Creating a Seedtape

I love growing carrots and lettuce but I will admit I hate thinning the seedlings as they come up. I don’t know about you but I tend to not scatter the seeds evenly so I always have to thin plus I hate losing a plant that could be producing. Not only is it tedious to pull the seedlings it also can be hard to do if you have arthritis in your hands or other issues. Seed tape is a wonderful alternative to help space those seeds out correctly and limits the amount of time you have to spend on your hands and knees. There are several options for seed tape on the market but they aren’t always a variety I like or one that works in my area. Luckily it is pretty easy to make your own seed tape. All you need is some toilet paper or any type of paper that will dissolve when wet, an adhesive of some type such as Elmers glue (or make your own out of water and flour) and vegetable seeds. Lay out your toilet paper and tear it to the length that you want, figure out the spacing between seeds you need for your vegetables (check that packaging or the Extension publications) and place some adhesive toward one edge on those spots then place your seeds on the adhesive. You can then fold the paper over to hold the seed in place. Roll the seed tape up of it’s too early to plant the seed tape and store in a cool, dry place till it’s time to plant. Check out this video on making a seed tape: https://youtu.be/XOS9eW5l_Oc

Have questions? Contact our office where our Horticulture Extension Agent will assist you with questions.

Phone: (316) 321-9660

Email: callae@ksu.edu