Making Seed Tapes

Did You Know?

1. What is the only fruit with seeds on the outside? The strawberry. On average, there are 200 tiny seeds on the outside of a strawberry.

2. What are the largest seeds? The coconut — the seed of the coconut palm tree — is the largest seed, sometimes weighing as much as a bowling ball.

3. Do seeds know which way is up? Even if seeds are planted upside-down, the roots will grow down and the shoots will grow up. Gravity exerts its pull on the roots; and the shoots, seeking light, always grow upwards.

4. Do large seeds produce large plants and vice versa? Surprisingly, the size of the seed has no relation to the size of the plant it can produce. The seed of a giant sequoia tree, for example, is smaller than a milkweed seed.

Seeds are the beginning and the end — miniscule miracles that contain all that's needed to produce a sunflower, cabbage, or great oak. Watching these seemingly lifeless objects burst forth with growth is enough to capture the imaginations of most kids, but there are lots of ways to explore the wonder of seeds in addition to planting them.

Making Seed Tapes

Seed tapes are simply seeds fastened to a thin biodegradable paper with a glue that dissolves easily. They are fun to make, and they provide a handy way for kids to plant their seeds the appropriate distance apart. They also cut down on the chance of seeds being accidentally spilled onto the ground!

Materials:

• seeds
• corn starch
• paper towels
• small plastic bag with sealable top

1. First, dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1 cup of cold water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture starts to boil and turns into a gel, remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.

2. When mixture is cool, put a few spoonfuls into a small plastic bag and seal the top.

3. Take three or four paper towels, fold them at the perforations, and cut them into 1-inch strips. Unfold and lay them on a flat surface.

4. Refer to the seed packet to note how far apart the seeds should be spaced. Using a ruler and pen, make dots on the towel strips at the appropriate spacing.

5. Snip off the corner of the gel-filled bag and drop a little glob of gel on each of the marked spots. Place a seed on each drop of gel. The seeds will be firmly attached when the gel dries.

6. Lay the seed tapes in the soil at the preferred planting depth, cover with soil, and water.

Other Ways to Explore Seeds

• Have your kids search the pantry and refrigerator for any seeds they can find, such as lentils, dried beans, brown rice, poppy seeds, and so on. Plan a "seed snack day" in which each food item has to contain seeds in some form. What would they like to make?


• Kids can try to grow some of those pantry seeds to see what happens. Don't forget the tried-and-true avocado which can turn into a long-lived houseplant.


• Encourage your kids to Think Big. Some tree seeds can be successfully germinated indoors and later planted in the back yard. Some of the easiest ones to grow are: red pine, Douglas fir, Colorado spruce, thornless honey locust, red and silver maples, black walnut, American chestnut, white oak, and apple.


• Kids love handling seeds packets, and they can be inspiring to older children who may enjoy focusing their creative energy on creating their own packet. They can choose a favorite plant or make up a new one, make up a seed company name and logo, and design the packet. Help them decide what information needs to be included, such as planting tips and growing conditions.


• Share seedy language with your kids. Brainstorm seed symbols in our language (e.g., good and bad seed, seed money, seed of an idea). How does the word seed give different phrases meaning?


• Read about the work and experiments of Luther Burbank, a keen observer and curious scientist who explored how to produce better plants and tastier fruits and vegetables by saving seeds from selected plants.

Courtesy the National Gardening Association's Kids Gardening Web site.