Gardening: Seed bombs a fun family project to do this winter

Here we are a few days after Christmas and heading into the dark and dreary winter months. Most gardeners I know will catch their breath until the end of January before the gardening itch begins to reappear. Spring is still two months away. What do we do in the meantime?

There are the seed catalogs to drool over and orders to place – do it early if you have a favorite seed. We will be able to start early seeds by mid-February. There are websites, blogs and podcasts to check out that we didn’t have time for at the height of the growing season. And then there are hands-on projects that will keep the gardener and any little people running around busy.

Wildflower seed bombs have been around since guerrilla gardeners started throwing them into vacant city lots to create flower patches among the city detritus in the 1990s. The ancient tradition of placing seeds in an earthen ball was revived by Masanobu Fukuoka, the pioneer of Japanese natural farming in his 1970s book, “One Straw Revolution.”

Wildflower seed bombs are made of clay that will break down when it gets wet, some potting mix and wildflower seeds that will grow in your area. The ratio for the mix is four parts clay to one part soil and one part seed. The clay can be either powdered red clay available at hardware stores or air-dry clay available at craft stores. The red clay will have to be mixed with enough water to make into a putty consistency. Ordinary potting soil works well. The seed mix can be any larger packet of wildflower seed available on the seed racks or online. Try to use a mix that fits our climate and the area in which you plan to throw the bombs. In other words, if you plan to place them in an area that doesn’t get a lot of moisture over the summer, use mixes that are for dry areas.

Roll out the clay like pie dough into a rectangle about a half an inch thick. Spread the appropriate amount of soil and seed onto the “dough.” Roll up the dough on the long edge sealing the ends and edges and cut the loaf into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece in your palms to mix everything together. Set the balls aside to dry before storing them in a dry place until late March. Once the weather warms a bit, plant your balls by throwing them randomly into a garden and gently pressing them into place.

Want more fun? As you cut up carrots, save the tops with an inch of root attached and plant it in a container of potting mix set near a bright window. Within a few weeks, ferny greenery will appear from the top of the carrot. Keep the soil in the pot moist. You won’t get a new root, but because carrots are biennials you may get a flat, white flower that resembles Queen Ann’s lace in late spring.