Sourcing clay powder from your local garden center is also possible, and is a great alternative to sourcing locally. Powdered clay does cost more money, though. Both kinds of clay should be sifted to remove any large particulates. Often the clay will be added to compost and then formed into balls with the seeds intact.

The whole purpose of them is to create more blooming flowers without any care by the gardener. When deciding where to throw seed bombs, consider the needs of the plants. Tossing a handful in the middle of an asphalt parking lot is not likely to yield good results. However, any field that has some top soil and moisture is a good candidate. Using the palms of your hands, roll your clay into a small ball approximately 3 – 4 cm in diameter.This project is a great way to spend a rainy day. It is something that works well with kids and adults. Use a drop cloth or newspaper to catch any spills. The number of seeds that you use inside your bomb depends on the type of flower. For plants with large seeds, such as sunflowers, 2-4 seeds will be plenty. This project can get a little messy, so go outside to mix everything, or at the very least make sure you’re near a sink so you can clean up when you’re done! Cut a 7” square of colorful fabric. I like cotton or burlap because it allows the clay to continue drying but you can use any kind you wish. If you cut the material with pinking shears – it will ravel less.

A: The short answer is yes. However, you probably want to use seeds that are already suited to your regional climate and geology. This will ensure you’re successful! For these homemade seed bombs, the medium here is not simply clay, and there’s no eggshell container. Instead, seeds are wrapped in moistened, reconstituted paper. Include some colorful construction paper for your own benefit, or if you’re making seed bombs with kids!However, you will find many different bee plants that are a good fit for this project. This includes annuals, vegetables, herbs and more. Even sunflowers perform well during the warm season. Caution – you will have more success if you take your climate into consideration. For wildflower ideas, choose plants that are native to your area or grow well without supplemental watering. (Unless you are planting them in a garden spot with access to the sprinkler) Bee Flowers Mix the seed, clay, and compost together in a bowl to a ratio of three handfuls of clay, five handfuls of compost, and one handful of seed. Then carefully add water slowly and gradually (you don’t want it too gloopy), mixing it all together until you get a consistency that you can form into truffle-sized balls. Lay them out to bake dry on a sunny windowsill for at least three hours. Above: Photograph courtesy of Kyle Books. Composts that contain peat require peat bogs to be harvested, this destroys precious habitats, and depletes important carbon stores. Peat actually contains more carbon than the combined forests of Britain, France and Germany!

If the recycled paper pulp is too dry to form into balls, sprinkle bits of water in until it can be formed. Then roll them into balls, and voila! You have fun, vibrantly-colored seed balls. Let them dry and harden over 24 to 48 hours before bombing. How to Spread DIY Seed Bombs Time to be patient as long as your seeds get rainwater, sunshine and nutrients, they should grow. Keep an eye on them over the next few weeks. Sterilize the egg shells in a saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes. Be careful not to break the eggs. Dry them on a paper towel, and once they’re completely dry, cover the smallest hole, and insert the seeds in the larger hole. Each egg acts as a single seed bomb. Keep those you don’t want to use right away in a cool dry place. The Paper Mache MethodAs every Guerrilla Gardener will tell you, seedbombs are an essential item when trying to improve inaccessible places (e.g. stalled building projects). You can learn more about using red clay in my post that uses powdered clay for seed ball construction. The process is similar but it is messier in some ways – yet more natural in others. Try both to see which you prefer. The one-stop sourcebook for the considered home, guiding readers artfully through the remodeling and design process. Mix together a large handful of your chosen material and a little bit of soil (about 5 parts to 1). This doesn’t have to be exact, but you want more of your material than soil so that the bombs hold together. If you are using brown paper, you do not need to mix it with any soil so just take a large handful and pat it down until it is flat in the palm of your hand. Make some air dry clay seed bombs with your family this year. This is a great project to use to showcase the important of all pollinators-not just honey bees.