A gel-coated seed is provided, which has sufficient strength for handling just after the production thereof and after the recovery following the storage under drying, and has a good property in terms of standing-up of seedling. The gel-coated seed includes: a seed of a plant; a coating gel-layer, which coats the seed, consisting of alginic acid-based aqueous gel gelled in the presence of a multivalent metal ion; and grains consisting of water-containing hydrophilic polymer, which is resistant to the multivalent metal ion, distributed in the coating gel-layer.