A seed ball is a ball of seeds that has been wrapped in materials such as clay, paper, or compost, and then dried. The seeds are protected and ‘pre-planted’ – they can be grown by burying the seed ball anywhere suitable for the specific plant. Seed balls are an easy and sustainable way to cultivate plants!

For these seed balls, all you’ll need is paper, water, and some seeds! You can use any type of paper, but we included colored paper, so you can have seed balls that are just as colorful as the flowers that will blossom from them. If you want to do this in the future, you could also use newspapers, but the ink may stain your tools.

Now, it’s time to get ready for spring! No matter the age, making homemade seed bombs can be a fun activity to signal the beginnings of spring and turn your yard into a living kaleidoscope of colors! Craft kits are available at the library and the drive-up window while supplies last.

Supplies Included in Kit:

  • 1/2 oz (about 1 tablespoon) of wildflower seeds
  • 5 sheets of colored paper

Note: In this demo, I used pepper seeds/flakes, which are very large compared to wildflower seeds. Larger seeds can have trouble staying in the seed ball. 

Additional Supplies Needed:

  • Mixing bowls
  • 3 cups of water
  • Strainer
  • Mixing spoon
  • Blender (standing or immersion blender)

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Instructions:

  1. Tear up all your paper into small pieces, and soak them in 2 cups of  water for about 30 minutes. This will make it easier for the blender to pulverize the paper.
  2. Add the remaining cup of water and blend until the paper is a mushy pulp. Make sure you blend in small portions to avoid damaging the motor of the blender.
  3. Place a strainer over a small bowl, and dump the pulp into the strainer. Let this sit for about 5-10 minutes to allow excess water to drip off.
  4. After it sits, you can either discard the water, or save it for future seed bombs. Put the pulp into an empty mixing bowl and add all of the seeds, mixing well.
  5. Grab a small amount of the mixture and squeeze it into a small ball until it is compact. Continue this until there is no more pulp left. I was able to make 6 golf-ball sized seed bombs, but you can make 8-10 ping pong ball sized ones or smaller if you’d like.
  6. Place the seed balls onto paper towels and press down – try to get as much moisture out so the seeds don’t germinate.
  7. Allow them to dry for 24-48 hours!

-Isaac, Reference Assistant