Many commercial seed companies manufacture seed tapes [1]. Easy to use, these tapes are simply a strip of paper, with seeds glued on it at the proper spacing for the particular variety. These tapes are well suited for small seeds that need to be thinned after germination, such as carrots, beets, and lettuce.

Sound simple enough to make yourself? Here are the details:

You will need some paper, flour, water, a small watercolor paintbrush, and seeds.

Cut plain paper, such as copy paper or newspaper, into long one-inch wide strips. If you can find it, the perforated ends of computer paper [2], used in the older style tractor feed printers is ideal. It is already cut and has regularly spaced holes that serve as a gauge for spacing.

Make a glue by mixing the flour and water to the consistency of gravy. With the brush pick up a small dot of glue, then touch the brush to a seed, and place the seed with the adhering glue on the paper [3]. Continue this process spacing the seeds according to the directions on the seed package.

After the tapes have air dried on a flat surface, roll or fold them up and store in a plastic sandwich type baggie. Be sure to date and label the baggie. When it is time to plant, just unroll, lay it on the soil surface, cover with a thin layer of soil, and water [4].