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Home and Garden > Gardening > Seeds on September 08, 2011

Homemade Seed Tapes

A homemade seed tape.Seeds can be very small and can shift around during planting. Using a seed tape can help create straight even rows but they can be very expensive to purchase. This is a guide about making homemade seed tapes.
     

Solutions: Homemade Seed Tapes

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Use Masking Tape to Make Seed Tapes

I empty the packet of seed on a plate. I unroll masking tape in front of me. Sticky side up, I dampen my index finger. It helps, to pick up the seeds. I then place two seeds, down on the tape, then two more seeds down on the tape, six inches apart. Add two more seeds down until you run out of seeds. I roll up the tape on a Popsicle stick, or a stick from outside, or an ink pen. I don't use pencil because of the lead inside.

At planting time, I use a stick to help unwind. I plant 6 inches under, loose soil mixed with one part sand 3 parts potting soil. I plant straight, to the garden. I cover if before, last frost. There is no danger of root shock. My plants are always straight. They do well. I store my seeds in a dry plastic zip lock bag, with a paper towel to absorb any moisture. I store all my seeds this way.
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Making Seed Tapes

Contrary to popular belief most seeds will germinate for several years. Now is the time to make seed tapes from those leftover seeds from this year's garden.

Cut 1 inch wide strips of newspaper. Dissolve several packages of unflavored gelatin in a small amount of boiling water and let cool to room temperature until it starts to thicken. Using a small paint brush, spread a coat of the gelatin on the newspaper strip.

For tiny seeds like lettuce and carrots, just sprinkle some of the seeds thinly on the strip. Let the completed strip dry thoroughly, mark with the date and type of seeds, roll up loosely, and store in a cool dry place.

For larger seeds like beans, just apply some of the gelatin mixture however many inches the recommended plant spacing for the seeds are. Paint another coat of the gelatin over the seed , again let dry thoroughly, mark, and store in a cool dry place.

Come planting time, just gently unroll your seed tape, water thoroughly, cover with the recommended depth of soil and water again. The single layer of newspaper will hold moisture to help with germination and break down allowing your seeds to root and grow.

By slee15 from Alabama

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Homemade Seed Tapes

I've made seed tapes by mixing a little flour and water together, painting it onto paper towels, and sprinkling the seeds on. They stick to the flour and water and the paper towel rots away in the ground.

By Marna from central CT

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How to Make Seed Tape

If you have trouble planting small seeds such as carrots and radishes without having to do lots of thinning of young plants, the perfect answer is seed tapes.

We just planted radishes and carrots in our garden using seed tapes that we made. Start with a piece of toilet tissue. Length is not important, but 5 sheets long is easy to work with. Cut it into strips about an inch wide. Lay the strips on the table, and measure off in 1 inch increments.

Put a tiny spot of Elmer's glue at each inch mark and, using a toothpick with a little glue, place a seed at each mark. You could make a pencil mark for each inch, but what I did was to lay a ruler down and glue a seed at the inch marks lined up with the ruler.

Making Seed Tapes

As they dry, check them often to make sure they are not sticking to the table. When completely dry, roll them up and store them in an old envelope marking the outside with the kind of seed they are: Danvers Half Long Carrots, French Breakfast Radishes, etc.

Making Seed Tapes

When you are ready to plant, make a shallow trench and lay them end to end in the trench; then cover them with soil. Pat the soil down and gently water the row. Cover with cardboard strips to keep them from drying out before they can germinate. Check every few days until the sprouts break through the soil; then uncover them. Keep them watered. When you start to harvest them, take every other plant to make room for the others to grow a little bigger.

Making Seed Tapes

By Harlean Greathouse

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Homemade Seed Tapes

Seed Tape Once winter turns the corner toward spring, it seems like garden tasks can stack up quickly. One technique that is a real time (and money) saver during planting is using seeds tapes. Although most seed companies carry ready-made tapes, you're left stuck with using whatever seeds choices they offer. Follow these six easy steps and make your own.

Materials Needed:

  • Newsprint (or other biodegradable paper)
  • Ruler & pencil
  • Plastic sandwich bags
  • Scissors
  • Toothpick
  • All-Purpose flour
  • Water
  • Seeds

Five Easy Steps

Step 1: Start by cutting off sections of newspaper into _ to 1-inch wide strips. Steer clear of toxic colored ink that put more unwanted heavy metals into the garden (and your plants).

Step 2: In a plastic bag, mix 1/2 cup of flour and a little water together until the mixture reaches a glue-like consistency (like thick gravy). Expel as much air as possible, reseal the baggie and set the mixture aside for now. This will be the "glue" that will adhere your seeds to the tape. The glue, along with the newspaper, will readily biodegrade as your seed sprouts.

Step 3: Lay the strips of newspaper out flat on a table (laying them across a cookie sheet will make clean-up easier). Using a ruler, mark off the proper spacing for the seeds according to the back of the seed packet. I recommend leaving a little space at one end of each strip to label the tape. If your seeds didn't come in packaging, use a seed catalogue or garden book as a guide to determine spacing.

Step 4: Use the scissors to snip a tiny hole in one corner of the baggie. Start with small seeds and a very small hole at first. You can always make the hole bigger as you graduate to larger seeds. Use the baggie like a pastry bag and dab small globs of glue along the pre-marked spots on each tape. Do one tape at a time to prevent the "glue" from drying too quickly. Place a seed on the top of each glob and if necessary, use a toothpick to gently press it into the "glue."

Step 5: After the glue has dried, roll up the tapes and place them in individually marked plastic bags. Keep the bags in a cool, dark place until you're ready to plant them. You can make sure the seeds stay dry by adding a small amount of salt to each bag. When it's time to plant, simply unroll the tapes and place them seed side up in pre-dug rows. Cover them with soil and water just like you would if you were sowing seeds freely.

Unleash Your Creative Potential

Take advantage of the precision of seed tapes and use them to create straight, perfectly spaced rows-or lay them out in crazy patterns. Create flags, checkerboards, and geometric patterns of color. Write your name in flowers or plant a flag for the fourth of July. The tapes can be cut and arranged any way you choose so you're only limited by your imagination.

Whether planting vegetables or flowers, seed tapes will help free up time and money during spring planting by helping conserve expensive seeds, maximizing garden space and reducing the amount of thinning you'll have to do later.

By Ellen Brown

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Make Your Own Seed Tapes

This is great for small seeds.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup cold water
  • saucepan
  • paper towels
  • scissors
  • ruler
  • pencil
  • plastic freezer bag

Directions

Dissolve cornstarch and water in saucepan

Put pan over heat and stir so mixture wont get lumpy. When the mixture begins to boil and thicken remove from heat and let cool.

Cut paper towels lengthwise in one-inch-wide strips. Using a ruler mark with your pencil the recommended spacing between plants.

When the cornstarch has cooled, spoon into freezer bag. Force the mixture into one corner of the freezer bag & snip the tip. Squeeze the bag to place a dot of cornstarch at every pencil mark on paper towels.

Place your seeds at every dot of cornstarch, let the seed tape dry for an hour or so.

Roll up and store in plastic bag until ready to plant.

When you are ready to plant, cover tape with soil and water thoroughly!

By MARIANN

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