Tutorial - Make your own seed tape

I really enjoyed the times that MrFothergills sent me some seed tape to try out.  It was great for the grandkids to plant, and I had nice neat rows of plants.  It is an expensive way to plant though, so I decided to try and make my own.
You are going to need: a flat board to work on, toilet paper, a little pot and paintbrush, flour, and seeds.
Take your little pot and add about a tablespoon of flour mixed with about a tablespoon of water. This is your glue..


 Measure the toilet paper into strips as long as the board you are using, and cut in half lengthwise. Lay one half on the board, and mark down the end of the remaining half the name of the seeds you will be using.

 Dab some glue onto the toilet paper - it doesnt have to be totally covered,  then place your seeds in a line down the center.  Cover with the remaining half of your paper with the name of the seeds.  At this stage I lightly sprayed the paper with some water to ensure everything was nice and moist.  Then I left the tape in the sun to dry.  Here you can see two stips have been completed, and the third has the seeds laid out, ready to be covered with the labelled strip.
 Lift these strips and place onto prepared soil, and then lightly sprinkle with seedling mix - I like to use the compressed coir as it is so fine and easy to sprinkle.  You only need twice the height of the seeds.  Sprinkle it on dry and then lightly water in.

Pop a label into the ground, keep moist, and soon you will have lovely neat rows of seedlings....
 Here are two rows of radishes I planted a while back - they need thinning, I guess I had a heavy hand.
You can store the seed tape once it is thoroughly dry to plant at a later stage, that is when it would be very useful to have them labelled.

I have created a page with links to my tutorials so that they can easily be found - I will continue to add them as I make/find them.  Is there anything else you would like a tutorial on?

Note:  Sorry my photos have been lost - I will be re-doing the exercise and taking more photos to update this tutorial!



Comments

  1. AlisonThu May 08, 09:58:00 AM

    Excellent tutorial! I've done this with thin paper napkins unfolded and lettuce seeds. That works really well for my square foot garden, since the paper napkin unfolded is just the right size for a square foot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieMon May 12, 07:58:00 AM

      Oh what a clever idea Alison. I have been wanting to try it for a while now, and I am glad I did.

      Delete
  2. RoslynThu May 08, 11:08:00 AM

    What a good idea. Thanks for the instructions. I am often too heavy handed with sprinkling seed in rows. This would help a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieMon May 12, 07:59:00 AM

      Roz,
      thanks, my problem too - I guess in my mind I cannot imagine that that tiny seed will grow up to be such a big plant.

      Delete
  3. JoyfulThu May 08, 01:51:00 PM

    This is a very cool idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieMon May 12, 08:00:00 AM

      thanks Joyful, it wasnt my original idea, as I have tried the commercial tape which worked very well.

      Delete
  4. JennyThu May 08, 10:09:00 PM

    Great idea. I think I will use it with carrots that I always find tiresome to thin out. The toilet paper seems like just the thing to break down easily in the soil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieMon May 12, 08:01:00 AM

      Jenny, I have read when you do carrots to put a radish seed in between as they come up quckly and are harvested before the carrots get too big.

      Delete
  5. VirginiaCThu May 08, 10:37:00 PM

    Thanks for posting this tutorial...I will definitely try it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieMon May 12, 08:02:00 AM

      Virginia,
      I find I enjoy the nice neat rows that result from this method.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousFri May 09, 03:12:00 PM

    Wow, must give it a go. Thanks for the great idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieMon May 12, 08:04:00 AM

      Frog, it was really an easy thing to do and quite effective, so I will be doing it again for sure.

      Delete
  7. Merryn@merrynsmenuThu May 29, 02:34:00 PM

    This is brilliant! I would never have thought to DIY and you have cleverly crafted a solution. I love the idea of flour paste glue, how appropriate. Thanks African aussie :D

    ReplyDelete

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