We’ve all seen the expensive seed tapes and while they may seem a timesaving way to plant and to space your seeds evenly, they do have their draw backs. One is the price and the second is the limited varieties of seeds that are packaged this way. Here is a simple method of making your own.

Cut toilet paper, paper towels or white crepe paper streamers to the length of your rows. If you use crepe paper, purchase the ‘stretched’ or flat varitety. The width should be double that of what you want the finished product to measure, as you will be folding the tapes. Two or three inches would work for heavier paper. You might want to make thin tissue a bit wider.

Using flour and water make a soupy paste about the consistancy of runny mashed potatoes. Put this in a squeeze bottle such as those used for ketchup or mustard. Now, run a line of the paste lengthwise along the lower third of the tape. Place the seeds at appropriate intervals for the individual seed along this line. You can use a q-tip or just flick them from a spoon. The tape is then folded over and allowed to dry.

When you are ready to plant unroll the tape in a shallow trench and cover with soil or sand. There is no reason that these could not be made in different shapes if you seed into containers. Cut rectangular tissue paper for flats or round sheets for pots. Paint the sheets with the paste and place the seeds on the paste. Then cover with another sheet of tissue and allow to dry. This could be a great seed saver. When sowing in flats it is very difficult to get the seed properly placed as they are difficult to see. This usually results in sowing them too heavily and you either have to thin or find homes for all of the extras. It is also something to keep you busy while waiting for spring. Punxsutawny Phil, where are you?