Prevent Seeds From Overcrowding With The Help Of This Kitchen Staple

There are a variety of reasons why gardening is good for your health, not the least of which is providing freshly harvested fruits and vegetables for healthy meals. However, when it comes to planting the seeds that lead to these harvests, you have to be careful not to overdo it. In a classic example of too much of a good thing, a common gardening mistake is planting too many seeds too close together. For those hoping to prevent this overcrowding faux pas, cornstarch may be the solution.

Proper spacing is crucial for plants to survive and thrive. For starters, having proper spacing allows plants to get adequate hydration and nutrition. Additionally, it gives air a chance to fully circulate around the plants, which not just allows proper growth but also helps prevent disease, as well as fungus and bacteria growth. It also ensures each plant gets plenty of nourishing sunlight and reduces stress. So, while it is tempting to load up the rows with excessive amounts of seeds in an attempt to grow a flourishing garden, your harvests will be much more bountiful if you allow proper spacing.

Products such as Smartsolve Seed Tape and various seed gels can assist gardeners in getting the proper spacing for their seeds. While those products are commercially available, gardeners wishing to DIY such planting aids can do so with the help of cornstarch and a few other basic items you likely already have around the house, such as Ziplock baggies, water, small saucepan, scissors, and, of course, seeds. For seed tape, you will also need paper towels and a squeeze bottle such as an empty condiment bottle.

When you get ready to make seed tape, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and cup of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Transfer the cooled concoction to a squeeze bottle. At this point, you can also add a bit of food coloring if you wish to better be able to see where your seeds are on the strip. Then, cut a few paper towels into 1-inch strips. Put dots of the cornstarch/water mix along the edges of the paper towel strip at the distance suggested on the seed packet. Place seeds on top of each dot, then fold the paper strip to cover the seeds. With this method, you can easily create multiple strips if you are sowing companion plants in your garden.

To make seed gel, you also begin by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Let it boil for 1 minute then allow it to cool. Scrape the layer of skim from the surface of the cooled gel. Then, put the gel in a ziplock and mix in seeds. Stir it thoroughly so it's evenly mixed. Seal the bag, cut a small hole in the lower corner of one bag, then squeeze an even layer of the seed-filled gel along each planting row.