Well, this year, I got an amazing tip from the School Garden Steward at Nibley Park Elementary. Aimee suggested mixing up a quick glue made of cornstarch and water, dabbing the glue along a napkin and sprinkling the seeds on the glue dabs. The little carrot seeds are all lined up and spaced out properly, and all you have to do is plant the seed strip!
It sounded too good to be true, but I gave it a shot anyway. I didn’t have cornstarch at the office, so I used a glue stick, but I’m sure it’ll be fine (Elmer’s glue is practically meant to be eaten).
Here are the steps I took to make my seed tape…
- Grab supplies: A napkin or toilet paper, seeds, and glue of some sort (you can mix your own or use Elmer's, like I did).
2. Lay out a line of glue and place 3-4 seeds every inch or so (this is much easier than it sounds). I sprinkled with my fingers, and wasn’t too stressed about hitting exactly 3 seeds per inch, but a pair of tweezers could go a long way for the perfectionist.
3. Cut your seed napkin into strips.
4. Take your seed napkin to your garden plot. Clear away about 1/2 inch to inch of dirt. Lay the napkin in the designated area, and then cover with the cleared dirt. Water the strips, and wait for your perfect rows of seeds to come up in a few weeks!
Voila! So easy! In order to test the ease of planting with small hands (and to up the cute factor of this blog), I sent home some test strips with my co-workers and they seem to have worked!
Commentary by Liz Pedersen, WCG School Garden Coordinator
