How Tuesday - Making Seed Tape

Okay, do you have extra rolls of toilet paper in your house too?

We did not even hoard, we just bought a package if they had any at the store when we were shopping and as a result, we have a few extra rolls.  I had always heard that you could make seed tapes with TP, so I figured now was a great year to try it with all this surplus.

There are several ways to make seed tape, I found instructions on Hometalk Make Your Own Seed Tape | Hometalk , Mistress of Dirt How to Make Seed Tapes for Easier Sowing | Empress of Dirt and Garden Betty Make Your Own Seed Tape - Garden Betty

Seed tape is basically a strip of paper with seeds embedded for precision planting. If you have trouble with spacing, or if you like me think more seeds are better, or you have trouble telling seedlings from weeds, seed tapes are a great way to plant.  Seed companies make seed tape, but rarely is it made in every variety so a homemade tape with your perfect seeds is the way to go.

 

All you need is toilet paper and glue and a couple other items to make the job easier.

Because they’re on a tape (or length of toilet paper, really), you can also control how far apart they are planted. The entire thing is placed in the garden. The toilet paper will disintegrate, and the seeds will sprout right where you planted them.

How is this different from simply going outside and dropping a seed into the ground? Why take the extra step of making seed tape?

Seed tape is good for:

+ tiny, hard to manage seed.

+ Seed you don’t want to plant too much of just to have to thin out later.

+ increasing germination rates.

+ less seed waste

+ Giving you a winter garden activity when you are dying to garden outside (even though it is -11 today!)

+ keeping seeds in place when there is a hard rain.

 

Making Seed Tape:

•   Toilet paper or paper towel
•  Seeds
•  Paint brush, pencil or tweezers
•  Glue / paste made from 1 teaspoon baking flour and a bit of water; or Elmer’s glue mixed with a bit of water; or straight up dots of water soluble glue
•  Measuring tape / ruler

 

Steps to creating seed tapes:

1     1. Make your own paste by combining flour and water. The glue should be thick enough to sit on the end of your brush or pencil without dripping. You need only about a teaspoon of flour to glue several tapes.

2,  Decide on the length of your tapes.  For a raised bed or in ground flower bed 2 foot lengths work well.  For container gardening, make tapes about 12 inches long.
   

    3. Tear off the length of toilet paper you want and write the name of the seed type on it. Do this first or you might forget.
  

     4. Use your seed packets to help you decide how close together you want to place the seeds.  Make them slightly tighter together to make allowance for germination issues.
   

     5. Pour the number of seeds you’ll be using on a clean plate and spread them apart so they’re easy to pick up one at a time.
   6.  Place a dab of glue and add a seed.

        OR You can add the glue to the TP and then drop in a seed to each drop.
   

     OR put the glue on a pencil tip and poke it into seed and place on TP
  

     OR dab a paint brush in glue and draw a line and then sprinkle seed onto the wet glue.


  7.  Fold the TP over the seeds before the glue is dry to protect them from falling off.  This is especially good to do with tiny seed    Once dry, the seeds will stay in place.

Extra tips:

·      When those little glue dots have hardened, roll up your seed tape and stash it in an envelope or zip-top bag until you’re ready to use.

·        For some plantings you can get more per square foot by planting diagonally rather than in a straight line.  You can create tapes and off set them or use a zigzag pattern down the length of paper.

·        Using tweezers to drop a seed onto each dot of glue, can make the process easier than using fingers or a paint brush.

·        Since tiny seeds barely need to be covered, the paper makes it simple to see how much soil you’re adding on top.

·        Once you’ve glued on all your seeds, allow ample time for the glue to dry and make sure the seed tape is not sticking to your surface.

      

      I roll the seed taps up and store in a ziplocked bag until ready to plant.

 
When planting your seed tapes:
 
At planting time, simply water your soil and smooth the surface. Unroll your seed tape, set it on top of the soil, and lightly cover with more soil. It’s okay if the toilet paper shows through a bit; it will quickly disintegrate and decompose in the ground.

As with seeds sown, either by seed tape or the traditional way, gently mist or spray the soil until the seeds have sprouted and established firm roots; you don’t want a strong blast of water to displace your meticulous work. Within a week you should see perfectly spaced rows of little seedlings coming up!

 

Mistakes New Herb Gardeners Make

So you're thinking of herb gardening, or maybe you tried it last year and it was an utter disaster? Have no fear. There are a few simple mistakes that many herb newbies make (and I know, because I made most myself). Master these simple and practical tips for herb gardening and you'll be using your own fresh herbs in no time.

Fresh herbs are one of the greatest ways to increase the taste of your food healthfully. I often toss whatever leafy herbs are at hand liberally into a salad to add unexpected variations in flavor (basil, oregano and dill are all great choices). Fresh herbs can add punch to sauces or create intensely flavorful crusts for roasted meats. While fresh herbs are now regularly available at grocery stores year-round, growing your own herbs is a great way to master flavors you like and control the origins of your food. Growing herbs at home can be easy whether you live in a house in the suburbs or an apartment in the city.

Let it be known that one of the reasons I started to grow herbs was because they are much more resistant to diseases and infestations, but that still means you need to avoid a few mistakes to be able to enjoy them to the fullest. 

Don’t worry I am not going into soil pH, chemical make up of the soil or any of that.  Those discussions are for those who want to increase a harvest, not enjoy a few herbs in the backyard.  I have only tested my soil once or twice and once was because I was afraid it may have changed after a horrendous flood.

Mistake 1: Growing from seed. Many herbs are perennials rather than annuals (dill, cilantro and basil being exceptions) which means they take forever to mature and impatience can set in.  When you first start out trying to grow fresh herbs, I recommend you begin by trying to grow from seedlings rather than planting your own seeds. You can even grab a small plant at the grocery store to get you started.  Seeds grow slowly; some take weeks to germinate; others need precise conditions to sprout and grow.  All of these can be a headache for a new herb gardener, so skip it dive right in with plants.

Mistake 2: Starting with the wrong varieties. Choose herbs you enjoy eating, those that enjoy the weather where you live.  Don’t try something that says it likes cool weather if you, like me, live in Chicago.  Those hot days in late June will kill it.  Some plants can help you grow others.  Basil wilts if it does not get enough water, you can use it to gauge if you are watering all your plants enough.  Or choose scented geraniums, which love dry soil and will endure being forgotten rather well.

scented geranium

Mistake 3: Watering potted herbs like houseplants. It is better to water herbs daily only a moderate amount than to water once a week like a houseplant and let them dry out.  Houseplants love this, herbs require moderate and regular watering. This is particularly true during hot summer months. Make sure the soil drains well and that your containers have a drainage holes and it will be difficult to water herbs too much.

Mistake 4: Not cutting early and often. As a novice gardener, it may seem like your puny little plant just isn't ready for a trip to the barber, but then you will find yourself sitting there wishing for leaves without much success. Basil is a great herb to practice pruning. Basil, like many herbs, if you don’t trim aggressively it will continue to grow straight up, and become too tall and top-heavy. Clipping or pruning makes herbs bushy and causes them to produce more leaves.  It also keeps them from flowering.  You rarely, if ever, want your herbs to flower.  Flowering herbs lose flavor in the leaf when they produce flowers, giving you even more reasons to prune your herbs.

To prune you cut the herb just above a set of growing leaves. With basil, when you cut the plant that way, the originally trimmed stem will no longer grow. However, two new stems will grow around the original cutting, creating a “V” shape. 

Making your first trim approximately 3-4” above the soil produces a nice sturdy plant. Of course you want to be sure you are always leaving a few good sturdy leaves on the plant.

As it continues to grow, continue to prune it approximately every 3-4" for a nice solid plant. Your clippings make great bits of herb to experiment and cook with and result in more leaves to use later.

Mistake 5: Taking the leaves from the wrong place. When you are just starting out it seems to make so much sense to pick off a few big leaves around the bottom of the plant, and let those tender little guys at the top keep growing. Wrong. Leave those large tough old guys at the bottom alone. They are the solar panels that power your herb's growth. Once your plant is big enough to sustain a decent harvest, keep on taking from the top, as you have been when pruning. That way you get all those tender new herbs that are so tasty, and your plant gets to keep its well-developed solar power system in place. Plus, if you pluck from the base and leave the top intact, you get a tall skinny plant that will flop over from its own weight. (See rule above!)

Mistake 6: Growing the wrong variety. When choosing herbs, read the label carefully. For example, there are two main varieties of oregano: Mediterranean and Mexican. Mediterranean oregano is the more common variety, and what you likely own if you have conventional dried oregano in your cupboard. I have Mexican oregano growing in my personal garden. I love Mexican oregano in spicy dishes, for making beans from scratch, and often use it in tomato dishes where I don't want the flavor to seem too much like marinara. Similarly, there are several types of tarragon, French Tarragon and Russian Tarragon are the most common, however if you want a culinary tarragon then you want French which cannot be grown from seed and must be cultivated from root.  The first year it grows slowly then after that it springs from the root and gets more than 3 feet tall (see next rule).  The Russian variety is easy to propagate, drought tolerant and very often substituted for French, but the scent is not nearly as strong and the flavor for cooking is very limited.

Mistake 7: Being unaware of final size! If you are planting in soil instead of pots, take care that your cute little herb seedling doesn't become a giant plant that takes over your garden. A word of warning for oregano and mint: both can be voracious growers. If you are planting outside in a garden, rather than in pots, you may want to consider potting these herbs and then burying the pots in the ground. This will add a measure of control to the root systems of these herbs, which can otherwise take over a garden and strangle nearby neighbors. 

spreading spearmint

Mistake 8: Give yourself Rewards. There is an element to passion about herb gardening. To want to continue you need to feel rewarded. With herbs, finding uses and experimenting with new herbs and new uses can be that reward.  So don't stick too long with one or two herbs just because they work. Branch out to a few other basic herbs that you will use regularly in your kitchen. There are few things more rewarding than being able to pop out to garden to clip fresh herbs to use in my cooking. Once you have become comfortable with your first plant, I recommend moving on to try growing oregano, mint, rosemary and thyme. All are regularly useful herbs in the kitchen, and all are relatively easy to grow. 

Cuban oregano (with pansies)

A young woman in a Garden center near Burlington, WI introduced me to this year’s new herb. Cuban Oregano Plectranthus amboinicus, a semi-succulent perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae with a pungent oregano-like flavor and odor. It is native to Southern and Eastern Africa. It is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in the tropics where it is used as a traditional medicine, spice, and ornamental plant. I love the scent and cannot wait to try cooking with it.

Basil Perpetuo

I was also at a garden center and found a variegated Basil that I have wanted to try since I first wrote about it, Basil Perpetuo a beautiful basil with a great flavor for Pesto that I have been looking to buy as a plant since 2014, because I hate growing basil from seed!  You can read about this and other Pesto Basil in this post from 2014. 

Herb of the Week - Herb Seeds

This is the time of year to think about seeds and I wanted to turn your attention to seeds as a product of your garden, not just for saving to grow next year’s crop but for the benefit of those seeds in your tea and cooking.  So here is a look at Five Herbs to grow for the seeds:

Dill (Antheum graveolens)

Dill has medicinal properties including being a carminative (something that reduced flatulence) and a general intestinal aid against cramps and discomfort.  The name comes from the Old Norse word dilla which means to Lull.  In the Language of flowers this meaning of To Lull meant calming and soothing thought.  Dill is most famous for being used to make pickles.  You can save the entire heads and place in jars of pickled or fermented cucumbers.  The seed heads are also decorative and make great winter time dried arrangements.  You can also use them as a flavoring in breads and soups. I posted some great recipes using dill back in 2010

Pumpkin and Dill Soup

3 cups pie pumpkin cubes
1/2 tsp dill seeds
2 Tbls finely chopped onions
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbls butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper powder to taste

For The Garnish
fresh cream
chopped spring onion greens

Directions: 

Heat the butter in a deep non-stick skillet or Dutch oven, add the onions and sauté on a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the dill seeds and sauté for another 1 minute. Add the pumpkin pieces, salt and 3 cups of water and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Allow it to cool completely.

Once cooled mash the pumpkin or blend with a hand or immersable blender until smooth.  Add the milk and cook for 2 more minutes.  Serve hot garnished with cream and spring onion greens.

Coriander – the seed of Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)  

Cilantro is the herb of the year in 2017 and one thing I learned early about cilantro is you must embrace its habit of going to seed.  Cilantro is a wonderful spicy-flavored leaf used in Asian cooking and salsa, however heat makes this wonderful plant bolt and go to seed very fast in the hot months of summer. By the time the tomatoes are ready, the cilantro is long past its prime.  To avoid this issue plant cilantro at two week intervals by spreading a layer of seed right next to a planted crop.  You will have a constant selection of crisp cilantro and can also enjoy the seeds of coriander when they bolt.  Coriander is a common cough remedy and is seen to be an aphrodisiac.  The seeds are used to flavor beans, onions, potatoes, sausage, stews, wine and even baked goods.  It is a regular ingredient in curry and chili powders. I love coriander in my Do-It-All seasoning.

Here are two recipes for Coriander the first is a meat rub and the second is a crescent cookie

Lemon Coriander Cookies 

The lemony flavor of coriander enhances the fresh lemon taste of these tender cookies.

3/4 cup Butter

1/3 cup Sifted powdered sugar

1 Tbls Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Lemon peel; grated fine

1 tsp Coriander, ground

2 cup Flour

1/3 cup Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

In a large mixer bowl, beat butter until softened. Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add lemon peel, lemon juice and coriander; beat well. Add flour; beat until well mixed. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Shape the dough into 1 1/2" long by 1/2" wide logs. Curve each log into a crescent shape, tapering the ends. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 18-20 minutes or until done. Remove and cool. In a plastic bag, gently shake a few cookies at a time in 1/3 Cup powdered sugar.   These will keep for 1 week in an airtight container and up to 3 months in the freezer. 

Coriander Meat Rub

Homemade rubs are a quick way to transform roasted meat, poultry, and vegetables into something special. Use this one on both steak and potatoes. 

2 Tbls coriander seeds

2 Tbls whole peppercorns

1 Tbls dried thyme, chopped

1 Tbls dried rosemary

1 Tbls plus 1 tsp coarse kosher salt

Toast coriander seeds in a heavy small skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar or spice mill. Add peppercorns and crush until broken into coarse pieces. Mix crushed spices with herbs and salt. Store in an airtight container for up to 18 months.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)  

These lovely summer edible flowers make great seed pods that you can turn into a substitute for capers.  You do this by pickling them.

Pickled Nasturtium Seeds

1 quart white vinegar

2 Tsp pickling salt

1 thinly sliced medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 peppercorns

½ tsp each allspice, mace, and celery seed

Combine all ingredients in a glass quart wide mouth canning jar.  Pick the green seeds pods as the nasturtium blossoms fall.  Wash seeds and drop into pickling mixture.  Keep the jar in the refrigerator and continue to add washed seed pods though out the fall, being sure to stir well each time you add more.  You can begin using them once you have collected at least a cup.  Any place a recipe calls for capers you can substitute these pickled beauties.

Anise – Pimpinella anisum

Not to be confused with Anise Hyssop or Star Anise the spice, this herb, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor has similarities with some other plants, such as star anise, fennel, and licorice.  Because it is an annual plant you can grow it here in the Midwest and harvest the amazing seeds.

Sprinkle them where you want them to grow in sunny loose soil, as they dislike transplanting.  The seeds have been used since Biblical times.  Back then it was so precious it became a form of currency.  Today we prize it for the amazing scent and the ability to help with digestive issues as well as the sweet flavor for use in pickles, salads, cookies and candies.  I did an entire Herb of the Week post on Anise in February 2011 and another in March 2013 so it is well represented with numerous recipes. 

And finally I have Caraway (Carum carvi).  

This dill-looking plant has seeds that are a popular spice, especially in central Europe.  They enhance pork, goulash, sauerkraut, cheese and pickles.  When added to cooking cabbage they reduce the smell. The seed can also be used to flavor bread and cakes.  Chewing on the fresh seed will settle the stomach and increase alertness, especially after a meal.  Chopped leaves are added to soups and salad, and the roots can be cooked as a vegetable.  The seeds are considered an antiseptic. This seed is used not only to flavor rye bread, but also in cakes, biscuits, cheese, carrot, potatoes cabbage dishes and sausage. Caraway is the main ingredient in my Savory Herb Bread. I shared a Cool Caraway Coleslaw recipe back in 2013. We did an entire herb of the week post on this herb too back in Feb 2011. I found an old reference that originated in colonial times, which used the seed tied into the corner of a handkerchief and chewed to help folks stay awake during long winded sermons.

Eight Unique Herbal Gifts for Mom

As Mother's Day approaches, I get asked what is a good herb gift for a mom.  It is a simple question with a huge answer.  So I thought I would put together a list of suggestions for Mom that include herbs from loving the scent to tea to just enjoying the look of them.  There is a gift here for all types of herb lovers!

HERB SCENTS

1. Grow your own Herbs with an Herb in a Pot (available from the Backyard Patch for $6.50 each)

This terra cotta clay pot combination includes soil, seeds, instructions and recipes for growing your own herb in a pot.  Tied into a package with raffia and twine it makes its own rustic gift box. Herbs available include: Basil, Cilantro, Thyme, Oregano, and  Chives.



2. Chase bugs and enjoy the relaxation of Lemon Grass Candles (available from Ashka Candles for $6.50)

Lemon grass scent energizes and relieves nervousness with its strong bug chasing scent.  These 4 ounce candles will burn for 30 hours or more.


HERBAL TEA

3. You can a new tea every month with a Tea Subscription (available from the Backyard Patch in differing lengths)

You receive two bags of loose tea, a tea infuser and a description of the tea in a decorative container each month.  You can customize the tea selections or leave the choices to us.

4. Beaded Tea Ball (available from the Backyard Patch for $3.50 each)

A bead decorated tea ball that will look elegant in any cup or mug!

5. Tea Samplers let Mom try out several teas (available from the Backyard Patch for $4.95 each or a set of 3 for 15.00)

These brochure-shaped samplers contain tea infusing bags, and three small packets of loose teas on themes like Bright Morning, Marvelous Mint or Luscious Lavender.

ENJOYING HERBS

6.  A Plant Press lets you save leaves and flowers and enjoy them later  (available from KathleenEmilyAnne for $30.00)

This plant press book is a set of paper envelopes into which you can place leaves and flowers and hold shut with the elastic band.  It is portable so you can take it on a walk with you and save memories.

7. Chocolate Cake in a Mug (available from the Backyard patch for $10.95 for 2)

Never forget Chocolate is an herb and this quick and easy cake can be made in the microwave in the mug provided.  Many mug patterns and styles available.  Save shipping by ordering more than 2.

8. Herbal Note Cards (available from LoriLooDesigns for $6.49)

Note writing is becoming a thing of the past, but your Mom may still be one to enjoy sending a thoughtful card and these wonderful photo note cards with herbs come in sets of three!

So hopefully I have given you some ideas for items to give your Mom to celebrate her special day!

Starting a Garden Journal

It’s that time of year when my garden is on my mind as I sift through seed catalogs and plan my Spring garden. This is actually one of my favorite times of the year for gardening, when the possibilities of the upcoming garden year are before me.  It’s time to shake off the gardening mistakes of the past and look forward to the new year.

How wonderful to sit at a large table, with a warm cup of my own, organically grown, herb tea, and dream about the warmth of the summer sun, surrounded by a smear of catalogs and ideas.

This year I am planning raised beds.  I will create and make lists of crops to grow and where I will put them.  It has been years since I had to plan a garden from scratch and I cannot wait.  But what to plant? and what does it need? and when do I start seed? For those answers I turned to my garden journals from years past.

 This is a page from 1993 

In 1994 I wrote out a monthly narrative of what was happening in the garden.

                                                       

                                                             By 1997 I was much less organized.

Now the question is did I make good gardening notes those years ago when I had a personal garden? Hopefully your garden notes are some place you can find them this year during planning time and not on sticky notes hidden somewhere. That is why it is beneficial to keep a garden journal.

Lorene Edwards Forkner makes this observation in her book, Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest – “Practice a little citizen science by keeping a garden journal to track what blossoms when; what the weather was doing at the time; and the corresponding appearance, or disappearance of backyard birds and insects. Over time you’ll accumulate a picture of the very unique seasons found in your own back yard and a series of valuable reminders that when you see this happening in the natural world it’s time to do that.”

The purpose of a garden journal is to keep track of what you planted, when you planted it, how to take care of it and if it worked for your garden. Once the pages are created, the information can be recorded by hand and retyped later.  For the past 14 years I have lived in an apartment, so my personal garden has been in pots on the deck. I have detailed notes in a spiral notebook about the successes and failures of containers.  All gardening experiences, good and bad, increase your skill set.

In my garden journal I:

•       keep growing notes on new plants I’ve never grown before
• ·         have a place to refer back on things –
• ·         What was the date I actually planted my garden
• ·         When was the garden soil dry enough to do a first tilling
• ·         When were the first and last frost dates for “my” yard
• ·         Was this a wet or dry spring and fall
• ·         keep detailed planting notes for crop rotation in my raised beds
• ·         have notes on new techniques I learn or want to try

These are pages from my Garden Journal available on Etsy

So instead of trying to remember the recipe for that new garden pest technique you tried or that great heirloom tomato you decided to grow, write it down in your garden journal. Make a quick note in a place where you know you can find it later. My personal preference is for a physical book; you can buy one or create your own.  If you are tech savvy, try an online garden journal instead.  Here is one to try: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/technology/personaltech/digging-in-the-dirt-with-gardening-apps.html?

Making the Journal

You can hand write everything in a spiral notebook or you can make customized pages and place them in a three-ring binder.  I have also purchased a day planner or calendar book and written everything in there.  It is all up to you.  The most important things to record are:

Garden layout and layout key page
The garden layout is a sketch of the garden. A grid created by inserting a table makes drawing easier and keeps everything in proportion. Leave room at the bottom for a key to list the symbols used to represent items in the garden.

First, sketch your home, driveway, patios, sidewalks and pathways. Next, fill in the flowerbeds, trees, shrubs and perennials. Create a key at the bottom of the page. On a separate page, list the symbols and the plants they represent for the entire garden.

Use a pencil so mistakes and changes can be corrected easily. You may need to rewrite or retype your list to keep the symbols in order for easy reference.

Since you’re working on a small piece of paper, you won’t be able to include everything. But be sure to include dominant features and plants.

Photo pages
Photographs keep track of how your garden has changed year after year. Panoramic shots or wide angle shots reveal both the good and bad. Close-up photos of favorite plants lets you can enjoy them year round.

Plant profile pages
Plant profiles keep information about your plants all in one place and at your fingertips. This section identifies plants, tells how to care for them/ and how you cared for them and where they are located in your garden. Find a plant profile page online and print multiple copies if you do not like recopying the same information. Record what you planted, when you planted it and how well it did.

Common name
Botanical name and/or cultivar
Type of plant
Location
Light requirements
Water requirements
When to plant or divide
When to prune
Flower
Note

Date seeds started indoors
Date planted in garden
Seed or plant source
Fertilize date and mix
Yield
Problems

Record of seedlings and cuttings
Keep track of how well your seeds and cuttings perform.

Plant name
Cultivar
Date planted
Seed or cutting source
Date seeds germinated
Total days indoors
Date transplanted
Location planted
Problems
Notes

TO DO page
Keep track of gardening tasks.

Rain
Fertilizer
Pesticide
Soil Amendments

Pocket pages
This is a great place to save plant labels, garden articles, postcards, notes and other inspirations.

Daily record Pages Note pages

Keep notes on problems and victories, record rainfall and weather conditions and other notes, drawings or anything else you want to remember, including those recipes I mentioned earlier.

Here are some links to plant sample pages you can download:

http://www.precioussister.com/blog/diy-garden-journal

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/gardening/ss/Printable-Garden-Notebook.htm#step10

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/sample-garden-journal-pages.aspx