Makin’ Seed Tape and Reducin’ Waste
Waste Bustin’
I’m a tightwad. I’m dedicated to eradicating the waste of anything that has value.
- money
- consumable resources
- time
- space
With this single project, I reduce the waste of all of the above.
The Hardware
You don’t need much for this project. I’ll bet you have a cup, a little bit of flour, a few drops of water, a pencil and a roll of toilet paper. Well, if you’re @papa-pepper you don’t have toilet paper, you have bunnies. Bunnies will not work for this project.
Tip
I buy the worthless-for-anything-with-the-exception-of seedtape four pack of TP at DollarTree. I choose to use it for seed-tape because, first of all, it’s a dollar. Also, it’s super thin one-ply, so when laid out in the garden and watered, it melts away from the seed in just a few days: usually about the time that the seeds have began to germinate and don’t need it anymore to stay in place.
The Software
What’s seed-tape with out seed? Today I’m doing carrots.
Side Note
These particualar seeds are from Baker-Creek. I strongly recommend gardeners (veggies or flowers) to order the free catalog from Baker-Creek. It’s always beautiful and informative and I challenge any who loves seeds and plants to thumb through it with out making a mental wish list. You’re just about guaranteed to come across something you’ve never heard of.
Back to Scheduled Programming
Seed-tape also works well with parsnips, beets, radishes, lettuce and other greens, most flowers, and herbs. Anything that has tiny, tedious seeds that can be planted fairly close together, or would otherwise need to be scattered and thinned.
Assembly
Easy-peasy. Make some flour and water paste. Start with a couple tablespoons of flour and add water, just drops at a time.
- You want the paste to be just wet enough to stick the seed to the TP.
- I only make a tablespoon or two at a time because this stuff will go a long, long way, and it will dry out before you can use much of it up.
You can use what ever you want to get the paste on the paper, but I use a pencil. They’re readily available, the point makes for ease and accuracy of application, and they’re easy to wipe off when I’m finished, making clean-up quick.
When making carrot seed-tape, I put four seeds per square. I use the pencil to put tiny dabs of paste where I want the seeds. I usually pick up and apply individual seeds with the remaining paste on the pencil tip.
Give the paste an hour or so to dry, then fold it up and put it in a zip-top bag to keep it dry and store them in a coolish, dark place til planting time.
So, how does this save money, consumable resources, time and space?
Money
Seed tape usually comes in 15 ft lengths, and ranges in cost from $4 to over $10. Assuming you purchace a package of TP, an envelope of seeds, an entire bag of flour, a cup and a pencil, you’re gonna be out $8 and you’ll be prepared to make over 350 ft of seed-tape.
Consumable Resources - I feel pretty strongly on this point.
Seeds are consumable resources. (Thank goodness they’re renewable too!) If you aren’t using seed tape, you’re probably scattering seeds, then thinning them out. This whole process makes my eyes bleed. Seriously. Crimson tears. This practice isn’t gardening. It’s punishment.
I’m going to just scatter them out on the ground, and hope that the birds don’t eat them before they can germinate. When they do germinate, I’m expected crawl around on the ground, my back aching, to choose which baby plants to pull up and sacrifice to make room for the others to grow? Nope. I ain’t doin’ that.
Time
Now that we’ve established that scattering and thinning simply isn’t an option, the only alternative I can come up with for planting tiny seeds, like carrots, is to sit on the ground and use a stick to poke teeny holes, two inches apart, in a grid pattern. Then pick one seed at a time out of a little pile (that I’m trying to keep from blowing away in the wind) and dropping them one by one in the teeny holes.
Or make seed tape while I’m watching Little House on the Prairie and then when spring comes, lay it out on prepared soil and water it.
Space
Seeds laid out two inches apart in a grid take up less space than the same number of seeds, spaced about two inches apart randomly.
"If you aren’t using seed tape, you’re probably scattering seeds, then thinning them out. This whole process makes my eyes bleed. Seriously. Crimson tears. This practice isn’t gardening. It’s punishment." Thank You!!!
To me that is just being wasteful of resources!
I've been looking a little into square foot gardening. A friend of mine, who's just too tidy and precise to have a jungle of a garden like mine, has been square foot gardening for a few years and says it solves, for him, the problem of seed waste.
Ditto! Standing ovation for this sentiment!
That is such a good idea.
Is there any problem with the flour paste attracting things to eat the tape?
I don't think the flour paste attracts pests any more than seeds stored in paper envolopes. I keep all my seeds and seed tape in a plastic storage container with a good seal to prevent pest damage, as well as oxygen damage. My grandmother stores them in mason jars for the same reasons. The mason jars actually do a better job of sealing out oxygen.
I like the tip on the grid pattern. Makes sense. That would work well in the raised bed I'm trying to revive.
Excellent explanation and great advice!
Thanks! Sometimes I have a hard time explaining what's in my head in an efficient way. I'm happy to know it was easily understood.
You did great and had some funny thrown in, too. My fav kind of posts!
Life’s to short to be serious very often!
Okay, I'm still trying to get Papa Pepper cleaning his butt with bunnies out of my head!
I love the idea of seed tape and so agree with you on the wastage side. However, I'm not sure I'd have the time to make it and whenever I try to be frugal with seeds I'm lucky if I get one plant out of it!
Firstly I often have low germination from packaged seeds. I'm wondering if this is because most seem to be shipped fron the UK and our climate is nothing like where their mother plant would have grown. However, once it has grown and I collect the seeds, they germinate much better.
My next problem is the amount of things here that like eating fresh seedlings. I've learnt to steel myself to the wastefulness of it and feed the thinnings to the rabbits and chickens so they're not entirely wasted. When I collect my own seeds I usually have plenty anyway.
I found a list of heirloom seed companies in Australia. It looks like most of them produce and harvest seeds in Australia rather than have them shipped in. That may help with your germination problem.
There are several tv shows that my husband and I like to watch together, and we usually sit down and watch a movie with the family once a week or so. I usually get out my supplies and make seed tape while I’m sitting still for an hour or two. Just doing a little here and a little there through the winter adds up!
Harvesting your own seeds can lead to an amazing abundance of seeds. I’ll bet the rabbits and chickens appriciate thinning time!
I keep meaning get seeds locally. There is even one fairly near here, but the choice is limited. Problem is I'm a cheapskate and time poor, so I just end up grabbing cheap seeds at the supermarket! Having said that I haven't actually had to buy any for a while now I'm getting into the swing of seed saving.
I think the rabbits and chickens love harvest time too! 😁
I'm totally bookmarking this article. Thank you so much for the instructions. I'm going to spend some time making seed tape!
I’m so glad it was helpful!
We live in Northeast US. Not ready for seeds yet but soon enough. We have big plans for the garden this year. This is a really great idea.
This is EXACTLY the sort of thing I am look for! I will get this added to the sotall.org knowledge directory as soon as I get my eyes open this morning, lol.
Cool. So havppy to have somethingto contribute!
Thank you for contributing your knowledge to help others! Sotall.org Knowledge Directory of Steemit Posts has linked to this post. You can see your link at https://sotall.org/farming-and-gardening-directory/
Excellent. I’ll have a look.