Easy Homemade Seed Tape Tutorial

Spring is coming up soon, and many of you are looking for crafty ways to say "I Love You" to the those in your in your life.  Homemade seed tape makes an amazing gift, and we also love them for making our own gardening process a bit smoother.


This easy homemade seed tape project makes a great Mother's Day or Earth Day craft; it is simple, affordable, and lasts the entire season.  Your loved one will remember this gift every time they harvest a carrot, radish, or onion from their garden!

Homemade Seed Tape Tutorial

Supplies Needed for Homemade Seed Tape

To create these seed tapes, you will need the following supplies:

• One roll 2-ply toilet paper
• One bottle school glue
• Small direct-sow seeds, such as onions, radishes, carrots, etc.
• A ruler or tape measure
• Curly ribbon or a bow -- if you're gifting 

Steps to Making Homemade Seed Tape

To begin, unroll the toilet paper to about 2-3 feet, then tear off and fold over to create one long, narrow strip.  

Pick out which seeds you will use.  If you are like us, you will have a stash on hand.  Otherwise, we really like ordering from places like Amazon and Etsy for a wide variety of organic and heirloom seeds.  (Remember, the purpose of making homemade seed tape is that you are using small seeds that are hard to sow by hand directly into the soil.)  Have the seeds ready for the next part.

Using a measuring tape or rule, read the directions for the seed you are using and space tiny drops of glue along the paper. This is where you will "stick" your seeds.  The spacing may be anywhere from a few centimeters to a few inches.

After you have put all the glue dots on your paper, you can follow by placing one seed on each dot. Depending on the age of your child, this may be difficult, as the seeds are tiny. (You may find that some of your children do better at the gluing, or that you can help them along.)

After all the seeds have been glued to the paper, you can let them dry for a few hours.  Once the glue is completely dry (overnight is preferred), you can fold the paper over again and wind it up.  Tie a nice bow or some curly ribbon around it and give it as a nice Mother's Day gift!  You can also put a strip inside the envelopes of your Mother's Day cards.

Plant the homemade seed tape in a long row, going down the line --  just as you would normal seeds.  If you want, you can make a copy of the back of the seed packet to give with the seed tape.  This will help people know what to do, when to harvest, and what kind of reward they will receive!