For my birthday last fall I got myself an awesome book called, “The Guerilla Art Kit” by artist Keri Smith.  It’s packed with lots of cool projects all centered around the guerilla art movement, which encourages people to make temporary public art, often with a positive impact and free of political or religious ideology.

One of the projects featured in the book has been on my mind all winter, and with Earth Day this week, I figured now would be the perfect time to make some seed bombs.

Seed bombs are compact little balls of clay, fertilized soil and, you guessed it: seeds.  They are dried in the sun so that they become hard little balls. These balls can be scattered around, thrown into areas you couldn’t otherwise reach or dropped at random as you walk, bike or otherwise travel around town.

Seed bombs do not need to be buried, or even watered. They can be tossed into empty lots, onto roof tops, landfills or on the side of the road.  A little rain and the right conditions for growth, and Mother Nature will do the rest.

Ingredients:
Dried Clay. Try as I might, I couldn’t find the dried, powdered version of clay that the book called for around town.  I went for an all-natural, air-drying clay at the craft store and will hope for the best.  You can get dried clay at specialty gardening stores or stores that carry ceramics supplies. If you live near water, you may be able to dig up your own.  You’ll only need a couple cups worth.

Worm Castings. Also called “vermicompost,” worm castings are the super fertilized soil that worms produce in a compost pile. I found a bag of it at Strange’s Garden Supply store, from an in-town supplier. 

Seeds. Stick to plants that would grow naturally in your area.  Grasses and wildflowers are nice choices.

The Mixture:
According to The Guerrilla Art Kit, the correct ratio is two parts seeds + three parts compost + five parts clay. 

Measure and mix your ingredients.  You’ll have to add enough water to make it a workable mixture.  Even though my clay wasn’t powdered, I still added a little water so I could mix it all together easily.
 
Once it’s mixed, pinch off small pieces and roll them into tight little balls, about one inch in diameter.  The outside of the ball should be smooth.  Finally, place them outside in the sun to dry for at least 24 hours.  Store in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to send them out into the world.

Now What?
Now you go forth and scatter your seed bombs wherever you want, and grow spots of color in unexpected places.  Think of it as positive graffiti—Johnny Appleseed meets Jackson Pollock.