We Grow Our OwnThe trials and successes of life on our allotment

I always get a little annoyed that after a few weeks watering, the labels for all my chillies have either faded or smudged, although thankfully I can still tell which one is which.

Those nice people at Brother must have heard my cries, as they sent me one of their labelling machines to try out.

Although the interface looks like it could launch a space shuttle or a nuclear missile, it is easy to use. You simply type in the name of the veg, the variety, soil type, the date, or whatever takes your fancy.

Choose the text size and then press print. Out pops a label that is self adhesive, so you can stick it to wood, a plastic label or even wrap it round a branch of a tree.

The info says that the label is rain proof, humidity proof, fade proof, heat resistant and frost resistant. I’ll certainly be testing that claim out!

This retails at about £20 online and about £8-10 for 8m of replacement labelling tape, so although not the cheapest option, it may help to avoid any more chilli confusion