Sowing small seeds is difficult, but there are options available to help

Question: Now that I'm getting older, it's becoming more and more difficult for me to see some of the smaller vegetable seeds as I plant them in the garden. For the past few years, I've ended up sowing my carrots, lettuce, arugula and other vegetables way too thickly because I couldn't see the tiny seeds very well. I also have arthritis, so separating the seeds is more difficult than it used to be. I feel like I've wasted so many seeds. Is there an easy way to handle small seeds so you can plant them at the right distance?

Answer: There are many vegetables, flowers and herbs that are extremely small-seeded. Handling these miniscule seeds often results in waste, both in terms of planting more seed than is needed and having to thin young seedings in order to give more room to those that remain.

There are five things you can do to help properly space small seeds.

First, some flowers and vegetables with tiny seeds are available in pelletized form. Pelletized seeds are coated with a layer of an inert ingredient, such as clay, to increase each individual seed's size and make them easier to handle. Farmers who sow seeds mechanically often use pelletized seed with their equipment. Make sure, however, that when you purchase pelletized seeds, you aren't buying seeds that have been coated with fungicides or pesticides of any sort. Also, pelletized seeds have a reduced shelf life and should be used the same year they are purchased. Johnny's Selected Seeds has many varieties of pelletized seeds for sale on its website, as well as in its catalog.

A second option would be to buy seed tapes. Seed tapes are made of biodegradable paper and have the seeds already embedded in them. To plant, all you have to do is dig a furrow, lay the seed tape down in it, put a bit of soil on top, and water. The seeds are embedded into the paper at the ideal spacing so there's no need to handle the seeds at all or thin the resulting seedlings. The paper degrades quickly as the seeds begin to germinate. Park Seeds and Botanical Interests Seeds have a selection of seed tapes available through their catalogs and websites.

A third option is to sow your seeds in a homemade gel. To start, bring one tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with one cup of water to a boil. Allow it to cool, and put it into a small, zipper-top plastic bag. Put a small number of seeds into the gel and stir them in so they are distributed evenly throughout the gel. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Dig your planting furrow as usual, and then cut a small, bottom corner off the bag. Slowly squeeze out the gel along the length of the planting row, distributing the seeds as you go. Cover the gel with a light layer of soil before watering.

A fourth way to sow very small seeds is called sand mixing. For this technique, mix the seeds with a few tablespoons of coarse builder's sand. Stir the sand until the seeds are distributed throughout it. Then, spread the sand in the planting area, making sure to sprinkle it evenly in order to scatter the included seeds. With this method, the placement of the seeds isn't exact, but it does help to keep them separated and reduces thinning.

And lastly, you can purchase a seed sowing tool, such as the dial seed sower from Territorial Seed Company (territorialseed.com). This handy little plastic gizmo has five different-sized seed openings. Simply fill the compartment with seeds, turn the dial to the correct size opening, tap it with a finger, and a single seed drops down the shoot and into the soil.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners” at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio with Doug Oster. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control” and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.” Her website is jessicawalliser.com. Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.