Seed Tape: What Is It and How to Make Your Own?

Seed tape is an easy and practical way of preparing long, straight rows in the garden. Photo:National Garden Bureau

Many gardeners find seed tape very practical. It’s thin biodegradable paper tape on which vegetable or flower seeds have been glued, already at the recommended spacing for the future development of the plant.

At sowing time, simply a trace a furrow at the desired depth (it will vary depending on the crop), place the tape in the furrow, cutting to length, then cover it with soil and water. The seedlings will pop up just where you want them to.

Here are some of the advantages of seed tape:

1. Even seed spacing prevents sowing too densely, especially with crops like lettuce, greens and root vegetables. It also eliminates the need for thinning the young seedlings.
2. Even though seed tape is lightweight, it still prevents birds from eating freshly sown seeds
3. Once seed tape is in soil, it will resist wind, rain and even erosion, so your neatly spaced and sown rows won’t likely be ruined during weather events.
4. Seed tape is biodegradable and has no damaging impact on garden ecosystems.
5. For gardeners experiencing arthritis or other mobility issues, a seed tape is a quick and easy way to sow tiny seeds that are otherwise very difficult to manipulate.

The problem, though, is that seed tapes costs quite a bit more than loose seed. But not if you make your own seed tape!

Making Your Own Seed Tap

Make your seed tape in advance, perhaps on a rainy day. If you have kids at home, make it a family project.

You’ll need a length of toilet paper as long as the rows in your garden and the seeds you intend to sow outdoors in the summer.

Cut the toilet paper lengthwise into 1 to 2 inch (2.5 to 5 cm) strips. If it’s 2-ply paper, separate int into two separate sheets: you’ll only want one ply for this technique.

With a pencil and a ruler, mark the future location of the seeds (3 inches/7.5 cm for beets, 2 inches/5 cm for carrots, etc.) on the paper. You’ll find the recommended spacing for each variety on its seed packet.

Now mix together a spoonful of flour and an equal quantity of water to make biodegradable glue. With a coffee stirrer, small brush or a cotton swab, apply a drop of glue to each pencil mark and place a seed on it. Now just fold the toilet paper in half and let dry.

You now have home-made seed tape you can use in this year’s vegetable or flower garden!

Article based on one published on this blog on May 14, 2016.