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I remember seeing on The Good Life, Barbara 'icing' the garden, as Tom told Margo.

If I recall correctly, the idea was that difficult to germinate seeds could be started on some damp kitchen paper, then when the roots had started to show, tip all the seeds into a bucket of made up wallpaper paste. The mixture was then squeezed into seed drills with an icing bag.

Did this really work.

I have some wild flower seeds which I hope to sew in an area already overgrown, which made me think this idea might make it easier for the flowers to start.

thanks !

Hi, yes this is called fluid sowing. You chit the seeds until they have roots and then mix them into a gel type mixture, when I do it I use potato flour and make it into a gel as I don't like the fungicide in wallpaper paste. You can tip it all into a plastic bag, snip off a small corner and ice into prepared drills. I often use this method for parsnips and carrots just to give them a head start.

Happy icing, Lyn

Glad tohear it works, will give it a go next time ...thanks

Woweeee I've never heard of this at all that would be ace for gettin things started up where it's cooler for germination! thanks for the hint! I can't wait to try it.

Hi there - I'm interested in trying the potato paste for fluid sowing

How much flour to water, and do you need to cook it at all. Years ago I made my own wallpaper paste out of flour, and I remember it had to be cooked :-)

I don't really have a recipe as such, I usually put about a good tablespoon into a pan and put on some warm water and warm it to thicken, then thin it down to the consistency of wall paper paste, then cool it, if it looks a bit thick when it's cooled you can add some cold water to it, you're ready to work away then :)

Lyn

Thanks - that sounds like my sort of recipe :-)

bump for Northern Teacher

Well I've heard of starting off on damp kitchen towel and the like but not 'wallpaper paste' - brilliant thanks