SeeD Tape

14 years ago

Regarding home made seed tape for Sq Ft Gardens. I made a square out of heavy poster board the size of the paper towels i planned to use (11"X10 1/2) and measured off 16 squares and marked them then i drilled a 1/4 hole at each intersection. Next i placed this template over a sheet of paper towel and using a felt pen i inserted the tip in each hole when i removed the template i had 16 evenly spaced dots Next i made up the standard Flour/Water paste and applied a drop on each dot (do not do all at one time, do a few then set some seeds as the paste dries pretty quick) to aply the paste i used about a 1/4 in artists brush. After i had applied several dots i dipped a very small brush in the paste and picked up a single seed and placed it on the drop when i completed the whole paper towel i let it dry for a few minutes then went back over the sheet and placed a second drop of paste over each seed and then pressed another towel sheet over the whole thing and let it dry. In the spring i will simply lay the sheet i my Sq Ft garden wet it down good and cover with vermiculite to the recommended depth and mist more water over it (I usualy place a carpet sq over the area for about 2 days this helps the germination process. If you prefer to make actual strips of tape buy a yardstick from the local paint supply and drill holes to the desired spaces and follow the above instructions. This whole process takes about 5 minutes and is easily accomplished on those cold winter days sitting at the kitchen table and believe me it is easier than breaking you back trying to sow those tiny seeds directly in the garden plus there is no thinning them out when they start to grow. Incidentally you can make your template to correspond to how many plants you want in a given area.

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Comments (4)

lgteacher
14 years ago
I have done this using Elmer's school glue (not regular Elmer's) because it is water soluble. The radishes we planted came up in a nice grid.

Here is a link that might be useful: What's Growing On?
Biglou1
Original Author
14 years ago
I have made several tests regarding the type of adhesive to use when making seed tape. The winner is the flour and water mix. Elmers school glue while providing a neat applicater, and not adding much expense to the project has one serious drawback and that is the drying time. A small dab can take up to hours to dry before you can permanantly store the prepared sheet. On the other hand using flour/water paste dries in minutes or less. This is because the paper surface (paper towell) absorbs the moisture much quicker tha elmers. If i am preparing a 12" X 12" paper towel i only do half at a time because of the quick drying time. incidentally, i always prepare a buch of sheets in advance (ie 16 marked squares for Onions) I mark them with different coor felt pens for example i use green for onions, orange for Carrots, etc.it just makes things more simple when i add my seeds. Regardless of what Mel says, i always place two seeds per dab of paste then when they sprout i snip off the weaker seedling. I am a firm believer that unsold seeds from one year sometimes appear the following year as new seeds so i am just hoping that one will be good.
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FshyPlnts
14 years ago
This is really interesting. I have done this with different seeds to aid in planting rows. We use a length of toilet paper, put the seeds down according to the space they need, cover it with another layer of toilet paper, then spray it with a mixture of sugar-water.

I really like your method for SFG though.

Biglou1, good advice on the flour/water mix for drying time. this was the difficult part with the sugar-water solution, also makes for a sticky mess sometimes. Thanks!
Biglou1
Original Author
14 years ago
Regarding my post on Dec I am continueing to update my methods. Regarding seed tape. I have found that the use of poster board as a template is not the best as it disintegrates after a few uses. Instead i am now useing asphalt floor tile (Not the self adhesive kind) they are exactly 12X12 first mark off 16 squares (for oions & Radishes) then place a mark in the middle of each square (this is where the seed(s) is placed. I have also found that paper towels are not the ideal paper for seeds because they do not measure 12X12 (more like 11.5 X 10) so what i now use are paper napkins, while they are still folded i cut them down to make an opened piece 12X12. I am also attempting to produce 12X12 red mulch sheets perforated with small round holes at each seed site this will increase germination rate by keeping the soil warmer and also inhibit the growth of weeds after the seeds have germinated.-