How to make a "seed bomb"

[happyflowerlady]

I saw this little video this morning about a new thing called Guerrilla Gardening. It is kind of like our American "Johnny Appleseed" idea, but this is happening in England, and spreading from there.
It is basically a way to beautify areas of a city or town that have been neglected. He says that they care for flowerbeds at abandoned houses, and in empty lots, or wherever they find them. They also make these seed bombs and put them in places so that flowers will grow.
I think this idea will catch on in America, as well. The seed bombs are basically a mixture of clay soil, a little fertilizer, and flower seeds, mixed together with water into a clump, dried, and then tossed out into empty lots or about anywhere that flowers could grow.
I am including the link to the video of how to make the seed bombs.

http://www.realfarmacy.com/guerilla-gardening-101-how-to-make-seed-bombs/

 

[claudine]

This is a really wonderful idea! I love it. In my city, there are no neglected areas, but if there were, I would make a bomb like this right away

 

[zigs]

Mixed thoughts on them, good idea for brownfield sites but only if they contain non invasive & native species.

 

[Becky]

Mixed thoughts on them, good idea for brownfield sites but only if they contain non invasive & native species.

That's a good point. I like the idea of doing this in cities - where we used to live there was a bit of land next to the canal that developers were trying to build on, but nothing ever happened because it's such a lovely spot and they couldn't get planning permission. A few seed bombs would have really improved the look of it I think!

 

[ChanellG]

Mixed thoughts on them, good idea for brownfield sites but only if they contain non invasive & native species.

As Becky pointed out, it is a very good point. My "mixed thoughts" are that while it's nice to have flowers to beautify these spaces, I think the energies of these people would be better spent putting an and the blight of abandoned houses, or creating community gardens on empty lots that teach people how to organically grow their own food.

 

[zigs]

You could bankrupt someone if you made a seed bomb of Japanese Knotweed.

 

[ACSAPA]

Too bad you can't make seed bombs of vegetable and fruit seeds. The city's homeless would eat like kings.

 

[zigs]

No reason you couldn't, apart from veg usually takes a bit of looking after.

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

I have seen this done (or I assume this was what happened). In a vacant lot that was covered in concrete rubble, someone had planted bulbs. In the spring, all of a sudden, the lot had pockets of flowers amongst the rubble. I am hoping it didn't cost a lot to do because the lot was redeveloped that summer, but it was a nice idea.

In Vancouver when a gas station closes, and another isn't going to be built, there is a five year period in which nothing can be built. Some community container gardens are built on these sites. It wouldn't be a bad idea for the others to be hit by a few seed bombs as anything growing will improve the ground.

 

[Pat]

There is a house that I have seen that was abandoned half built, it was just left, the roof was on and some of the walls had been installed but that was it, nature had started to reclaim the space and the house, it look like a seed bomb of sorts was taking back the property. The house looked like it was going to be really pretty, sad to see it abandoned.

 

[ChanellG]

Too bad you can't make seed bombs of vegetable and fruit seeds. The city's homeless would eat like kings.

I bet you could. Tomato seeds, watermelon and other things in the squash family often come up as volunteers. I'm sure there is a way to make it work, but the problem is there's no guarantee seeds would germinate. Even the seed bombs with just flowers must need some help to ensure something actually grows.

 

[zigs]

Tomatoes pass thru the digestive system unharmed, these were growing on a great big pile of poo from the sewage works.

 

[ChanellG]

OMG, I remember that! Talk about the ultimate seed bomb, lol! Wouldn't want to go anywhere near those tomato bushes, whew! Come to think of it, wouldn't want to be anywhere downwind of them either!

Tomato seeds are pretty hearty; I often find volunteer plants coming up in my compost. They never survive the transplanting though.

 

[firelily99]

Great concept concerning the seed bombs and even better if they were used in an urban environment. I enjoyed the video and some other ideas on the site. Thanks for sharing it with us.