making seed mats. You didn't think this post was going elsewhere right? I made them fallowing Granny's directions and it worked great. Basically you glue evenly spaced seeds on biodegradable paper products to have perfect rows without having to thin. A little tedious but definitely beats being bent over doing it in the garden. Here is what was matted:
Albion Hybrid Parsnips. 3" apart & 6" between rows
Carrots, 1.5" apart & 3" between rows. Varieties grown are:Purple Dragon Carrots
Yellow Amarillo (seed from Soggy Creek Seed Co.)
Scarlet Nantes Carrots (seed from Hometown Seeds)
After the seeds are laid out and dried you just roll them out in the garden, cover with soil and water. Now I just have to wait for them to grow. The greens in the middle of the seed mats are Tatsoi. They will be harvest soon so they will not interfere with the new planting. The multiplier onion in the back on the other hand maybe a little close. They may be moved or I may put in some kind of divider to keep the carrot foliage off of them.
Pahahaha! I can't believe you TP'd your own yard! ;-) Thanks for the laughs!
ReplyDeleteYou had me wondering where this post was going! no pun intended.
ReplyDeleteTerrific idea ....
Great idea- I hate thinning - it seems wicked to destroy growing things - or am I just a softie?
ReplyDeleteGenius! I also hate thinning and have little patience for fiddling around with little seeds. My carrot efforts so far have been pathetic so I am definately going to give this a go.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. Might have to steal it!!
ReplyDeleteFor a second....I thought maybe you had too much home brew Saturday night! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteLOLOLO::::: you are too funny Dan.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great idea.....for those tiny seeds....
thank you Granny...:)
Perfect timing. This was on my "to do list" for this week. Thanks for the link to Granny's directions.
ReplyDeleteDan- what brand TP biogradeable? What glue did you use. I need to try this too.
ReplyDeleteI did seed mats for my carrots last time, but I think I'm a direct seeder kind of person. It was just too fiddly for me and I had trouble keeping the paper all covered so it would stay moist. If I did it as a seed tape I might like it more. I can see doing that with TP and cutting out long strips. Then I would only have to keep a small strip wet.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I like that first picture.
ReplyDeleteHope you didn't use the good stuff. This is one instance where the cheap variety would likely work better!
ReplyDeleteHilarious! Good idea, but definitely funnier in pictures!
ReplyDeleteHAHA! You totally got me. I should have known you were referring to seed mats.
ReplyDeleteI hope they work really well for you!
Like the pictures ;) but I must say that I'd miss out on my thinnings in salads and thinning let's me get really close to my bed forcing me to examine it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I find that slugs and bunnies do much of the thinning for me.
However, if I ever have need for seed tape, I'll know where to find instructions.
Usually the neighbor children TP your house - now we have even Granny's doing it! :D
ReplyDeleteSo what brand of toilet paper did you use? I am assuming the cheaper (thinner) varieties would work better?
Anonymous - I think any TP is biodegradable. Granny suggest to get it wet and if it easily pulls apart it will work well. Take-out napkins work too. As for the glue I used just white glue, it has to be water soluble.
ReplyDeleteReal cool idea!
ReplyDeleteQuite clever! Thank you Granny! I have tried the unbleached earth friendly paper towel but this is an improvement.
ReplyDeleteHa! AG is awesome lol. Good job, Dan! I want to plant carrots right now so bad but I have to wait for the fall weather to come around the corner.
ReplyDeleteLove the seed mats! They make everything so nice and straight in the garden.
ReplyDeleteNew technique in improving my gardening ability. Thanks a lot mate, hope your vegetable garden will be a good all year round.
ReplyDeleteI'll give it a try, my carrot rows always end up so random, and with big blank spots.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan!