I empty the packet of seed on a plate. I unroll masking tape in front of me. Sticky side up, I dampen my index finger. It helps, to pick up the seeds. I then place two seeds, down on the tape, then two more seeds down on the tape, six inches apart. Add two more seeds down until you run out of seeds. I roll up the tape on a Popsicle stick, or a stick from outside, or an ink pen. I don't use pencil because of the lead inside.
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Great idea! Sounds easier than cutting strips of newspaper and mixing 'flour' glue. When you try to roll those up they're bulky. However, one more tip - get a toothpick wet and touch the seed.
You don't have to worry about lead in pencils. They are made with graphite now. But good idea anyway.
gloria
I do it differently. I take a roll of toilet paper, unroll and mist it finely with water from a spray bottle. Then I use tweezers for tiny seeds and my fingers for larger ones and lay the seeds out down the middle of the paper. I do this in about 5 foot lengths at a time. I fold the paper once over the seeds (about in thirds), mist again, then fold the other side.
Great idea! Thanks. For flowering plants you could do them in short lengths and offset them to make clumps of flowers.
I have never done anything like this. I live in Ohio. Are you saying that I can buy seed packets for flowers, space them out on masking tape, roll it up, then lay it under loose soil now?
This is one of the best tips I have ever seen! & even though I rarely garden I still appreciate it! Thank you!
But you don't have to worry about "lead" in pencils. We still call it lead, but they use graphite these days. If they still used lead in pencils, just think how may kids would have lead poisoning! It can be a bit confusing because we still call it "pencil lead". Sometimes the English language doesn't make sense!
Great idea Ellen Lou, from a gardener who starts seeds indoors right about now actually. [NY-zone 5] and who used to buy these from Burpee's @ $$$. Real money saver, time saver, spaced perfectly as well as correct soil depth!
Did this last year and none of my seeds came up. Was so disappointing.
There is no lead in a "lead" pencil! It is graphite (carbon)! The human body contains lots of carbon(graphite)!
Seed tapes are great! You can use a pencil to roll them because the"lead" in a pencil is only graphite ( carbon ) and clay mixed in different proportions to determine the "hardness" of the "lead" (i.e. a #2 pencil).
Lead in a pencil is graphite (chemically similar to charcoal), Only lead metal and its compounds are poisonous.
After having placed the seeds on the sticky side of the masking tape. Is it okay to place another strip of masking tape over the seeds? Making it a lot easier to roll and unroll the seed tape when it is time to start planting?
Do you plant the seeded tape with the seeded side up or down? If it doesnt matter, then it stands to reason you could cover the seeded side with another strip of tape for easier storage - true?
How do the seeds stay on when you unroll the tape? Do you plant tape with the seeds on top facing up?
You place the seeds on the sticky side of the tape. When you plant it, the tape will go down seed side up.
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