seedballs, Seedballs, SEEDBALLS!

[Toil]

The salesgal asked me what I was doing. Started to explain, and she laughed and cut me off and said "you mean seed balls? who is writing about this stuff? 50 people called me about seedballs this month!". Of course I told her it was Fukuoka-san.

so they knew exactly what to send me. lol that is joyful news. Some pottery supply place in upstate NY gets 50 calls a month for seedballs.

[Kisal]

Pottery supply places are fun! Almost as fascinating as hardware stores!

[rainbowgardener]

Your dirt isn't clay-ey enough? I have to buy topsoil sometimes, but I would never have to buy clay. I was planting a tree over the weekend and what I was digging up was pure yellow clay you could make pottery of...

[Toil]

we're about 45/45 sand and silt, 10% clay. The fine sand is everywhere here. You leave something unmulched or uncovered, don't connect to the subsoil, add a slope, and it acts like an organic matter slab shaped sieve that leaves you with nothing but sand as it generally erodes anyway.

no seedballs happening there.

[Ozark Lady]

I even got clay when I hauled the first load of topsoil. Even mixed 50/50 with sawdust, I could have made pottery! (joking) But it was like modelling clay, when it got wet.

The second load from another place looks better, but my husband asked, why did you haul home clay again! It isn't! I hope.

Sand is in short supply around here, wonder if we got a rock tumbler of some sort? Or smash them in some way?

[ronbre]

OMG I need to start selling my clay to people like you willing to buy it !

[Toil]

if it makes good seedballs I will buy it!

It would need to be powdered, and free of nasty stuff of course. And screened very fine.

[ronbre]

as if I had time to powder and screen it..tee hee..I haven't even harvested any of it to make my own seed balls..I just sow the seeds in the garden without it..right now..no time for the seed balls (no college studens here to help either..just me)

[Toil]

I think we just discovered how division of labor works!

[applestar]

What's your seed list? Are you aiming for "100 different kinds of seeds"? Don't forget to post pics of your seedballs when you finish making them!

[Toil]

so far, I dumped every old food seed I had into a bowl and made some with those.

I did some big corn and squash, and big bean. They will be chucked together for a three sisters seed ball experiment.

And I did some white clover nibs.

They are drying now, I'll take a shot, but I am supposed to be cleaning now for when my wife returns.

I'm waiting for wildflowers for dry areas, and I'm going to get some native grasses. I'm on the lookout for some spots where I can legally chuck them, and I'm spreading the technique as best I can to other people.

[Toil]

here are some wildflower seedballs. My wife and I made all sorts of sizes and a few shapes. They are mostly native, but none are invasive. Its a mix buil for toughness. I wanted to get some good erosion control out of these. Perhaps next will be a natives only mix.

[img]https://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad137/toilpics/582b9b15.jpg[/img]

[The Helpful Gardener]

HG

[paul wheaton]

You gotta connect with your local gardeners. Somebody out there has clay that you can have for free!

[gixxerific]

Tons of great seed ball clay here but the shipping would negate the whole principle.

By the way if you are looking for s legal place to throw them this how you go about that. While driving check both side view mirrors than the rear view just in case if you don't see anyone it is legal.

I admire your mission, keep us informed how it all turns out.

[Toil]

You gotta connect with your local gardeners. Somebody out there has clay that you can have for free!

well locals all have the same silt for mikes and miles. I suppose if I go in from the ocean - but then I would cross the place that sold me clay in the first place!

[applestar]

FWIW - If I remember my geology right, along the ocean, you can find clay near the mouths of rivers in the river delta deposit.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Ummm... I'd just like to point out that gixx is not a practicing attourney, or even completely sane, we think. Nice guy, but ...

And we need powdered clay for seed balls; even if we gathered it, how does one go about powdering the clay? Dry it and crush it? I just read that bit in One Straw, and it's vague on the topic...

HG

[Toil]

I thought the clay was a good value.

But I am open to getting it myself if anyone has a process I can follow.

[The Helpful Gardener]

If we were in Ohio or Missouri or one of those states famous for the stuff it would be easier, toil..., but even with the rivers we have it's just not that common around here...

HG

[Toil]

yeah, that's my sense of it. We have less that 10% clay here, and the rivers tidal and salty-brackish.

[Toil]

hey I'd love to know how other people do it.

what size seedballs and when and why?
your recipe?
method in the field?
favorite seeds?
failures?
successes?
do you collect seeds from native plants?



sneaky tricks?




When I am in my garden I keep them in a pouch made for dog treats. It is worn on the belt and has a drawstring that closes it shut. It's a handy, handy pouch. It's safe to have treat touching clay that rubs off the balls, but you have to be careful not to accidentally drop a leftover seedball you forgot to take out before the walk. Don't feed them to the dog either.

[Sage Hermit]

My area is high in clay. I make pots and sculptures from it. So far no Seed balls but I will layer a screen And see if that evaporates it to the point of breaking into powder.

[Toil]

WM, HG, there should be a seedball sticky, no?


So I have sneaky tip #2: on some surfaces, the red clay seedball sticks out like a sore thumb. Short of timing your bombing run with the rains, how to keep the balls low profile and still get the job done?

here is my trick - the shake and bake approach. Once your seedballs are dry, you moisten the outside with water, then you roll them in compost, or put them in a bag with compost and shake n bake.

Voilà! You have seedballs that are almost impossibe to spot, even when there are hundreds of them. This of course should never be used on land that is not yours. It's only so you don't have to look at those ugly seedballs on your beautiful and sterile bare earth while you wait for rain.