Let them throw seed bombs

This blog post is by Nicola Baird sharing ideas about thrifty, creative and eco-friendly ways to raise children. This post introduces you to a seed bomb. For more info about my book Homemade Kids, with lots of ideas about parenting click here.

Near where I live there’s a network of streets that have plants around the trees, topiary-shaped hedges, vegetables growing in bags/containers and a community noticeboard. Last weekend the organisers were one of 90 London areas to hold a Chelsea Fringe event. The aim at the Blackstock Triangle was to share plant knowledge and enjoy a good gossip over a cup of tea and homemade cakes.  One of the newest bits of gardening gossip turned out to be how to make your own seed bomb filled with wild flower seeds.

It’s so easy and such a good idea I recommend you nick it and do something similar – maybe at your child’s nursery or school fete, or make them yourself and send the kids home with them as a party bag treat (pop into a paper bag or if you fear crumbly disasters then a small plastic sandwich bag). Even very little children are enthusiastic seed bomb makers. Bigger ones will enthusiastically take over running a stall (see pic above).

Love your street
To make it safer, the street was closed to traffic and decorated with bunting made by a collective of neighbours. There were free seeds and a chance to enter the vegetable Olympics. Guess the races? Olympic flame (using a cucumber) parade; potato basketball (rather like a potato race) and cauliflower dressage – just tuck the veg between your knees and ride to the end and back as fast as you can. More info on what was done at organiser Naomi’s informative how to garden blog, outofmyshed.

Here’s how to make your own seed bomb:

1 Mix together one part wild meadow seeds, with three parts compost and five parts dry clay. Then add a little water. (Seed bomb making is an art, not a science, so measurements can be varied. Use less compost if it’s hard to find, eg, 1:1:5 or 1:3:5 – think of it as seeds/minerals/mud or seeds/compost/clay).

2 Mix well then take a mean handful and squish and press into a ball (a bit bigger than a squash ball).

3 Leave to dry in a sunny spot. We left ours over night too (approx 24 hours).

Here’s a short video from the original guerrilla gardener if you need some reassurance and pix on what to do.

NOW IT’S TIME TO THROW THAT SEED BOMB

4 The next time you go out on your usual journey – to nursery/school/the shops/office – take your seed bomb with you and lob into any unloved area of land.

Even though you planted it, bet you get a surprise in a few months time when lovely flowers start to grow there causing “havoc in the urban wilderness”.

Over to you
What would you put in your seed bomb? We had cornflower, scented mayweed (camomile), vetches, sunflowers, poppies and many others which you could just buy in a meadow seed mix. More to the point where would you throw a seed bomb?

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Tags: chelsea fringe, guerrilla gardening, homemade kids, kids gardening, party bags, postaweek2012, seed bombs

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