Living salad: seed sowing jig

[quanglewangle]

We've experimented with "living salad" sown in reused supermarket trays in thin layer of compost. Start in greenhouse propagator and move into the house when first true leaves appear. So far so good - we will see how it goes over the winter.

The question is this: how to sow the seeds accurately? 5 -10mm spacing seems ideal and the supermarket ones are very accurately sown (robots?) and this seems to make a difference to the success.

Currently we coat the seed in talc so we can see it and use surgical/lab forceps so sow one at a time - clearly not a sustainable solution.

Any ideas of a way so sowing seed accurately?

(if we are being mad, do say so....)

[Small pumpkin]

You’re being mad

Life is to short to sow cut and come again/ living salad that accurately
Just sprinkle a thin layer of seed into your tray and let them get on with it.

[Snoop Puss]

Cadalot came up with an interesting jig for sowing spring onions. Have a look down his posts here for inspiration:
Alans Allotment: Spring Onions

I reckon you could come up with something similar for your salads. A sheet of something with holes poked through using a soldering iron or the like. Not sure about needing forceps, though. Me, I just use my fingers, but then I'm not looking for something as accurate as you are.

[veggiechicken]

My first thoughts are...............Life's too short to sow as you're doing!
What are you growing? Cut and come again salad leaves or cress/basil seeds?

EDIT snap SP

[quanglewangle]

Im old and have slight peripheral neuropathy so cant feel my finger ends. Mad too.

[quanglewangle]

In the past i have mixed seeds with wallpaper paste and used a cake icing piper but mrs quanglewangle squeals at that, and it only gives regular spacing in one dimension.

[lottie dolly]

use larger cell trays,yogurt pots,or them throw away cups,they can be used over and again,put a few seeds into each,if to may pull some out,by what ever method you choose,this will give you the same results,plus you could have some new,temporary window cill plants,if you wish,several could be placed into a trough without holes,just for watering purposes,as long as you got a hole in your initial pot of compost,good luck with your project,

[lottie dolly]

another thought,cut or rip some bits of tissue same sixe as the top of the pot/compost,when you have time you could prepare some seed disk's ready for use,thinking of BM here,as it was his idea,not sure what he used,glue or flower paste,it can be done on a tray sitting down or at the table,at your own pace ready for when you need them,but wright on the tissue what they are,so you remember,

[Scarlet]

You can buy seed sowing tools? My Mum also struggles with sowing seed so uses something similar to this:

https://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/mo...QaAp5rEALw_wcB

Though if you mix seed with some sand it may help with sowing? Sow from higher above your trays to disperse a bit...but may be not quite as accurate as you want it.

[quanglewangle]

What a great thread! Thanks for all suggestions.

Bringing it together i think i will try marking out a tissue; gluing seeds to it and dropping the sheet onto the compost.

Will let you know...

BTW: VC just salad, we do basil with cuttings with clonex - a lot quicker than seeds.

[muckdiva]

Could you sow reasonably thickly and then snip out the crowded plants to thin them - and pop those in your salad to save wasting them (like, ya know...micro greens)?

[Bren In Pots]

Life is to short to sow cut and come again/ living salad that accurately
Just sprinkle a thin layer of seed into your tray and let them get on with it.

That's what I do but in the past I've also mixed in some sand I find that works.

[veggiechicken]

BTW: VC just salad, we do basil with cuttings with clonex - a lot quicker than seeds.

Have you tried rooting it just in water?
I'm a simple chicken .

[quanglewangle]

Have you tried rooting it just in water?
I'm a simple chicken .

Simple? We don't do anything simple

[veggiechicken]

I have noticed