May was a strange month this year. The weather was outright schizophrenic. Our annual garden is usually well on its way by this time, but the cool spring had moments of winter bluster. Twice in April and twice in May we had hail. Hail. Certainly not a four letter word you expect to attach to the mildest season in sunny California! I kept hesitating to dig in transplants until early May thanks to the fickleness of overnight temperature which doggedly hung in the low 40’s with the occasional crunch into the 30’s, nearly 20 degrees colder than average. However, while I wrangled with indecision, I did stumble across an interesting what if I try … I lost track of the original source, but there are several web sources that cover this idea … for making your own seed mats.
This simple brainstorm functions like those garden flower strips in a roll for the weekend gardener sold by big box stores or mail order house. Equally distanced seeds would reduce the thinning typical after sprinkling/casting to spread dastardly teeny tiny seeds. Gardening addicts know the ones I speak of … lettuce and carrots are the most maddening, invariably falling and germinating in frustrating clusters where handfuls of sprouts are wasted during back-breaking thinning for a single plant to achieve full growth. Using thin paper with water soluble glue to space those luscious future greens looked like a golden opportunity! I was excited. While watching evening TV with the hubby and babbling enthusiastically about reducing the dreaded thinning process, I measured off a 2-inch grid sheet for a pattern, marked thin paper towels, dotted with white glue and placed teeny tiny seeds with a toothpick. My ever-supportive mate smiled, nodded and made approving noises.
The process is deceptively simple and requires surprisingly less time than you would think. All you need is a sheet of regular paper to start; once the grid pattern is marked you can file it for future use. As shown in the photo above, my approach to marking a staggered planting grid was quick ‘n dirty: after penciling diagonals from corner to corner of the paper, I measured 2” lines to either side and completed a grid of diamonds, inking the intersections darkly to show through thin napkins or paper towels. Plants won’t care if the grid isn't square.
Here’s the simplicity of a Seed Mat:
- Use a paper napkin or paper towel that will dissolve reasonably quick with water. Test by soaking a corner and pulling … the paper should shred promptly. You want the cheap stuff here … it’s a good use for those small fast food napkins that are stuffed in wads into your takeout bag (yes, I occasionally crave an In-and-Out Burger). Lay the paper choice over your pattern sheet and, using a permanent pen, mark off the intersections of the grid.
- Any thin water soluble white glue will work. Squeeze a small drop on each marked dot on the paper.
- Empty a packet of teeny tiny seeds into a small dish. Using the tip of a toothpick, pick up 2 to 3 seeds and tap into a glue dot. Start the first pass by licking the fresh toothpick. After the first glue dot, there will be enough glue sticky on the toothpick to inoculate the rest of the dots with at least 2 seeds to ensure germination.
- Allow the glued seeds to dry. I worked in lots of 8 to 10 mats as clear horizontal surfaces are a premium in my house.
Once arranged to your liking, completely cover the seed mats with thin fine soil … I used potting soil. We haunt the broken bags at the big box store (Home Depot or Lowe's) for half-off bargains. Wet thoroughly with a fine spray of water or gentle waterfall from a watering can. Keep constantly damp until germination.
Despite the fact that most lettuces require an average of 6” spacing for full growth, starting at 2” spacing still appealed to me. I like eating baby lettuces … ooo, microgreens! … and it will be easy to pluck 2 out of 3 plants in a pretty line versus sorting through a messy clump while the bent back shrieks a reminder of creaking age. Carrots easily cope at a 2” spacing and will require only one morning of checking to see if there are twin sprouts fighting for a single position in the grid. I’m excited again by this simplified process!
By the way, the Seed Mats in the photos are batch #2. What happened to batch #1? Well, they didn’t make it to the garden. About a week of strange weather after creating them, I set them out on the table in preparation for planting the next morning in the prediction of warmth and sunshine. While drinking my coffee in an effort to fully awaken to the new day, I quizzed my morning lark mate of 26 years if he had perhaps moved my paper towel seed mats now missing from the table. His eyes went large and then squeezed into the trapped husband squint of oh-no-I-screwed-up-again and the sputtered feeble defense: “You NEVER told me about making Seed Mats!”. Ah, remember the cozy evening together before the TV that I described in paragraph two of this posting? You guessed it, selective hearing doomed batch #1 to an ignoble end in washing the truck windows. The bright light of my life made himself scarce with important errands while I started batch #2. Yeah, I know, I’m not a friendly person before that first full cup of coffee. However, batch #2 went quickly thanks to the practice run ... all in the perspective ... and he brought home a new seed package of Mixed Greens.
I will update on the germination success of the planted Seed Mats. I can’t wait! I’m checking morning and night. I have high hopes this is an ideal method for maximum harvest from those dastardly teeny tiny seeds with the huge plus of reduced thinning. Do make Seed Mats for those little corners of your garden … just make sure your head-nodding spouse is actually listening when you explain the reason for those oddly patterned paper towels.
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