fast food places that weren't used and I *couldn't* throw out. They tended to be more spoons and forks than knives. So I use plastic spoons by writing on the spoon end and forks by writing on the handle end. I do use the knives when I have them, but I won't buy them to make into plant markers. Obviously I save any used plastic ustensils for plant markers as well. Recently we've been getting a lot of black plastic ustensils -- I need to get some white or silver markers that won't fade or chip off.
When I Uppot to plastic drinking cups, I write on the side of the cups in such a way that later on, I can cut out the side of the cup to use as tags for plants planted out in the ground. For plants that use supports, I punch a hole and hang them on the support with pieces of wire that had been cut off from wire fencing in the course of using them, and saved wire twist ties. Sometimes chicken wire fencing comes wrapped in thin gauge wire that I mostly save for making wreaths, but are repurposed for tag ties as well.
The tomato labels made from plastic spoons have lasted for the whole season in the garden, so I saved them in case I plant the same varieties again.
....Wow do I sound cheap, fugal, or clever....
I like the idea of using rocks and pieces of broken pots for more permanent plants. I'll have to go find this "patio marker".
BTW obviously this kind of mishmash tags won't fly if you are selling your plants. I recently saw a photo of printable plastic sheets of tags that can be separated into individual plant tags that someone was using. I'm thinking of getting some for my major tomato grow out project this year....
