Guerilla Gardening 101 : Seed balls

Seed balls (SeedBalls) are a great permaculture technique for growing seed in a more simple and effective way. Each seed ball contains a mini ecosystem : wildflower seeds are mixed with clay, peat-free compost and a smidgen of chili powder, and rolled into a small ball. Each ball is approximately 1cm in diameter, making them super easy to scatter. The dried clay acts as a protective casing from common seed predators (such as ants, mice and birds). When sufficient rain permeates the clay, the seeds inside begin to germinate - helped along by the nutrients and minerals contained within the balls. The chili powder continues to deter predators while the seed ball slowly degrades and the seeds sprout.

Seed balls will work well in most environments (as long as the type of seed used is suited to that enviornment) and they are particularly useful in dry and arid areas where rainfall is highly unpredictable and in severely degraded land. Seed ball usage (area coverage) depends on how dense you'd like your wildflowers to be. As a guide it is recommended that you'll need at least twenty seed balls per square meter for your garden. If growing in a small pot, 3 - 5 seed balls will probably be enough. For larger pots or window boxes, 10 - 20 seed balls should do the trick. Various forms of seed balls have been used throughout history. Seed balls have the potential to produce high crop yields without the need for plowing, weeding, or the application of pesticides and fertiliser.

Seedball is run by project MAYA, a non-profit eco-social enterprise working to promote environmental sustainability following the principles of permaculture. In their own description they are “a team of super enthusiastic academics trying to facilitate a more sustainable society through education, research, campaigns and enterprise”. All profits from Seedball are used to fund MAYA’s activities to help make the world a better, happier, and more sustainable place. Check out some of the other projects MAYA is involved in here.

Step-by-step guide : How to make seed balls instructions from here.

Another instructions guide with pictures can be found here.

Further read :

Seed Balls [from Wikipedia here]

Seedballs: from Fukuoka to Green Guerillas [here]

Seed Bombs : a guide to their various forms & functions [here]

Seed Balls : a good winter project [here]