Little Explorers: Seed Bombs!
- Little Explorers
All this rain and speedy growth and blossoming in the LittleLife garden got us thinking about nature’s extraordinary talent for regeneration. Here’s an exciting and easy activity to inspire your children to get involved in the natural world around them, wherever you live. Guerrilla gardening simply means planting flowers in neglected patches of land. By making a ‘seed bomb’ you can quickly plant a beautiful mini meadow. You’ll transform a sorry looking area into a gorgeous little plot, buzzing with wildlife. This is a great half-term activity as it is easily adaptable for your Littlest Explorers and their older sibling Expert Explorers.
You will need:-
- air drying clay (found in toy or craft shops)
- compost or potting soil
- seeds
- water
We chose Cosmos, which does well on poor soils, Sweet William for its edible petals (remove the bitter white base) and Nasturtiums to attract bees and butterflies. These are all perfect for May planting and work best in sunny positions. Try a woodland seed mix for shady areas.
Split the ingredients into 5 parts clay to 1 part compost and 1 part seeds. Rub the compost into the clay, adding a little water if needed. Sprinkle in the seeds and work it together well, then roll into a table tennis ball sized bomb. Plant it carefully or simply throw it into position. You can water it, or let the rain do the job for you. The clay will break down, allowing the seeds to grow.
Although it is tempting, it’s best not to seed bomb a brownfield site. It will most probably be privately owned and have an ecological micro system of its own. Same goes for parks and other people’s gardens. Your best targets are neglected planters and verges, or your own flowerbeds and pots.
Expert Explorers: Top fact
Seed bombs were first used in New York in the 1970s. They were made from balloons filled with tomato seeds and fertiliser. These were thrown over fences into empty plots of land to make the neighbourhood look better. Seed bombing is also used in Africa. Seeds are put in a biodegradable box and ‘bombed’ onto vast barren or grassy areas.
