Making seed tapes is easy and fun. It a great way to ensure an even sowing and is a good indoor activity for kids. This method is best suited to larger, easy to handle seeds such as peas, beans and beetroot but with a little patience can also be used for smaller seeds such as carrots and onions.
What you will need:
- Seeds
- Flour – 1 tablespoon
- Water – 1 cup
- Ruler
- Marking pen or pencil
- Newspaper, toilet paper or paper towel
- Scissors
- Small paintbrush for applying glue (a cotton wool bud or a stick could also be used)
- Tweezers (optional)
Method
- In a saucepan mix the flour into the water and boil until it thickens into a paste. Set aside to cool.
- Cut the paper into strips about 4cm wide. If you are using newspaper the full length of the opened out newspaper should be used. If you are using paper towel or toilet paper, a length of 1 to 2 metres is best, any longer than this becomes hard to handle.
- Lay paper strips out on a table in rows. Using the ruler and pencil mark spots on the length of the paper at the recommended spacing for the type of seed you are using. Peas, beetroot or beans would be around 10cm and carrots would be around 5cm.
- Using the cooled flour and water paste and your paintbrush/stick, dab a spot of the paste on each measured mark you have made on the strips of paper. Place a seed on each dob of paste and then leave the seed tapes to dry.
- To plant just lay the tape in a trench at the right depth, cover with soil and water. Your seedlings will be evenly spaced in rows!
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