This has been a debate since the beginning- What is the best part about gardening? What is your favorite part?
The dirtiness of it? Science has proven that touching soil releases endorphines (the 'happy' hormone). Being outside and allowing your body to touch earth in any way not only makes you feel good, it stimulates your immune system, lowers blood pressure and soaks in vitamin d from the sun. Theories suggest that infants that are allowed in grass and dirt have less allergies as well (i have read this, but cannot confirm truth). Here is something to consider too- You are washable. Your clothes are washable. Use either or both to get down and dirty for your health. :P
Watching something grow- It is a fantastic feeling to know that the little seed you planted and watered is starting to pop through the darkness of its' dirt. Before you know, it is big and starting to do whatever it is supposed to do- from flowering to producing something tasty.
Eating something you planted, harvested and prepared. There is nothing better then watching and planning for something that takes a month to a year or more to get something back from. As you see it is about ready for harvest, you start planning all the recipes you will make from it's goodness. It seems to taste better, it looks different then the stores, and something about that is awesome.
Whatever your reason, you have control. You choose where to plant what seed and when. You decide between hundreds of varieties of, lets say, tomatoes. Pot or bed or yard? Will it be ripe and ready when that BBQ is this summer? Do you get your seeds from the store? a friend/neighbor/farmer? catalog? online? seed exchange? Whichever you choose, thats the hardest.
Why is choosing the hardest? well, maybe not THE hardest. I personally think waiting to harvest is the hardest because it so long. So, you got your seeds by any method. Now time to wait till mother nature is cooperating before you can do anything, right? WRONG.
It's time to make seed tape!
You'll need:
1 roll of 2 ply toilet paper or strips of newspaper about 3" wide
flour- about a cup
water
seeds
I prefer toilet paper but my husband has used newspaper.
Start by mixing your flour in a bowl with a little bit of water at a time until you get a thick consistency. Try to make sure there are no lumps. Your going to need to create thin lines with it, so find a dropper, a q tip, or even a straw.
Take your toilet paper and rip a section of squares off. I try to make 1' rips. Separate the layers and set one layer aside.
Next, create those thin lines with your flour "glue". You have about 5 minutes from now to set the seeds, so re-read your packet to determine spacing. Using your ruler, drop the seeds at the right spots.
Take that layer you set aside and place on top when you drop all your seeds. Gently press to re-connect the layers and turn upside down to dry thouroughly (overnight works best- but don't overlap other strips)
***If using newspaper, only one line of seeds per strip and let sit overnight to completely harden before moving.
When all seed strips are dried, roll up or fold and place in ziploc baggy. You don't want any water or moisture touching them until they are in dirt.
When it's time to plant, simply place in dirt the depth that the packet recommends. I usually put the empty seed packet in the baggy so that I not only have identification but the packet right there when I'm ready.
This is a great rainy day/cold day/lazy day project that I love to do over the winter. I grab my daughters' lap desk, turn on my favorite tv show and relax. Before last spring I had well over 1000 plants ready on their seed tape before spring came. Planting day was sooo easy.
I hope I inspired you. Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear what your seed tapes are made of!
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