Make Your Own Seed Tape - Homemade Seed Tapes From Toilet Paper (2024)

Make your own seed tape with some seeds and a roll of toilet paper. Why waste money on store bought seed planting tape when you can make your own seed tape with this common household item?

The tutorial shows you how easy it is to plant tiny seeds in a vegetable garden.

Have you ever noticed that some seeds are so small that you end up wasting them at sowing time? This means that you’ll have to thin out a lot of the seedlings later. If you enjoy DIY garden ideas on a budget, this is the project for you.

What is seed tape?

Seed tape is a strip that is embedded with pre-sown single or multiple species of seeds. The spacing of the seeds is done for you at the correct distance for growing properly.

The seeds are sown between layers of tissue paper. They are a great help for gardeners who have arthritis or other mobility issues.

Seed tape gives these gardeners a quick and easy way to sow tiny seeds without having to spend a lot of time bent over when sowing the seeds.

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How to make seed tape

Homemade seed tape is also a really fun project that the kids will love help with. Making the seed tape gives them a project to do when they are too young to handle garden tools.

Children will feel that they played a part in the garden when it starts to grow.

Double ply toilet paper works best for this project. It is a little stronger than single ply and will hold the seeds better.

To make your own seed tape, you’ll need these supplies:

• Double ply toilet paper
• Seeds for flowers or vegetables
• Spray bottle or plant mister

To make the seed tape, unroll a strip of toilet paper and mist it with a sprayer. Place the seeds along the center of the strip.

Be sure to check the package for spacing recommendations to ensure even sowing in the garden.

Start with one long edge and fold a third of the toilet paper over the seeds. Fold the other side over to completely cover the seeds. You will end up with one long strip with seeds encased in the center.

Mist the toilet paper again after lightly tamping down the seeds. This will secure the seeds in the toilet paper.

To plant the DIY seed tape

Carefully take the vegetable seed tape strip out into the garden. Make a shallow furrow in your seed starting mix and lay the strip down.

Cover the entire tape lightly according to the depth directions on your package. Mist the soil and wait for the seeds to grow.

The toilet paper tape will disintegrate in time and the roots will grow through it easily. You should see some signs of growth in 7-10 days

Tip: Alternate carrot seeds with radish seeds because when the radishes sprout, they help to mark the row and break the ground.

The two vegetables also make good companion plants.

Vegetable garden hacks like this one save you time and money. See more DIY garden hacks here.

Pin this seed tape project for later.

Would you like a reminder of these tips to make your own seed tape? Just pin this image to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Admin note: This post for making seed tape first appeared on the blog in April of 2013. I have updated the post with new photos, a printable project card, and a video for you to enjoy.