Growing Plants With Garden Seed Mats

Growing flowers and vegetables from seeds is intimidating to some organic gardeners. Retailers are making it easier for gardeners to experience success with growing plants from seed by offering a large variety of seed tapes and seed mats that take the guesswork out of gardening.

Benefits of Seed Mats and Seed Tapes

Although seed mats don’t provide an instant garden, they are a shortcut to growing plants from seed:

• A biodegradable paper strip or mat embedded with seeds spaced at just the right distance means that gardeners don’t have to thin plants after germination, and no seeds are wasted.
• All of the seeds are easily planted at the same depth, to ensure faster germination. Gardeners can cut the mats to custom fit any area in the landscape.
• Seed mats and seed tapes make it easy to work with tiny seeds that are difficult to see, such as lettuce or petunia seeds.
• Rain won’t wash the seeds away.
• Birds can’t pluck the seed from the ground.

Success With Seed Mats

To achieve the best results with seed mats, gardeners must provide the same preparation and aftercare they would with any new seedbed. Do not lay a seed mat on a layer of hardpan soil and expect the seedlings to thrive. Work a 3-inch layer of compost into the top six inches of soil to provide a fluffy medium for new roots to penetrate. Cover the seed mat or tape with ½ inch of soil, and keep this consistently moist until germination occurs. Apply a 3-inch layer of organic mulch around the seedlings to suppress weeds and retain soil moisture.

Vegetable Seed Tape

Look for vegetable seeds tapes or mats that provide the gardener with a collection of plants that complement each other, such as a salad garden seed mat embedded with several kinds of lettuce seeds. Use vegetable seed tapes for plants that are notoriously difficult to space correctly, such as carrots. An herb garden seed tape is a good choice for a window planter beside the kitchen.

Flower Seed Mats

Use seed mats to protect seeds that commonly fall prey to birds, such as sunflower seeds. Gardeners can cut seed mats to custom fit each container on the deck. Wildflower seed blends are popular seed mat choices, and deliver a custom blend of flowers like coreopsis, painted daisies, baby’s breath, and cosmos.

Make Seed Mats

Retailers are increasing the seed varieties available as mats and tapes, but gardeners can create a seed mat with unusual flower or heirloom vegetable varieties to grow at home or give as a gift. Mix flour or cornstarch into a thick paste, and spread on a heavy-duty paper towel. Following the spacing directions on the package, sow individual seeds onto the paper towel. Allow the mat to dry thoroughly, label the mats, and store in a dark place until planting time.