Prepare for spring planting with these fun and fresh projects. You can make both homemade seed tapes and seed bombs with the same simple supplies. Seed tape is great for small vegetable seeds like carrots and lettuce. Seed bombs work best with wildflowers.
Homemade seed tape
If you’ve ever tried to direct sow carrots seeds in correct spacing increments, you know it’s nearly impossible. Tiny seeds like carrots and lettuce are much easier to plant in pre-spaced tape. Seed tape reduces seed waste and time spent thinning. Store bought seed tape can be expensive, but homemade seed tape in cheap and easy to make.
Square foot gardeners can use this same technique with square paper towels.
Supplies:
- Compost
- Powdered clay, all-natural
- Water
- Shallow dish
- Paintbrush
- Toilet paper
- Ruler
- Seeds
Related: DIY seed starting projects
Directions:
- In a shallow dish, blend some compost and powdered clay. Add just enough water to create paste.
- Roll out toilet paper.
- Place ruler on toilet paper.
- Read seed packet for spacing recommendation.
- Use a paintbrush to dot compost-clay mixture in measured increments. Ex: carrots require 1-2” spacing.
- Place 1-2 seeds on each dot.
- Allow to dry.
- Roll up to store. Label with variety information.
- When it’s time to plant, unroll homemade seed tape and plant at variety’s recommended depth.
- Water well.
Build a seed bomb
Seed bombs are compact balls of seed, clay and compost. Guerilla gardeners “bomb” empty urban spaces to cultivate beauty. Kids love making and bombing with seed bombs.
Full sun or partial sun wildflower seed mixes make the best bombs because wildflowers are well-adapted to grow with little to no tending.
Supplies:
- Compost
- Powdered clay, all-natural
- Water
- Bowl
- Seeds
- Newspaper
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix compost, clay and water until mixture holds together without crumbling.
- Add about 1/2 tsp seeds for every 1 cup mixture.
- Mix very well.
- Roll mixture into small balls.
- Set on newspaper. Dry completely (takes about 2 days).
- When it’s time to plant, bomb away!
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These are really fun ideas and my girls will love making these projects. We just finished with the seed starters and they can’t wait to start working outside in the garden. These ideas seem to work great for us and we are definitely trying some. Thanks for sharing!