The first time I ever heard of the concept of making and using "Seed balls", I was enamoured with the whole idea, and was determined to make some. It took me a while to get my act together, but finally, I've gotten around to it and thought I'd share my experience on my blog.
Above is the mix. 2 parts soil and 2 parts dry powdered clay, plus a whole lot of seeds. I threw in a good mix of drought tolerant native species for my first go round, but will be making them with herbs and other seed varieties as well.
Next, I've added water, and just enough to make it feel like I'm making meatballs! You don't want it to be too dry or too wet. As Goldilocks would say, "Just right'! And just a hint, make sure to take of your jewellry first ; )
--------------------
Really, this is a ton of fun! I next took some in my hands, enough, like I said, to make meatball sized seed balls and rolled them into shape. Then they were placed on the trays, as you can see. Am fortunate enough to have a grow light stand, so I put them under there over night and they were almost completely dry the next day.
Now of course comes the packaging. Am not a big fan of overkill when it comes to packaging, especially due to my concerns for the environment and landfills,
so, trying to keep it simple, as you can tell!
.
~Offering them in sets of three or six in my Etsy shop, however, I'm happy to create custom orders and amounts as well!
----------------------------------
So, why seedballs, you ask?? Where did it start, and what's the point?
Here's some information and a couple of great links that will explain it all, and more!
It's more than just Guerrilla Gardening. It's all about sustainability, urban renewel, and a whole lot more...
Seed balls solve many of the problems that loose seeds face.
~wind blows them away
~ birds and rodents eat them
~the sun bakes their vitality out
~excessive rain carries them off
Seed balls protect them from all of that.
When the seed balls start to break down, the seeds emerge and are nurtured in that pile of clay and enriched with the nourishing soil.
In essence, the seed germination is very high!
--------------
I hope that if you like the concept of making seed balls, you'll try it too! Great fun for kids!
Happy (Guerrilla) Gardening!
.
11 comments:
P.S. I forgot to say how much I like your header picture .. so pretty and I love that script too : )
Hello there ! Wow .. you have made a very strong case for these seed balls .. if we didn't have such a problem with raccoons I would consider these too : )
I wanted to stop by and thank you for fav'ing my blog : ) that was a treat to see this morning !
Joy
Hi.. I really like your blog. I enjoy reading your entries.
I have never heard of Seed Meatballs before!! what an idea!!
Garden Joy, I'm sorry not to have responded sooner! Was happy to have faved your blog. It's just wonderful! Thanks very much for your lovely comments! Sorry to hear you have a raccoon issue... We also did when we lived in Toronto, but funnily enough, we rarely see them here in the country! And thanks for the compliment on my header! Made may day : )
Ibrahim, thank you very much! Happy to have you visiting! And, although there's no meat involved with the seed balls, they are about the same size! Have a great week : )
I love this idea and will be trying it out soon. Have you considered packaging them in brown paper bags which can then be recycled?
Linda, I'm so glad you like them. Thank you!
And, you make an excellent point about the plastic bags.
I've started using some cute little drawstring burlap bags for the seed balls. It looks so much better, and of course, a lot greener for the environment, too.
I also thought people could use them for other things after they've chucked their seed balls!
Hope you have fun with this. Let me know how it goes! And if you have any questions, feel free to email me. : )
This is a great idea! I found your blog through jenns cooking garden, I will try to make some, thanks for sharing this,
Andrea, from California.
Ps, I live in Ontario for 4 years, last year I moved down here. :)
Andrea, welcome! Thanks very much! I'm glad you'd like to try them. Honestly, they're so easy to make.
So glad you found me thru' Jenn's blog, too! Isn't she wonderful?
And it must be quite a change moving to California from up here in Ontario! Getting to garden practically year round... Lucky you! : )
I am so intrigued by this! I have been wanting to make some for some time - and I am so happy that you posted a link to Karen's blog about how to make them. So cool!!!
Oops! I meant my previous comment to go on jenn's blog. Oh well - I still love the idea and can't wait to try them out!!!
@ Garden Hoard, thank you!
I hope you had fun, and tried creating the seedballs. They are a little messy to make, but sure worth the effort. I now have a chocolate mold and make heart shaped ones, too. They're great for weddings, and just an nice alternative to the round ones. : )
Hope you had a good summer. Cheers, K
Post a Comment