Make 4 lbs of seed balls - PEP BB foraging.sand.seedball

I made some seed balls today at the skip event.

Here's a list of species I used.  There's also some mystery seeds I threw in for funnies.  Perennials are indicated by a P

Lovage  P
Parsnip
Cherry  P
Sage P
Asparagus P
Walnut P
Peas
Clover
Catnip P
Mustard
Columbine
Calendula
Sunflower

Seed balls at SKIP

During the 2024 SKIP workshop I made 4 1/4 lbs of seed balls. I tried enveloping a larger tree seed in the mix of smaller seed just to see how well it would work. Discovered the size of the walnuts wasn’t problematic but their smooth surface was. I still managed to form viable seed balls but the tactic would work better with rougher “nuts” or if I scarified them first. My seed mix included:

Chickling Vetch
Sweet Yellow Clover
Wheat
Lovage (perennial)
English Walnut (perennial)
Cherry (perennial)
Sage (perennial)
Asparagus (perennial)

Mud kitchen fun today! Made 4 lb 7.65 oz of seed balls. I will be drying these to use later.

Here are the seeds I used:

St. johns wort (P)
Ground plum (P)
Meadowsweet (P)
Giant Turkish plantain (P)
Yarrow (P)
Gentian (P)
Sedum (P)
Coral bells (P)
Nodding onions (P)
Witch hazel (P)
Wild flower mix (P/A)
Bachelor buttons (A)
Pansy (A)
Calendula (A)
Chervil (A)
Zinnia (A)

Hi! I love the idea of making seed balls--can anyone weigh in on if/how well they worked? And any species or techniques that were particularly successful or unsuccessful? Thank you!

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements is to make at least 4 lbs (fresh weight) of seed balls/bombs:
     o at least an inch in diameter
     o can either be used immediately or quickly dried for storage (before the seeds germinate)
     o at least six different species in each ball/bomb
         - at least four of the species are perennials
         - possible species:
            o nettle
            o dandelion
            o maple
            o mulberry
            o apricots
            o apples
            o black locust
            o sepp grain
            o daikon radish
            o alfalfa
            o tomato
            o sunflower
            o lupine
            o squash
            o kale
            o turnip
            o cherry

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
- A picture of the seeds in your mixing container
- The balls/bombs being created
- A picture of the finished balls on a scale showing the weight
- A listing of the seeds you used



I made these last year but never posted for a BB. Better late than never. The perennials used were squash, tomatoes, dandelion, wildflowers (under the turnips), sunflowers, turnips (the large bag on the right side of the pic), & if I remember correctly a few peanuts. These were for last years guerilla gardening project.

I used a combination of garden soil, clay, & composted cow manure to make the mud. The scale shows roughly 1/3 of the round balls being weighed. I did not weigh the square balls but there was approximately the same total weight for them. All together the entire seed ball family weighed about 10-12 lbs.

I made square balls because in my experience with making seed balls that is the easiest way to make them. I made the round ones just for this BB.