Gardening with Kids: DIY Seed Tape

Children love being involved in growing things – my girls love planting colourful flowers and vegetables and herbs. For kids, there is nothing quite like the anticipation of seeing a tiny seedling poke through the soil or the excitement of waiting for the first strawberry or tomato of the season to ripen. Plus gardening is a wonderful motivator for getting children to spend more time outdoors. Making seed tape is a great way to interest kids in growing plants and the process can provide a wonderful conversation starter for talking about what plants need to grow – plus homemade seed tape makes a wonderful gift or party favour.

You will need:

• Thin, unbleached paper like newsprint. We re-purposed some envelopes made from recycled paper
• Pencils or crayons (optional)
• Thick flour and water paste (you won’t need much)
• Glue brush
• A packet of seeds of your choice – we used sunflower seeds
• String, twine or embroidery thread (optional)

To make:

1. Cut your paper into strips approximately 2 centimetres wide.
2. If making your seed tape as a gift, decorate your paper strips with pencil or crayon.

3. Use the flour and water paste to glue your strips together, making one long length.
4. Check your packet of seeds to find out the correct spacing for planting. Place a small dab of paste along the strip for each seed, according to the recommended spacing. Then place one seed on each spot of paste. Leave to dry.

5. If giving your seed tape as a gift, make a small gift tag that includes the planting instructions for your seeds. Gently roll up your tape and attach your gift tag with thread. Seed tape can be stored in an envelope or plastic, press seal bag.

To plant your seed tape: Dig a shallow trench and lightly water. Lay your seed tape along the trench and cover with a little soil. Gently water. Now wait and watch for your seeds to sprout and your plants to grow!

Looking for more creative ways to play and learn?

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