Seed bombs are small balls of seeds and clay that you can plant or throw into a patch of unused ground to brighten it up with wildflowers or plants. Planting wildflowers is a great way to provide pollen and nectar (aka food!) for pollinators, including bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and beetles!
Seed balls are best thrown in spring and autumn and can be stored for several years in a cool, dry spot.
They also make nice gifts – you could even make some packaging out of an old toilet roll tube like we’ve done in the photo below.
EXTRA – You can download the spotter sheets below to help you identify what minibeasts visit your wildflower patch!
What you will need:
- Some clay or thick mud
- Packets of different kinds of wildflower seeds (at least 3) – make sure they are native seeds. Check out the Insect Garden Guide below to get an idea of what seeds to get!
How to make your seed bombs:
- Empty each of your seed packets into a bowl.
- Roll out your clay on a flat, clean surface.
- Grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them on to your clay. You can add in some soil too to you mixture.
- Using the palms of your hands, roll your clay into a small ball approximately 3 – 4 cm in diameter.
- Find a green space that you have permission to plant your seed bombs in such as a garden.
- Plant or throw your ‘seed bomb’ onto the ground.
- Time to be patient as long as your seeds get rainwater, sunshine and nutrients, they should grow. Keep an eye on them over the next few weeks.
We have teamed up with the Scottish Commission Learning Disability (SCLD) to produce this activity. The video below shows Catriona from SCLD making her seed bombs.
as part of Scottish Learning Disability Week and Mental Health Awareness Week.
Let us know how you get on using #DiscoverLearnPlay
