close

Seed balls just might be the best way to get outside during quarantine

2 min read

By Aaron Dillon

Are you looking for something that is fun for all ages and can be done during quarantine? Do you like to support the local ecology? Want something more engaging to do on your next walk? If you do, then making some seed balls might be just what you need! This activity is a fun and easy way to get the whole family outdoors and excited about nature.

Seed balls or “bombs” have been around for a long time – their first recorded use was to repopulate vegetation after flood season in ancient times. More recently, seed bombs were used by guerrilla gardeners to reclaim vacant or underused land to support local flora and fauna. Whether you’re looking to spruce up an eyesore during your walk or just want something fun to do around the yard – the recipe below should work for you.

What you’ll need:

Clay (craft stores sell potters clay, but a good alternative during quarantine is kitty litter)

Compost/potting soil

Seeds

What you’ll do:

Take your clay or clay substitute, and mix with the compost (5 parts clay to every 1 part compost)

Once combined, add water and mix with your hands until it’s about the consistency of play dough. This can get messy, so if you haven’t already, this is an excellent time to recruit the kids!

Incorporate the seeds into the mixture and form into balls about the size of a golf ball.

It doesn’t matter if the seed balls are still moist or dried out, they can germinate either way!

Go for a walk around the neighborhood or your yard and toss the balls onto any spots with bare earth! Once it rains (or once you manually water them), the clay in the ball will begin to break down, and the seeds will germinate.

Tips from Master Gardeners:

Although not required, picking native species of wildflower will set you up for success because the seedlings are generally hardy and self-planting. Local varieties tend to be the preferred food source for our pollinators.

Try and make sure to plant seeds together that have similar bloom time and growing requirements.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today