Garden Projects For Kids: How to Make a Seed Tape

If you’re looking for a fun rainy day garden project to do with your kids, or if you are a new gardener and are concerned about planting tiny seeds like carrots and lettuce in the garden, I have the perfect project for you.

Seed tape.

To make a seed tape you will need to gather the following items:

• Toilet Paper
• Flour
• Water
• Seeds
• Bamboo Skewer or Toothpick

Before you start you’ll need to figure out how long you want to make your seed tape.  My garden boxes are 8 feet long so I used 8 feet of toilet paper.  The great thing about seed tape is you can make it as long {or as short} as you need to accommodate your garden space.

For this demonstration I am using carrot seeds, however homemade seed tapes can be made with any type of small seeds.

Step 1

Make a simple paste out of flour and water.  You want the “paste” to be the consistency of glue.

Step 2

Use a bamboo skewer or toothpick to carefully dab a little paste onto the toilet paper.

Step 3

Add 2 seeds to the dab of paste. I like to use 2 seeds just in case one does not germinate for some reason {blame it on the OCD}. If you are unsure as to how far apart to paste your seeds, simply look at the back of the seed packet for instructions.  Most carrot seeds need to be planted 3″ apart.

Once the paste has dried, roll up your seed tape and head out to the garden.

Lay the seed tape down and cover with dirt {refer to your seed packet to find out how deep}. For carrots cover with 1/8″ of soil. Water and care for your newly planted seeds just as you would had they been sowed directly in the garden. The toilet paper should disolve in about a week.

For more simple garden ideas to do with kids, check out Kids in the Garden: Growing Plants for Food and Fun. Amazon has it on sale right now for only $10.85.