Wendy,

I have made them and it is easy. Use newspaper because it will dissolve easily in the soil. For a natural paste, mix a little all-purpose flour with water.

Using only the newspaper sheets (not the glossy supplements like coupons, etc.), cut or tear the paper into 1" wide strips. You can leave them the length of the newspaper sheet or glue them together to make longer tapes.

Make a thin paste by adding water a little at a time to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Don't make too much paste ahead of time as it may stiffen up. You want the paste to be just thick enough to coat the seeds. If it is too runny, it will drip off and if it is too thick it won't dry quickly enough. You want it to be about the consistency of white cream gravy.

Lay out your strips of paper on a flat surface. Place a single row of seeds on each strip, spacing them as far apart as directed on the seed packet.

Place just a drop of your paste on top of each seed. You can use a spoon, toothpick, etc. to drop the paste onto each seed...whatever you have handy. Some people put a strip of paper on top of the bottom strip containing the seeds, but I don't because I think it impedes germination.

Let your seed tapes dry thoroughly. If you don't, the flour paste may mold.

Once dry, roll up the tapes gently with the seed on the inside of the roll. Place in labeled zip-lock bags. To prevent moisture from affecting the seeds and their ability to germinate, wrap up a tablespoon or two of salt or powdered milk in a paper towel, tape it shut, and put it into the zip lock bag with the seeds.

When it is time to plant, prepare your soil. Lay down the tapes on the ground. (This works best on a non-windy day.) I like to spray a little water onto the tapes using a spray bottle or the fine rosette of a watering can BEFORE I cover them with soil. Then, after covering the seed tapes with soil and patting it down firmly, I gently water the seed bed again. Remember that the seeds need good soil moisture AND good soil contact in order to germinate.

Your seeds will germinate just fine and the newspaper will decompose fairly quickly and enrich your soil.

That's it....as easy as it can be!

Dawn

I am going to try that ! I also just read other post about winter sowing i just might try that to . I really want to plant my garden right now !

thank you for the information .

Wendy

That sounds fun. I may have to try making some seed tape on a cold afternoon when I can't get outside.

Lynn

Here is a link that might be useful: OK Gardening

Dawn, that's a great idea! It would work really well for tiny seed. Does the moisture of the flour paste make the seeds start germination, though?

So many cool ideas on this site. I have learned so much at GardenWeb, thanks to all of you who post. --Ilene

Ilene,

I have never had a problem with the moisture of the flour paste inducing germination, and I have made seed tapes a couple of months in advance.....maybe the paste dries so quickly that the seeds don't soak up enough moisture to germinate?

I especially like making seed tapes with very small seeds that are difficult to direct sow--like carrot and lettuce seed.

I can't take any credit for coming up with "how to make your own seed tapes". It was one of many great projects in a book I got a few years ago. The book was by Jeff Cox and it was called "Jeff Cox's 100 Greatest Garden Ideas: Tips, Techniques and Projects for a Bountiful Garden and a Beautiful Backyard". It was published by Rodale Press in 1998 and has projects for all 4 seasons.

Dawn

Those Rodale books are so good.

I enjoy herbs and have grown them and used them for many years. "The Rodale Herb Book" was one of the first books I bought about herbs and it has really been a great source of information all these years.

I'm gonna try that seed tape for my lettuce seed, too! What a great idea! --Ilene