Thursday, May 10, 2007

Seeds Bombs - Ready for Firing (and Flinging)


Ah, yes - a project filled with much promise. I am still holding onto the quote from the Path to Freedom website that states these bombs are great for 'derelict' sites. Man-o-Manishevitz, I hope so.

I have been making seeds balls in the evenings, while watching my Netflix DVDs. I ended up getting regular terracotta clay from the art supply shop. I mixed the following seeds with some compost, pinched off a penny-sized bit of clay and molded, rolled, molded, rolled. A good workout for my digits. I set them in the sun for a day or two (to harden) and simply placed the bombs on top of the soil.

Natives
Echinacea
Black-Eyed Susan

Annuals
Bachelor's Buttons
Calendula
Cosmos
Love-in-a-Mist
Sunflowers

I will test them out in two sites on our land. One - the bad of the bad - a true derelict site - compacted red clay that we have tried to till up. The second - a more humus-rich soil in a bed that I made over the winter. Both full sun.

I am helping the clay soil spot a little bit with occasional waterings. The other will have to rely, somewhat, on nature. Seed bombs are specifically designed to deal with areas that receive low rainfall - as the clay/compost combination protects and feeds the seeds as they sprout.

Please visit the Path to Freedom site for great directions (and photos) on how to make a seed ball/bomb. It also lists other sources on seed balls - if you want to dig further.

3 comments:

Steph said...

Oh, I am so fascinated with these! Can't wait to hear how they turn out!

anna maria said...

Thanks for the link - that's an intriguing idea.

Tracey said...

I am so thrilled to hear they interest you both, as well. When I realized the potential, I became obsessed.