START
THINKING OF
SPRING WITH
Seed balls are small bundles of seeds,
clay, and soil or compost. Seed balls
have actually been around since ancient
times! They were rediscovered in
the 1930s by the Guerilla Gardening
movement as a way to introduce
vegetation by simply tossing the seed
balls (or, on a large scale, dropping them
from an airplane). They are still used
today to re-vegetate areas burned by
wildfires. On a small scale, seed balls are
fun to make and a great way to grow
native plants and flowers.
Materials:
Clay (available from craft stores)
Compost or potting soil
Seeds (easy-to-grow or native varieties)
Approximate Time to Complete: 30
minutes
Season: Plant in spring, summer and fall
Instructions:
1. Divide your materials so you have:
5 parts clay
1 part compost/potting soil
1 part seeds
2. Combine the clay and compost.
Add a little water if your mixture is dry.
The mixture should be moist but not
dripping wet; kind of like cookie dough.
3. Add the seeds to the clay and
compost. Thoroughly work the materials
together with your hands.
4. Shape the mixture into balls about
the size of a golf ball.
5. You can plant the seed balls while
they're still moist, or allow them to air
dry.
6. Find areas in your yard and
surrounding community that could use
a little green. Toss or place your new
treasures directly onto bare soil. As long
as they are watered (either manually or
by rain), the clay will break down and
the seeds will grow.
Choose Your Seeds
Wildflowers are good choice of seeds
for seed balls because in nature they are
self-planted and their seedlings are hardy,
and easy to grow, requiring little care.
Here are some seed suggestions:
Cosmos – One of the easiest plants to
grow from seed.
Milkweed – Food for monarch
caterpillars; use your seed balls to
grow plants where these hardworking,
migrating butterflies can lay their eggs.
Red poppies – A symbol of
remembrance to honor fallen soldiers,
red poppies are easy to grow and
provide eye-catching splashes of color.
Coreopsis – Adaptable to a variety soil
conditions and light levels, coreopsis
plants are extremely drought tolerant
once established.
Coneflower – A popular plant for
butterflies and birds, purple coneflower
is also extremely drought tolerant once
established.
Source: kidsgardening.org
12 • Of f icialKidsMag.com • JANUARY 2020
