Post by Lannie on May 14, 2008 12:21:01 GMT -5
Rich got me a new gardening book last week, and although I already knew most of the stuff that was in there, there are these little gems tucked here and there among the pages, tips on doing things that I'd never even thought of.
One of these tips was how to make your own seed tapes for tiny seeds. Take a strip of toilet paper, spritz it with water very lightly, then place your seeds on it at the spacing you want and carefully fold the TP over lengthwise and press down with your fingers. (I can do this in comfort sitting at the dining table, and NO WIND! YAY!) Let them sit somewhere flat until they're dry, then stack them in a shoebox or something. I used a ball point pen to write the seed name on it before I spritzed it, so I'd know what everything was. Once the strips are dry, they're amazingly durable and they don't fall apart when you put them away. Then when it's time to plant them, just lay them in the furrow, cover with loose soil (I use potting soil so it won't crust over) and water. The TP breaks down right away in the wet dirt and the seeds sprout where they belong.
For me, this is truly a miracle, because it's windy here so much, and trying to pinch tiny little carrot or turnip seeds into a furrow is painstaking at best. The wind always takes some and they grow wherever they land.
I wish I'd known about this when I planted my turnip seeds a couple of weeks ago. Last night Rich came out to the garden with me to help me cover the tomatoes, and he saw my turnip seedlings. He said, "Is that Purslane?" I replied, "Uh, um, no, those are my turnips..." at which point he burst out laughing! They're so thick, they look like Purslane seedlings for sure. I have a LOT of thinning to do, and I wasted a lot of seeds. But no more, now my turnip seeds will be planted in toilet paper!
~Lannie
One of these tips was how to make your own seed tapes for tiny seeds. Take a strip of toilet paper, spritz it with water very lightly, then place your seeds on it at the spacing you want and carefully fold the TP over lengthwise and press down with your fingers. (I can do this in comfort sitting at the dining table, and NO WIND! YAY!) Let them sit somewhere flat until they're dry, then stack them in a shoebox or something. I used a ball point pen to write the seed name on it before I spritzed it, so I'd know what everything was. Once the strips are dry, they're amazingly durable and they don't fall apart when you put them away. Then when it's time to plant them, just lay them in the furrow, cover with loose soil (I use potting soil so it won't crust over) and water. The TP breaks down right away in the wet dirt and the seeds sprout where they belong.
For me, this is truly a miracle, because it's windy here so much, and trying to pinch tiny little carrot or turnip seeds into a furrow is painstaking at best. The wind always takes some and they grow wherever they land.
I wish I'd known about this when I planted my turnip seeds a couple of weeks ago. Last night Rich came out to the garden with me to help me cover the tomatoes, and he saw my turnip seedlings. He said, "Is that Purslane?" I replied, "Uh, um, no, those are my turnips..." at which point he burst out laughing! They're so thick, they look like Purslane seedlings for sure. I have a LOT of thinning to do, and I wasted a lot of seeds. But no more, now my turnip seeds will be planted in toilet paper!
~Lannie
I see a few new sprouts, then when I look later, they're gone. I guess I need to put some slightly bowed (up) chicken wire over them. I wish they'd eat all those turnip sprouts, but I guess they're too big now. They like the new tender sprouts!
