seed bomb vending machine

The fact that it exists at all is really cool:



seed bomb vending machine

A fantastic idea, don;t know that it's such a good idea to sell riparian seeds in the desert though.

Perhaps not such a good idea. There is no mention of the seeds contained in the seed balls other than that one mix contains natives only-
http://www.fastcompany.com/1596001/young-designers-want-to-create-a-generation-of-johnny-appleseeds
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/04/seed-bomb-vending-machine-greenaid.php?campaign=daily_nl

My lot has the appearance of being quite wild. I would be most displeased if someone seed bombed me with a mix containing amaranth, chicory, hawkweed, dutch clover, cilantro, morning glories, or any other cheap filler weed seeds frequently included in seed bombs. I also volunteer at a community garden plot that looks rather unkempt. We are dependent on volunteers. We have the owner's permission to work the lot. I do not believe any of us would be happy if anyone took it upon themselves to "reveal and remedy issues of spatial inequity" based on their interpretation of same.

The goal of these two young entrepreneurs is to make money by providing a opportunity for others to green the landscape. They will need to cut costs to turn a profit. It is doubtful their seedballs will include ecologically responsible seed mixes. 

Forcing one's philosophy on others is wrong regardless of intent. These seedballs are biological molotov cocktails. I think Masanobu Fukuoka would have been very sad were he to learn of this American Guerrilla gardening practice. The potential to spread invasives via seed bombs is very real and should not be taken lightly.

If we truly care about the earth, we need to be very careful choosing what we plant and where we plant it. We should lead by example and we should do so on our own land. Others will follow.

It hadn't occurred to me that they might contain invasive weeds, when I think of guerilla gardaning I always think of plants like squash.

You raise a valid point however would any member of the human race in good conscience want an unsuspecting human being taking home squash to feed their family grown on a vacant lot that was once a gas station or a dry cleaner?  How about zucchini grown on a riverbank where industrial wastes were once discharged or a tomato from between two buildings sporting 1970's peeling lead paint?

Will the skateboarders being enlisted to bomb the landscape for "fun" have knowledge of prior land use?  If they did would they understand that toxic compounds can persist in soil present but undetected long after a building has been torn down or industrial wastes have been rerouted?

That is a potential risk, but those sites are somewhat rare, and eating a squash contaminated with a little of some nasty chemical will probably be healthier than eating a McDonnalds Hamburger. Add to that the potential benefits of growing a plant to cleaning up a chemical spill.

Perhaps not such a good idea. There is no mention of the seeds contained in the seed balls other than that one mix contains natives only-

Anything designed to beautify and add green life to LA--ANYTHING--is a good idea.  I've never been anyplace that felt more wrong than El Ay.

Antibubba wrote:
Anything designed to beautify and add green life to LA--ANYTHING--is a good idea.  I've never been anyplace that felt more wrong than El Ay.

Keep in mind that no rain falls on LA, so every gallon of water on LA means a gallon less going into mono lake and Owens valley, where it belongs.

So ... when does Monsanto make theirs?

Eric wrote:
So ... when does Monsanto make theirs?

Yea, then they could go around suing all the unsuspecting lot owners for growing their products without paying for the license.

Now if they really do select locally appropriate native seeds for each of the vending machines specific locations, then it is a wonderful idea.

If they are mass marketing and just making standard varieties to stock all machines with (which means some things are going to be non-native and invasive in different locations), then not so good.

As to the possibility of tainted veggies from such activities, well I kinda agree with the attitude of, "is it really any worse than buying the veggies from a store where it was transported from a different continent and probably growing with plenty of nasty chemicals anyway? or in inner cities where there is often a fresh food desert and they can't get fresh foods and therefore eat junk food and processed food only?"

But something tells me these are really just something to grow in the difficult corners and lots where they are not going to be getting special watering so I don't see high demand veggies growing on an old gas station in LA anyway.  Probably just some desert wild flowers and stuff.

What I hate is when code enforcement comes by and tells me I have to mow down all my wild flowers because they are approaching the 18" tall mark.

Antibubba wrote:
Anything designed to beautify and add green life to LA--ANYTHING--is a good idea.  I've never been anyplace that felt more wrong than El Ay.

I enjoy the blog Homegrown Evolution. A regular feature on that blog thoroughly explores certain species that the author believes do more harm to LA than good:

Least Favorite Plant.

"Yea, then they could go around suing all the unsuspecting lot owners for growing their products without paying for the license. "
Hmmm.....what a thought 

It sounds like whoever places the vending machine gets to have the seeds custom mixed.  My only problems are it seems pricey and a waste of materials in making the machines and packing the seedballs.  You can plant your neighborhood and trash it at the same time.

Emerson White wrote:
Keep in mind that no rain falls on LA, so every gallon of water on LA means a gallon less going into mono lake and Owens valley, where it belongs.

Yes Magazine estimates that LA rainfall adds up to a significant fraction of the city's total water demand...I forget if it was 2/3, but I seem to recall it being over half. Compared to the windward side of Hawaii or the region west of the Cascade mountains, you might say "no rain," but there are lots of species that can live on the annual rainfall of that region.

Similarly, I know of lots of projects that haven't increased demand from the faucet. If greywater can be used in irrigation rather than being piped out to sea, or if stormwater can be transpired by drought-tolerant plants rather than running through the LA river (which really does carry water at times, not just Danny Zuko and John Connor), perhaps that additional vegetation would mean a more humid local climate, and ultimately more water in Mono Lake and Owens Valley.

I have no objection to xeriscaping california, or increasing the amount of greywater that gets used in irrigation, but riparian seedbombs do neither of those things. LA has 81 golf courses, that's probably 7.5 square miles of green water hogging grass in the middle of the desert. Looking at Wolfram Alpha I see that LA gets between 0 and 25 inches of rain a year, most of it in 2-3 one day storms. This is more than I thought they got, but still riparian seeds do not belong.