Make your own Seed Tapes in Class

Seed Tapes are the easiest, no-waste way to plant. Each strip of biodegradable paper is embedded with perfectly spaced seeds; simply unroll into a planting furrow and cover. Planting is precise, there's little or no thinning needed, and the germination rate is outstanding.

A great Project in the classroom is to Make your own seed tape

You will need:

Any kind of Seeds

Zip lock Baggies or plastic containers - each one marked for what type of seed tape it is in it

Flour

Cold Water

Paper Towels, cut in 1 1/2 - 2 inch Strips and folded in half

To make your seed tape, simply cut the paper into strips about half an inch wide.  The measurement doesn’t need to be exact, just wide enough to easily work with.  The longer the strips, the easier it will be to space your seeds correctly.  You can cut them to length later if needed.
Using a ruler and pencil, mark the proper spacing for your seeds of choice on the strips.  Label each strip at one end with the type of seeds to be put on it.  Set these aside.
Using flour and water, mix small amounts (about 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of water to start) in a small bowl.  Add flour or water until the mixture is a thick paste.  When it will easily stick to a small paintbrush or Q-Tip, it’s ready.


Using the paint brush or Q-Tip, place a small drop of glue on each spot you marked on the paper (or two) and place seeds in those positions. For very small seed types, such as lettuce or radishes, 2-3 seeds in each position is best.  For larger seeds, one at a time is probably enough. With two people, this is easy — one dabs the glue while the other places the seeds.

Once done, leave the seed tape out to dry, either in a window with sun or in a warm, dry place.  The faster it dries, the better, since you don’t want the wet glue to trigger germination (it shouldn’t be wet long enough for this, but better safe than sorry). When dry, roll them up and store them in plastic bags, along with the seed packet, until it is time to plant.
Now your tape is ready to use!


How To Use Seed Tape
Use your seed tape in long flower boxes, raised beds, or right in the garden.  All that you have to do is dig a trench the recommended depth for that seed, lay the tape down, cover with soil and water gently.  The paper biodegrades into the soil as the seeds germinate and grow.  No mess, no worries.