Seed bombs are fun! Get your hands dirty. Spend time outdoors. Learn how plants grow. Spread the beauty of wildflowers.

Supplies:

• 1 part compost or potting soil
• 2 parts pottery clay powder (Don’t use plastic play clay. To avoid spreading weeds, do use store-bought ingredients rather than digging up clay and soil.)
• water
• seeds
• bowl and trays.

Loosen compost or sift through 1/2-inch screen. Mix clay powder and compost. Add water until your mix can be formed into balls. Set them out to dry on a tray.

Tips:

• Don’t use too many seeds. They will crowd each other and none may thrive. Add no more than a half a dozen seeds per ball. 
• Use only one or two kinds of seeds in each ball. Some seeds overpower others.
•  Roll small balls, no larger than a quarter. Seeds have a harder time breaking through a larger ball.
• Large seeds can germinate from the middle of a seed ball. But press small seeds just below the surface.
• Adding a tablespoon of chili powder to your recipe might help to keep animals from nibbling on seed bombs.

Smart bombs—Plant with a purpose. Learn about plants and flowers that are endangered and plant those. Include milkweed to help migrating monarch butterflies. Never use seeds of invasive plants. Find out when your seeds should be planted. Find out which seeds do well in your region. Some can be planted in the cold of winter. Others must wait until after the last frost in spring. Is your site in the shade? Try foxgloves, tobacco plant, and honesty. Is there good sunlight? Try poppies, cornflower, marigold, Californian poppies, and cosmos.

Nice bombs—Always ask permission before throwing seed bombs. Owners might not want other plants growing near buildings, lawns, or gardens. But they might be happy to have you bomb their back lot, roadside, or the edge of their woods with wildflowers.