Difference between revisions of "Seed bombs"

Latest revision as of 04:12, 20 April 2017

Seed bombs are also called “seed balls” (and are not dangerous). They are made from a mixture of compost and clay or loam, rolled into walnut-sized balls, each filled with a small amount of appropriate seeds, and then dried to be portable. Guerrilla gardeners usually prepare a few different types for various uses and carry them about, always looking for opportunities to use them.

Applications[edit]

Seed bombs are self-supporting, sprouting as soon as they are watered (usually when it rains); they are thus the easiest way to do guerrilla gardening. Unfortunately, they are also the least efficient: we have no control once they’ve been thrown, and there is a very high rate of attrition. They may fall in an unsuitable spot, may sprout and then die, or may contain inappropriate seeds for the environment where they end up. There is also effort involved: we have to make them, dry them, carry them around, and drop them. They can be stored in a cellar or fridge, but only for a few weeks.

Seed bombs are used for “seed-bombing” areas with no access, such as vacant land behind a fence; but they are even better where we can make a hole and cover them. The basic guerrilla tool is a sharp stick, called a dibbler: it can be long, to be used while standing up; or short, so we can carry it around.

How to make seed balls[edit]

1. Start with dry clay or loam, and sift it with a garden sieve, discarding foreign matter.
2. Take about half that amount of dry compost, and sift it in the same way.
3. Mix two parts soil with one part compost in a container.
4. Add a little water at a time and knead through to a stiff paste.
5. Pinch off a bit, the size of a small walnut, and roll it into a ball.
6. Make a hole about 2/3 through with your little finger or a stick.
7. Put in a good pinch of seeds; if large (bean, pumpkin), only one.
8. Cap the hole with a small plug of soil, and smooth it on firmly.
9. Put the balls in an egg tray to dry for 24 hours.

It may sound like a lot of work; but once the process is going, each bomb only takes a few seconds.

Variations:

• Soak the seeds in a seaweed infusion or weak compost tea for 1 to 8 hours, then discard any that still float: seeds that float are mostly broken or damaged and won’t grow or have weak genetic stock. Soaking feeds the seeds, but also activates them – the bombs have to be cast within a few days.
• We can stir the dry seeds into the soil-compost mix before adding water – but some seeds will be exposed, and they all tend to sprout very quickly.
• Alternatively, buy bombs from suitable dealers – it usually supports a good cause, such as the Berlin Guerrilla Gardeners! Good dealers will use local seeds that are guaranteed suitable.
• Some dealers (like us) also sell the soil mix and seed mixes separately, so optimal bombs can be put together.
• Bio balls or gift packs are also available.

Tips and tricks[edit]

Seed mix[edit]

The seed selection should be a balanced combination of following: -

• Local ground cover, such as clover (Klee) – or cress (Kresse) where it's damp or wet.
• Fast-growing plants that bind soil and provide shade, like local grasses; or buckwheat (Buchweizen), which is also a good green manure (a cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil).
• A variety of local flowers to support the bees.
• Local perennials, to keep the patch going for successive years.
• If possible, mushroom mycelium to clean and remediate the soil.

References[edit]

1. Seed ball on Wikipedia.
2. Guerrilla gardening on Wikipedia.
3. Samenbombe auf Wikipedia.
4. Guerrilla gardening auf Wikipedia.