This is great for small seeds.
Dissolve cornstarch and water in saucepan
Put pan over heat and stir so mixture wont get lumpy. When the mixture begins to boil and thicken remove from heat and let cool.
Cut paper towels lengthwise in one-inch-wide strips. Using a ruler mark with your pencil the recommended spacing between plants.
When the cornstarch has cooled, spoon into freezer bag. Force the mixture into one corner of the freezer bag & snip the tip. Squeeze the bag to place a dot of cornstarch at every pencil mark on paper towels.
Place your seeds at every dot of cornstarch, let the seed tape dry for an hour or so.
Roll up and store in plastic bag until ready to plant.
When you are ready to plant, cover tape with soil and water thoroughly!
By MARIANN
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THIS REALLY WORKS!
THANKS FOR THE GREAT GARDENING TIP!
Nice idea. You answered my question: does it really work.
Yes, these do work great! I'm a bit lazier than Mariann, however, and use Elmer's Washable school glue (bought on sale at the back to school sales, of course!) I've been using the same bottle of glue for the past 3 years.
A friend taught me this trick several years ago: I practice square foot gardening in addition to row gardening. With my grids, my sq ft are actually closer to 10"x10". I use the brown tri-fold paper towels as "seed squares" rather than seed tapes. I place glue dots at the proper spacing for whatever crop I am planting; then drop the seeds on and set aside to dry. This keeps me sane on those beautiful winter days when you really want to get your hands in the garden, but would have to be totally crazy to plant anything in the ground.
When planting time actually does roll around, I take a spading fork, rake, wheelbarrow of compost, and my largest compost screen out to the bed to be planted. It's a simple matter to use the fork to turn the soil (I toss the larger clods of soil onto the compost screen and screen them down into the compost in the barrow).
This is a fabulous way to plant designs in a bed - alternating red and green lettuce, for example; or to plant a salad bed - a square of lettuce here, next to baby carrots, next to spinach, next to radishes, down below some beets for greens, some chard, oh - some onions in that one... (notice I put plants that produce underground next to one's that produce above ground - better use of your space/nutrients!)
For larger areas, like a 4'x4' bed of the same crop, let's say bush beans, I cut and staple newspaper to fit the bed and use that for a giant "seed square".
Happy Gardening!
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