These detailed instructions on how to make seed paper at home will give satisfy any gardener’s artistic ambitions.
Making your own seed paper at home is easy and a great way to recycle materials that might otherwise go to waste. I tear up newspapers, magazines, and used envelopes to produce pulp for my homemade paper. I especially like to use the colorful ads from the local grocery store. Lint from the clothes dryer can also be an interesting addition.
Here’s how to make seed paper at home. The only specialized equipment you’ll need is a deckle kit. I bought an inexpensive deckle set online for $9.99. It came with three pieces: a wooden frame, a plastic grid about an inch thick that fits inside the frame, and a fine screen. During papermaking, you’ll pour the liquidy pulp over the screen, and excess water will seep through. The plastic grid supplies support for pressing out additional moisture.
You can also make your own simple frame with four dowels or narrow pieces of wood trim. For detailed instructions on building your own deckle, see our article “Making Paper at Home.” The size of the device is up to you and depends on whether you want to produce 8-by-10-inch paper, a 4-by-6-inch postcard, or another size entirely.
How to Make Seed Paper at Home
The first step in the papermaking process is to create pulp. I place the equivalent of four or five sheets of coarsely torn paper into my kitchen blender, and I add water to cover it. My homemade paper is on the thicker side, because I prefer it to have texture, but you can add more water to create a thinner, more delicate paper. I use the blender’s pulse button to control the consistency of pulp. Don’t worry — it doesn’t have to be perfect.
I set the deckle apparatus inside a shallow glass dish. Next, I pour the pulp from the blender over the frame and tilt the dish over the sink so the excess water can spill out. Then, I blot away additional moisture with an ordinary kitchen sponge.
After blotting with the sponge, but while the pulp is still wet and inside the apparatus, you can press seeds into the pulp. I use seeds I’ve saved from sunflowers, squash, pumpkins, and all types of peppers, as well as seeds from expired seed packets. I like to mix and match them. For added fun, I create simple designs, using seeds to create a heart, happy face, or peace sign. I once wrote my grandson’s name in seeds.
The next step is to gently lift the screen from the grid and set it on a kitchen towel placed over a hard surface — a cutting board works great for this. Cover the new paper with another towel and sop up as much moisture as possible by gently rolling a rolling pin over the top towel. Finally, carefully transfer the new sheet of paper to another towel to dry. Near the end of the two-day drying process, you can stack a few books on top of the paper to prevent the edges from curling.
I gift my homemade, seed-studded paper to neighbors, friends, and family — even my mail carrier and librarian. Sometimes, I cut the paper to fit inside a greeting card. The paper is appreciated any way it’s given, and the seeds have been sown and grown in a multitude of gardens.
For more information on how to make seed paper at home, see the Mother Earth News article “Make Paper from Plants”.
Sherry Shahan
Morro Bay, California
Originally published as “Plant the Seeds of Friendship” in the Country Lore column of the October/November 2023 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
