Bombs Away! DIY Seed Bombs

By Kathryn Peck

The best thing I can do for my houseplants is leave them alone. Whatever they call the opposite of a green thumb, that’s me. But I do like to at least go through the motions of planting and gardening with my kids for a number of reasons: it gets us outside and working together on something, and it sparks their interest in wildlife, plant life, and the environment. (Plus, I’m hoping it might help us with our extreme fear of insects … read more on that in "A Child's Bug Phobia: Parents You're Not Alone.")

DIY seed bombs are a great answer to my struggle with horticulture. Plus, they’re super fun for the kiddos.

Seed bombs are tiny balls made of compost, clay, and seeds. The compost and clay act as a carrier for the seeds so they can be tossed just about anywhere. Without the carrier material, seeds don’t really travel far and can easily blow away. Toss these little balls along roads, alleyways, gardens, fields – anywhere as long as there is dirt underneath – to turn a weedy overgrown and neglected area into a field of wildflowers.

Part of the fun is making them, another part is letting the kids launch them into who-knows-where, and the last part is enjoying the flowers that grow, knowing that wildflower growth is good for the environment in so many ways.

Materials

• Mixing bowl
• Water
• Seeds (check out appropriate flowers native to your region)
• Clay (e.g. these Clay Powder Balls via Amazon)
• Potting soil or compost

We used a mix of clay and compost, e.g. Our Finest Seed Bomb Matrix via Amazon. 

Steps

1. In a bowl, mix together about 4 parts clay to 1 part potting soil (you want more clay than soil; if it’s pre-mixed, just add to bowl).
2. Add wildflower seeds to the mix.
3. Slowly add water to the mixture, squish with your hands, and get messy. Add water as you need; if there’s too much water, just add more soil.
4. Roll the mixture into tiny balls, no bigger than the size of golf balls, and let dry completely.
5. Bombs away!

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About the author: Kathryn is the owner of Bicycle Pie and mom of 4 little ones. Also a writer, editor, and former owner of one of Boston's premiere baby boutiques, she continues to write about motherhood, children's products, family life, and all other things that test our skills and patience as parents.

Photo credit: iStock.com/HeikeRau