Getting to Grips With Seed Mats et al.


Earlier this year, I spent a fascinating morning at Seed Developments finding out how they go about making biodegradable seed tapes, discs and mats. Naturally, they've given me a few samples to try, which I've supplemented with a few others I've found in various shops :)

This isn't my first venture into this field. You may remember I tried some mixed salad leaves discs for my 52 Week Salad Challenge experiments last year. The mats were ideal for my biochar trial as I didn't have to worry about getting an even number and spread of seed onto my compost. Later on, they also became part of my Travellers' Salad ;)

Prior to then, I'd dismissed seed tapes as a GYO option, partly due to lack of choice as most of the the seeds I like to grow aren't available in this form. The cost per seed compared to packets is quite a bit higher too. However, having trialled the salad mats last year, I'm now seeing their advantages. Sowing is quicker and less fiddly, plus there's no thinning needed. So, there's quite a bit of time and bending over saved during the growing season.

Lately I've seen another benefit. I'm suffering from RSI at the moment (and typing this isn't helping!) and as well as the pain, I'm finding fine finger control quite difficult. It means sowing larger seeds like cucumber is trickier than usual and quite often the seed pops out of my fingers before I can get it into the compost. So whilst I'd initially dismissed the cucumber seed mat as not really needed because larger seeds are so easy to handle, it's actually been a godsend this year.

Seed mats and tapes seen at the Edible Garden Show in March
Seed Developments is a British company (hurrah!) based in Somerset and is the top manufacturer of these products in the world. You won't find them named as such in the shops because they tend to 'badge produce' for companies like Chiltern Seeds, ProVeg, Suttons and DT Brown. I also see there's a new option available: a new online retailer (supplied by Seed Developments) is selling seed tapes, discs and carpets with lots more varieties on offer. I'm heartened by this as there's an opportunity for them to offer a wider variety of seeds to usual.

Georgie over at Common Farm Flowers is also trialling some seed tray sized flower mats. As a commercial grower, she sees possible advantages in terms of sowing time and optimum seed spacing. I was also going to blog about the production process (as it's the kind of thing I find fascinating), but I see I've been beaten to it already :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The 52 Week Salad Challenge is sponsored by Greenhouse Sensation.


    Note to readers: sponsorship goes towards my blogging costs and does not affect my independence.

    Comments

    1. Rachel9 May 2013 at 19:08

      This isn't really the same thing, because I don't think the seeds are spaced out in this paper, but I thought you might like it:
      Sheep poo paper florelopes.

      I have nothing to do with this company, and have never even bought any of their products, I just think they're rather cute.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Esther Montgomery9 May 2013 at 21:04

      Hi, VP. This is nothing to do with this post but I wonder (given your post on bacterial canker which Helen - http://torontogardens.blogspot.co.uk/ ) has alerted me to) I wonder if you would offer your opinion on a shiny spur on my apple tree - http://tinyurl.com/bqrh9en

      ReplyDelete
    3. Anna9 May 2013 at 21:18

      I did try some tape out about five years ago when I wanted to sow direct at the plot. I decided that it would be easier and quicker to get straight lines than doing it myself. The germination wasn't brilliant though and the seed expensive so that has been my one and only experience of them. I can understand their attractions though and may try again in the future. So sorry to hear that you are suffering from RSI at the moment VP and hope that it is not long lasting.

      ReplyDelete
    4. VP16 May 2013 at 09:15

      Rachel - I love that idea! Thanks for telling me about it :)

      Esther - I've had a look and emailed you.

      Anna - thanks Anna.

      ReplyDelete

    Post a Comment

    I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

    Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

    Your essential reads

    That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

    Image
    Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
    Read more

    Jack Go To Bed At Noon

    Image
    Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
    Read more

    Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

    Image
    The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
    Read more

    Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

    Image
    I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
    Read more

    VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

    Image
    Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
    Read more

    #mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

    Image
    Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
    Read more

    Make Use of Mildew

    Image
    On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
    Read more

    The Resilient Garden

    Image
      Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
    Read more

    Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

    Image
    The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
    Read more

    Testing Times: Tomatoes

    Image
      I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
    Read more