Seed tape?

[Ponderer]

I am starting this thread from some comments made on another regarding carrots.

I have never used seed tape and I am a fairly new gardener. I had read about making my own seed tape and was going to try that this year because my carrots were not thinned properly and did not do well along with some other things that came in too crowded as well.

what is the general consensus on seed tape from those that have actually tried it? For those that dislike it, why?

I do not want to waste my time and seeds making tape if there are reasons why I shouldn't. Thank you for your input!

[Russ]

I tried them, once.
I won't do it again because of the very poor germination.

Note: I tried many years ago, so they may have improved it.

[Spirit Deer]

I just looked up how to make seed tape. It seems like a lot more work than just thinning the plants or placing the seeds directly. I guess it's an idea if you have a lot of time on your hands.

[MomToTwoBoys]

I did seed tape with lettuce and let me tell you, I love it! I had a good thriving crop of lettuce that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten if I'd done it the other way.

[pinetree]

I tried it a couple times in the past. Total waste of time and money. I won't use it again.

[Durgan]

Almost everybody goes the seed tape route a few times in their life.

First commercial seed tapes are very difficult to manage. About the time it is laid in the row it breaks or get damp and presto there is a mess. The seed spacing on the seed tape is often too far apart and there is a waste of garden space. Plus unnecessary expense if that is an issue.

Then, people try to make their own seed tapes, which is time consuming and tedious work. Then the bright idea occurs to make little seed balls instead of using the tape. Not a good move.

There are better methods for planting most seeds. But some people have to make their own mistakes.

I can't imagine using seed tapes for lettuce, since the spacing for lettuce is about six inches. If crowded the lettuce does not grow properly. Twelve seeds produce a lot of lettuce if grown properly.

Carrots are about the only plant, due to the small seeds, which might use the seed tape method, if one is so inclined.

That said, been there, done that.

[Dave'sGirl]

Almost everybody goes the seed tape route a few times in their life.

First commercial seed tapes are very difficult to manage. About the time it is laid in the row it breaks or get damp and presto there is a mess.

.

this is the truth. AND, if it doesn't break apart, anything left showing dries the whole thing out thus reducing the germination.

I guess there's no bypassing the process of thinning out tiny seedlings