Use Masking Tape to Make Seed Tapes

By

a4a42316

There is no lead in a "lead" pencil! It is graphite (carbon)! The human body contains lots of carbon(graphite)!

By

missysmom

Did this last year and none of my seeds came up. Was so disappointing.

By

jackie2830

Great idea Ellen Lou, from a gardener who starts seeds indoors right about now actually. [NY-zone 5] and who used to buy these from Burpee's @ $$$. Real money saver, time saver, spaced perfectly as well as correct soil depth!
Thanks again!

By

Cyinda

This is one of the best tips I have ever seen! & even though I rarely garden I still appreciate it! Thank you!

But you don't have to worry about "lead" in pencils. We still call it lead, but they use graphite these days. If they still used lead in pencils, just think how may kids would have lead poisoning! It can be a bit confusing because we still call it "pencil lead". Sometimes the English language doesn't make sense!

By

laubru010

I have never done anything like this. I live in Ohio. Are you saying that I can buy seed packets for flowers, space them out on masking tape, roll it up, then lay it under loose soil now? I would've thought the ground had to be much warmer.

By

skinnyjinny

Great idea! Thanks. For flowering plants you could do them in short lengths and offset them to make clumps of flowers.

By

cindydintn

I do it differently. I take a roll of toilet paper, unroll and mist it finely with water from a spray bottle. Then I use tweezers for tiny seeds and my fingers for larger ones and lay the seeds out down the middle of the paper. I do this in about 5 foot lengths at a time. I fold the paper once over the seeds (about in thirds), mist again, then fold the other side. I plant in the amount of dirt called for, sometimes barely covering the toilet paper. Plant the doubled side of the strip down. The toilet paper dissolves easily, the seeds grow right through it, and you never have to thin anything ever again!

By

radioflyer

You don't have to worry about lead in pencils. They are made with graphite now. But good idea anyway.

gloria

By

ShelliM

Great idea! Sounds easier than cutting strips of newspaper and mixing 'flour' glue. When you try to roll those up they're bulky. However, one more tip - get a toothpick wet and touch the seed. It will pick them up. You can even pick up one teeny, tiny seed this way. Dab it on the tape, and if it doesn't stick, push it down with your finger. Shelli