This DIY seed tape makes a great activity for the kids, especially if winter weather has you stuck indoors. Even before springtime planting rolls around you can spend some time prepping for your garden ahead of time. Making seed tape is a simple activity that only requires a few common supplies and a little bit of time. It is simple enough that you can let the kids take the lead after some simple instruction. Below is a tutorial showing How to Make Seed Tape with Newspaper.
How to Make Seed Tape with Newspaper
Items Needed:
- Newspaper
- scissors
- marker
- assorted seeds
- flour
- water
- jar for storage
- small rubber bands
Directions:
Cut newspaper into strips about 2″ wide.
On each paper write what seeds you will be “planting” on the end.
Determine spacing- you can usually find this on the back of the package. Use a ruler and marker to mark off distances, for instance on our radishes they recommend a 1″ planting space so we marked a dot every 1″.
Next we are going to create a “paste” for our seeds. In a small container stir a mixture of flour and water- how many seed tapes you make will determine the amount. I did about 1 Tbsp. flour and a couple teaspoons of water for 12 seed tapes and we had a lot left over, so just make a little and add as you go.
Drop your seeds onto the flour paste, allow to dry completely. We left ours overnight.
Roll seed tape up, write each plant name again on the outside, slip a small rubber band over the roll to hold it together.
Place rolls in a mason jar in a cool, dark place to wait for planting season!
Bev Gooch says
Can you do this with flower seeds in say a triangle shape rolled to be put straight into the flower bed?
Heather Burgess says
Do you unroll the newspaper when planting? Does it lay flat in the soil?
Alea Milham says
Yes, you unroll it and lay it flat.
Junior says
I love this idea but u left out the part after you mix the flour what you do with it
Karen Vaughan (née James) says
Thanks for sharing, this is great, and is good for a big or small garden.
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
What a cool idea! I’ve never heard of doing this before. Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! We’d love to have you for a visit. The Door is OPEN. http://lifewithlorelai.com/2015/03/05/home-matters-linky-party-27/ 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Jennifer Abel says
I love this idea, and I am doing this for my hubby who plants 4-5 seeds per hole! Visiting from #wakeupwednesday
sparkling74 says
I’ve seen this idea so many times but when it comes to planting I just want them in the ground already and don’t bother to take the time! As I sit here knowing I won’t see the ground for at least another week thanks to many feet of snow, I might actually do this! When you unrolled them, did the seeds pop off or did they stay stuck? My worry is that after a couple of weeks, they’d be so dry that they’d just pop off and kind of defeat the purpose of all that work.
Verna says
If you are ready to put them in the ground……..you dunk them in tepid water and unroll in the furrow that you have made in the ground. Do not leave them in the water. Just dunk and plunk and cover with a light layer of soil. The next day add the amount of soil that they are supposed to be planted in. I would mark that on the newspaper as well. You know 1/4 “, 1/2 ” etc. Do not unroll to dunk. Happy planning and planting. Happy harvest 🙂
Stella Lee @purfylle says
This would make such a lovely gift for my want-to-be gardening friends.
Krista says
Awesome! I’ve tried this with toilet paper before but I think newspaper would be so much easier to work with! I can’t wait to try it!
Pauline Wiles says
I’ve never seen this idea before, but I think it might work well for my Mom & Dad who are getting up there in years: they find all the bending (not to mention seeing the seeds against the earth) a bit tricky, so this way of preparing in advance might suit them well. Thank you!
Carlota says
I made seed tape for carrots but did not cut strips.
I took a whole sheet of newspaper and dotted flour glue at 1″ intervals in all directions. Set the sheet of newspaper on moist soil and mist with a sprayer. Sprinkled soil and sand mixture to cover.
It worked so well that I’m wondering why I didn’t seed 10 times that amount.
No need to thin them out this way
Alea Milham says
Brilliant idea Carlota! Thanks for sharing!
Donna says
Wow, great idea! I’ll definitely be trying this with my carrots and other seeds as well. Thanks for posting this tip!