The Muffin Pan Hack To Perfectly Space Seeds In Your Garden Bed

Whether you only have space for a small row of tomatoes or you're planning a full blown, multi-crop garden, sustainably sourcing your own food and cutting down on your carbon footprint and grocery bill are always good ideas. As a hobby, gardening is good for your mental health and growing food is incredibly rewarding for many. 

While gardening can be very relaxing, beginners and experts alike can easily get overwhelmed, especially when starting a new garden bed. If you've ever picked up a packet of seeds, you've likely seen the planting guidelines that explain the best time to sow, the conditions they need to grow, how much water to give them, and how far to space them apart. Following these guidelines prevents roots from clustering together, which could lead to the plants becoming root bound or fighting one another for vital nutrients in the soil. Plants grown too close can also become a breeding ground for pests, and a surefire way for diseases to pass around the garden bed. Proper spacing can become intuitive over time, but if you've got a muffin pan, the task will be that much simpler.

While some expert gardeners have a cache of fancy tools and equipment, they certainly aren't required for a functional garden. Instead of getting a seed spacer or a specialty measurer for your garden beds, all you need is a muffin pan. The TikTok account @vego_garden shows off how easy it is to space your seeds using the common bakeware essential.

The hack is incredibly simple and great for beginner gardeners. Grab a muffin pan and simply press the bottom of it into your soil, whether that's in a garden bed, a large pot, or directly into the ground. Press it down firmly, making sure the cups are thoroughly dug into the dirt. What you're left with when you pull it up is a group of 12 round dents in the dirt which are perfect markers for your seeds. You can sow seeds directly to the indentations and cover them with seed starter mix, or use the indentations as a guide for digging out holes for small seedlings.