Seed Tapes And Discs Making Planting Tiny Seeds a Snap

Seed tapes and seed discs are planting aids that can be helpful to new gardeners, time-limited gardeners, and those with issues related to eyesight or dexterity. They make quick work of planting tiny seeds in beds and containers, and they’re a great way to get kids interested and let them help in the garden. 

We’re accustomed to shaking seeds from a packet out into our hands and then dropping them one by one into well-spaced holes or at even intervals along a shallow trench. Then we pat a little soil over the top, water, and wait to see how we did. Are the plants evenly spaced? Did we miss a spot? Did we forget an entire row? Did we spill 200 seeds because we sneezed? 

Seed tapes can take guesswork out of planting, and even solve other issues with birds eating seeds or heavy rains washing newly planted seeds from rows. And you won’t accidentally plant a couple hundred basil seeds in a four-inch pot.

What is a seed disc or seed tape?

Seed tapes are long, like an extended piece of masking tape, while seed discs are round, like a flattened coffee filter. But, instead of tape, there are two layers of biodegradable tissue, with seeds trapped in between the layers. They aren’t sticky, despite the tape part of the name. Seed tapes can be cut to any needed length to fit planters and raised beds or used to create entire rows of vegetables. 

You likely won’t find seed tapes for large seeds that are easy to sow, like sunflowers or pumpkins. But for tiny seeds like basil, carrots or turnips, they make a lot of sense. Not only are those minuscule seeds difficult to sow with accurate spacing, but most are darkly colored and can be quite hard to see, making you guess if you dropped one, two or even no seeds in a spot. 

When sowing tiny seeds, it’s very easy to plant them too deeply. Any variance in the trench you drew with a tool—or your finger—is a spot where a tiny seed can fall down more deeply than intended, creating spotty germination. Seed tapes mitigate the issue of spacing and even seeing those itty-bitty seeds, and helps ensure a constant sowing depth for even, reliable sprouting. 

A seed disc provides the same benefits but in the shape of a circle, not a line. They’re particularly suited for planting small pots of herbs meant for fresh cutting while young but are also useful for sprouting seeds and transplanting the seedlings later. Since the material is biodegradable, it quickly disappears in the potting soil, leaving only well-spaced young seedlings. 

Since we normally plant the entire disc or tape at one time, there is no seed left over for next year and that’s not a bad thing for new gardeners. Many of the crops available as seed tapes and discs germinate much more reliably with fresh seed. Seed tapes eliminate the combination of old seed and spacing problems that can result in a spotty, gapped row that wastes valuable growing space. 

How to use a seed tape or disc

Using a seed tape or two is about the fastest way there is to plant a bed of carrots or turnips. It couldn’t be easier. If you can draw a line in the soil with your finger, you can plant with seed tapes.

For an example, we’ll explain how to plant a row of Nantes carrots with carrot seed tape. Seeds ‘N Such seed tapes come in 7.5-foot lengths, perfect for the common eight-foot long raised bed. However, if you want to plant a couple of rows crosswise in your raised veggie bed, cut the tape in half, providing two pieces, each a bit over 3.5 feet long. Seed tapes work equally well for planting rows in standard, in-ground gardens.

Prepare the seed bed just as you would for any other seeds, loosening the soil, working in some compost, and removing stones and weeds. Rake it smooth or smooth the area with your hand. Using a hand trowel, a dibble, or your finger, draw a trench in the soil about ¼ to ½ inch deep. If using your finger, that’s about half as deep as the distance between the end of your finger and the first joint. 

Lay the section of seed tape down in the trough and refill it from both sides, lightly firming and smoothing as you go. Don’t bury the seeds too deeply. For a second row, make another planting trench about a foot from the first, and repeat. Grab the watering can or a hose with a rain wand and gently but thoroughly water in the seeds, and you’re done! Mark the ends of the rows with a stick or plant label.

The process for seed discs is similar, whether in the garden or in a pot. Fill the container with potting soil to about an inch from the top. Lay the seed disc inside, and add a layer of soil over the top according to the instructions. Gently water the container and set it in a warm, sunny spot. 

Tips and Tricks for using seed tapes and discs

• Remember to provide adequate spacing between rows. Seed tapes are so easy to plant that it’s tempting to stack them right next to each other, but the mature plants will need their space.

• You’ll likely still need to thin the rows after germination for most crops, just like with regular seed sowing. As a beginning guideline, wait until the plants are 3–4 inches tall, and remove every other seedling by snipping it off with scissors or pinching it off. Of course, if there was a bare spot, you could use that as growing space for the seedlings on either side of it and leave a few extras. 

• Succession planting is no chore with seed tapes, since a new row can be planted in two minutes. Purchase several and keep them on hand in a cool and dry spot, then plant a new one every two weeks for an extended harvest.

• A dusting of mulch can go a long way toward helping carrots and turnips germinate. Carrots especially are susceptible to problems with soil crusting over in the sun and rain. First, the raindrops pound the surface, then the sun dries it out. The tiny and fragile carrot seedlings can encounter too much resistance from a crusted soil surface and fail to break through. 

A mulch layer of crumbled straw or dried grass just sufficient to shade the surface and keep it cool will prevent soil crusting and maintain a bit of soil moisture, which is exactly what those baby carrot plants need. When properly applied, you should be able to see soil peaking through the mulch, which should be only ¼ to ½ inches thick and a bit sparse. After they’ve grown larger, you can mulch more heavily for weed control.

• Label as you go! Planting a dozen rows of carrots, turnips, radishes, and beets, or half a dozen pots of oregano and basil, can be done in a matter of a couple minutes. Then, after a cold glass of iced tea, you may have forgotten which is which. 

• Remember to water seeds after planting to provide moisture, which will help break down the seed coat and start the germination process. Of course, if you are planting right before a gentle rain, Nature will take care of that for you.