Thinning seedlings out in the garden is one of my least favourite garden jobs, so when Food Garden Group member Margie M commented that she now no longer may have to thin seedlings, I was immediately interested. In this blog post Margie explains her method.
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| No more thinning? |
Why Make Seed Tapes?
Many seeds are sown directly into the garden, but with fine seed it can be difficult to distribute it evenly and you often end up wasting a lot of seed and having to thin it out later.
Seed tape is one solution to this, but buying it commercially is ridiculously expensive, and you can easily make your own in the comfort of your own home!
What Seeds Does It Work Well For?
It’s up to you really, but I find tapes great for things like carrot, beetroot, mesclun, spring onions etc., any small seeds where you sow a lot of them directly.
What Do You Need?
- Paper towel – I find 4 squares is a manageable number, but length is up to you depending on your garden size. Fold or roll up (makes cutting quicker) and cut into long strips around 2 or 3 cm wide. You could also use toilet paper.
- Paste – plain flour and as much hot water as you need to make a gooey paste. I use 1 tsp flour and about 1 ½ tsp hot water.
- A toothpick, a marker pen, and a ruler
Until you get experienced at it, you might like to start by using a ruler and putting dots on one strip where you will put each seed. The age and type of seed will determine how far apart to put them. For example if I have new, fresh seed, I will go with the recommended spacing on the seed packet. But if my seed is older, I might space them closer, at half the recommended spacing, as not all seeds will germinate. At worst, if they all come up, you can thin half of them out as they grow, but at least you can wait to thin until they are big enough to use.
Step 2 – Getting Seeds Onto Tape
Sprinkle a small amount of seed out on a plate or tray. Don’t put too much out, as you are likely to get glue on the remaining seeds, so they won’t be able to go back into the packet.
Dip your toothpick into the glue, and then pick up one seed with the gluey toothpick.
Wipe it off onto one of your marks on the paper strip. Repeat until you have used up all your seeds.
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| Note the name of the seed at the start of the tape |
Leave until completely dry. Then roll up, and store in a cool dry place until you want to use the seed.
Prepare your garden bed, then place strips on the ground.
Cover lightly with soil or seed raising mix as appropriate to the type of seed (I like to use a mix of coir and vermiculite).
Water gently.
WOW what a great idea Margie. I will be doing this from now on with all my, and my mates, seeds except for tomatoes of course. Well done you..........
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