BROADCASTER ARCHIVES

Seed Bombs: A New Form of Guerrilla Gardening
By Angie Sullivan

This article was first printed in the July/August 2010 issue of the Organic Broadcaster, published by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.

Who hasn’t walked past a vacant lot full of weeds and debris and thought, “I sure wish they’d clean that up.”

Thanks to a new form of guerrilla gardening, as it’s known, maybe you can.Seed bombs are quickly becoming a popular way to not only clean up unsightly lots, but also a new type of fundraiser that allows you to be a small part of the green movement.

A quick google search will teach you more than you ever wanted to know about seed bombs.They are easy to make, a good way to reuse garden seeds and a new way to help improve the look of your neighborhood.

All you need is a little clay, garden seeds, compost and water.After you mix all the ingredients together, you form them into a ball about the size of a large jawbreaker, and set them out to dry overnight.At this point, you are armed and ready to ‘bomb’ that area of your neighborhood that could use a little cleaning up.Simply toss the seed bombs over the fence and let them fall where they may.Depending on how many you throw, you can turn an entire lot into a patch of flowers or even vegetables.

The downside to this method is the fact that you don’t actually own this land that you are bombing.Many guerrilla gardeners have discovered that certain land owners don’t necessarily want their lot to be beautified and will strictly enforce the fact that it is private property.Others welcome the change and appreciate the fact they didn’t have to put any effort into the project.

Common Studio is one company that has taken this form of gardening a step further, they are calling their project Green Aid.They have retrofitted gumball machines to accommodate the size of the seed bombs and are placing these dispensers in well-populated areas. They sell the seed bombs for $.50 each.They even have a website where you can get involved by purchasing your own machine for $300, they’ll even give you your first 300 bombs with the purchase of the machine.Just place your machine in a populated area and let the seed bombs sell themselves.Each .50 seed bomb comes with an instruction sheet.You can help them get their idea off the ground by purchasing a machine through their website http://thecommonstudio.com/index.php?/project/greenaid/ or by donating to their project through the Kick Starter website, http://www.kickstarter.com/, where you can find all kinds of cool ideas to put your money to good use.

For the real creative, ambitious type, you can find any number of videos on the internet that show you how to make one seed bomb, or 40.It’s not difficult and could be a great project to do with your kids.With all the fundraisers kids are doing these days, this is something new and different that could draw a lot of interest in this age of the Green Movement.

In New York in the 1970s, a group called the Green Guerrillas created The Green Guerrilla Grenade, an early version of the seed bomb that was made in small balloons with a mixture of peat moss and chemical fertilizers.Many entrepreneurs have taken this idea into different directions with everything from Explosive Eggs to Seed Pills.

No matter what method people are choosing, it seems like seed bombs may be heading to a city near you with this movement making a resurgence and getting some attention with a new generation of green guerrillas.So, go ahead! Buy a seed bomb or make a few and give them a toss! Welcome to Guerrilla Gardening.

Angie Sulivan is the MOSES Resource and Events Coordinator and has a diversified vegetable farm.