Learn how to make seed tape as an easy gardening DIY project. This fun family project is an easy way to involve the kids, prep your garden ahead of time, and make sowing seeds easy and convenient!
If you have ever planted carrots, lettuce, spinach, and other tiny seeds, you know how much effort it takes to confidently get them placed and covered. These seeds require careful planting at just the correct depth and moisture. Doing this task by hand can be pretty aggravating if you lose sight of seed placement or the wind rearranges the seeds as it passes.
Seed tape offers you great flexibility when planting. If the seeds need light to germinate, just lay the tape on the surface of the row, give it a mist of water, and firm the row with a thin layer of soil. If the next set of seeds needs to be placed one inch into the soil, dig the furrow as many times as you need until you have it just right, put the seed tape into the furrow, lightly mist the tape, cover it, and firm the row.
It doesn’t get much more manageable. If the wind is giving you trouble, secure one end of the tape into the soil, and as you lay the tape, mist it with water to hold it in place until you can cover it with soil.
Let’s get started building our seed tape.
Materials are needed to build your seed tape.
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of water
- Mixing container
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- A couple of toothpicks, one to place the mixture on the paper and another to put the seeds
- Toilet paper or paper towel
- Work area
- The object is to roll the seed tap on once the paste has dried; a paper towel tub, toilet paper tub, PVC pipe, or stick will work.
Step 1: Prepare seed tape strips
Cut the rolled paper you have chosen to length. I try to keep my tape length around 48 inches; it works well in raised beds or a big garden. Working with shorter tape helps prevent the wind from creating problems while placing the tape in the garden.
I will be using 2-ply toilet paper to serve as my tape. You can use 1-ply paper, but I like the extra-ply’s absorbing capabilities and strength; most of my garden work is done alone or with my grandkids; extra precautions are always helpful.
Once you have the strip laid out, create a crease in the center of the strip. You will place your paste and seeds on one side of the crease and fold the empty side over the seed and paste.
Step 2: Mix the flour and water
Place the two tablespoons of flour and one tablespoon of water into a container and mix them until you have a thick but manageable paste (casually add more water if needed). This paste will be placed in small dots along the length of your paper tape at the desired distance between seeds. This paste holds the seeds along the tape to ensure spacing along the row.
Step 3: Place the flour paste along the paper in minimal amounts
Dip a toothpick into the paste and transfer the paste to the tape. I found that the toothpick doesn’t bring too much paste when transferring the paste to the paper. Place the paste at the desired spacing along the tape. I extend a measuring tape along the paper tape to help keep the spacing on track.
Step 5: Place the seeds in the paste dots on the paper tape
Using a toothpick, lightly dip the end in water, drying the excess water as needed. Dip the toothpick into the edge of the seeds and get one or two seeds on the end of the toothpick. Now, lightly touch the seeds on the stick to the paste and gently remove the toothpick, leaving the seeds.
Step 6: Cover the paste/seed blobs
Now, fold the paper along the crease to cover the paste/seed blobs. Lightly press the paper to the blobs to ensure the seeds stay in place until the tape is planted. Place the tape where it can lay undisturbed until the paste has dried.
Step 7: Store the seed tape until you are ready to plant
Let the paste dry before you store the tape until it is needed for planting. Once the paste has dried, I roll the tape up on an empty paper towel core or toilet paper core, pretty much anything will work to prevent the tapes from becoming tangled while they are in storage.
More Garden Projects
Gardening doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money! Here are several garden DIY projects you can complete yourself.