Many of the vegetables we like to grow in nice, neat rows come from tiny seeds that make planting precise rows very difficult.
The seeds are hard to handle, wash away easily, and need heavy thinning when they start to grow. So what’s a gardener to do to ensure they don’t waste seed but still get neat rows?
The answer is to plant seed tape. Seed tape is just seeds neatly spaced on paper, which can be planted in strips. The paper ensures that the seeds are spaced appropriately and don’t get moved around or washed away.
Once the tape is sown in the ground and watered in, the paper dissolves over time and the plants emerge evenly spaced in their perfect rows. Commercially produced seed tape is available, but the selection of seeds is limited. Thankfully, homemade seed tape is easy and inexpensive to make.
Here’s what you need to get started:
- Seed packets (seed tape is best for small seeds that should be directly sown in the ground in rows)
- Toilet Paper
- Flour and Water
- Cotton Swab
- Ruler
Steps:
- Cut a long strip of toilet paper in half lengthwise. If it is two-ply paper, gently pull the sheets apart to make two long strips of one-ply.
- Create “glue” by mixing a small amount of flour with water to create a loose paste.
- Read the back of your seed packet to determine how far apart the seeds should be sown. Using a cotton swab as a glue dabber and a ruler for correct spacing, dab a small dot of the flour glue on the toilet paper where you want to place your seeds.
- Place one or two seeds on each dot of glue and fold the paper over to encase the seeds.
- Make sure the glue dries completely before rolling up your seed tape for storage until it is time to sow your seeds.
- Refer to the back of the seed packet to determine the best time to sow your seeds and the correct sowing depth. When it is time to start your seeds, bury your seed tape according to the correct seed depth and water it well. The toilet paper will dissolve and your plants will sprout in nice rows.
Spring (hopefully) is a season that brings many rainy days. Use that time indoors to make rows of seed tape and you will be ready to start your garden when the sun is shining!
