- Take a small amount of clay and roll into a ball, around 4-5cm diameter. Squash it onto a flat surface to make a pancake around 8-10cm across.
- Take a pinch of seeds and place in the centre of the pancake, then add a pinch of compost.
- Fold the edges in to cover the seeds and compost, then roll into a ball again, and leave to dry out.
- Find an area of bare ground (ideally prepared by raking with no grass or footfall)
- Throw your “bombs” onto the bare earth – they do not need to be buried.
- The rain will wash away the clay and disperse the seeds into the soil, where they will grow next spring.
Take it Further
You can discuss with the group why wildflowers are important to support the population of insects, and why this is important for the ecosystem as a whole. If you have the chance to revisit the site where you plant your seedbombs, you could look at what has grown successfully, and see if there is any difference between the species that thrive in drier/damper places, sunny/ shady spots or different soil types.
Don’t use polymer clay, or air-drying clay that is reinforced with fibreglass strands for this activity.
You can find advice on choosing and sourcing wildflower seeds from Grow Wild (a project run by Kew Gardens), and even apply for funding to support your project!