It's the middle of February in Iowa (zone 5a). Although it's probably above normal temperature outdoors, the wind is blowing with gusts up to 25 mph. There could be a lot of winter left out there, but I'm in the house.... gardening.
I've been making seed tapes!
I've never been a fan of planting carrot seeds, but I do love me some carrots! The older I get, the harder it's been to plant them, so I just haven't done it. But this year, I am trying something different. I unrolled 4 feet of toilet tissue, folded and creased it in half, and then half again. I unfolded it and cut down the middle of the four foot length to make 2 sections. Then I separated the two-ply four foot long sections to have 4 sections that are all creased down the middle.
I made a paste of equal parts flour and water. I laid a section of tissue out across the table next to a measuring tape, took a plastic toothpick and dabbed it in the flour paste, and put little blobs of the paste onto the tissue every 3 inches. Then I dabbed the toothpick in my little pile of carrot seeds and put a seed into each blob of paste down the strip. Then I folded the strip over along the crease to "seal" in the seeds and hung them over a chair to dry.
Now when it's spring and time to plant carrots, I'll be in the game again!
