Plan Ahead for Spring Planting

If your green thumb is itching to get back to your garden, then here's an idea to help scratch it. Prepare seed tapes, which are a clever way to make your spring planting go really quick and seem like less of a chore. Plus, seed tapes perfectly space your plants. These tapes are merely strips of paper with seeds glued down the center of each strip and spaced properly. When you plant the strip in the spring, the paper and glue will decompose so you are left with correctly spaced crops.

To make seed tapes, start by ripping old newspapers into one-inch long strips; tear from the top to the bottom of the page. Use only black & white pages since colored print can emit dangerous toxins into your soil. Make glue using 1/4-cup water to one-cup all-purpose flour. Dab each seed with the flour-water glue. Stick each seed in the center of the strip spaced evenly apart (check the back of your seed packet for the recommended amount of space between each seed). When the glue is dry, roll up the strips and place in separate sealable plastic bags. Add a tablespoon of salt to the bag to keep seeds dry. It's a good idea to place the seed packet into the respective seed bag so, come spring, you'll have the planting directions for each.

Store in a cool place, such as a basement, until you're ready to use them. When it's time to plant the seed tapes, lay each strip seed side up in rows several inches deep. Cover with soil and water, then watch 'em grow.