Selling Baby Prairie
a short play by Mark Rigney
Spreading the Seeds of Change
Building seed bombs and/or creating a seed shaker is an easy way to begin Guerilla Gardening in your community. You can start making a change today by following the five simple steps below:
step 1: Identify Your Native Wildflowers
A great way to identify your native wildflowers is the good old internet! There are plenty of wonderful websites and articles that can help you discover and learn about your local wildlife. For those located in NY in the Saratoga/Albany area, the websites Jessecology and Saratoga Living (which we have linked to below) have great articles on the native wildflowers that live in this area. If you are on a walk through the woods and see a plant that you want to identify, MyWildflowers.com is an incredible tool for finding out what a flower is on the spot!
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Fantastic Wildlife Resources:
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step 2: Obtain Seeds for your Native Wildflowers
When looking to do some Guerilla Gardening, it is important to look into where you are purchasing your seeds. Making purchases online, although easy and fast, causes a big carbon footprint on our planet. For example, Amazon, who created 71.54 metric tons of carbon is the leading consumer shopping place for our world. Also, many times the seeds included in these purchases are not from your specific native landscape. We recommend two options, including making your own mix of native flower seeds or seeking out local organizations that make pre-made mixes for your area. A fun activity can be looking into the catalogue of the flowers you wish to see in your area and how they can better impact your surrounding eco-system. Then, you attain the seeds either by visiting your local flower center or potentially purchasing the packets online from a flower seed farm such as The Vermont Wildflower Farm.
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We were able to find a wonderful mix of Northeast Wildflower Seeds from them (perfect for our area) and they ship nationwide and have a 100% guarantee on “pure, fresh wildflower seeds." They have a mix for every region of the United States, specialized mixes where you can choose what goes in, and they even have a wide selection of individual packets. By supporting a smaller business such as Vermont Wildflower Farm, we decentralize mass polluters such as Amazon, and help out our farms.
step 3: Make a Shaker or "Bomb!"
There are two main tools that are utilized in guerilla gardening—seed shakers and seed bombs!
Creating a homemade shaker is as easy as 1,2,3!
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First, you must sift through your recycling bin for any jars with lids (Parmesan cheese shakers are a great option!)
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Then, if your jar with a lid does not have lids in it, drill them with a small drill bit attached to an electric drill. If your lid already has holes, you may skip this step.
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After attaining a mix of your area’s native wild pollinator flowers, fill the jar. Then, you are free to go about your day spreading wildflower goodness (in the appropriate areas) as you go!
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Although Seed Bombs require a little more time and ingredients, they can be the perfect way of ensuring that your seeds have the nutrients they need for successful growth. Since the 70s, this smart invention of rolling seeds into a ball alongside compost and bentonite clay, is the perfect way to guerilla garden. Although it seems like seed bombs are a new invention, they actually date back to ancient farming methods of the Egyptians, who used them for farming on the Nile when the river was too flooded (CITE). If interested in creating your own, please refer to Garden Culture Magazine’ recipe. Then once completed, happy planting!
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Here is a recipe from Garden Culture Magazine:
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5 parts compost
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1 part bentonite clay
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Water
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Seeds
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Mix the compost and clay in a bowl. Add just enough water so that the mixture sticks together.
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Roll into small balls about the size of a Canadian loonie.
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Press a pinch of seeds into the ball and roll again between your hands.
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To make the seed bombs extra pretty, you can roll the balls into a tray of dried flower petals.
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Let the seed bombs dry in a cool, dry place. They’re ready to throw once completely hardened.
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For More Information on Seed Bombs and Seed Shakers:
step 4: How to Mindfully Scout Out Locations to Guerilla Garden
Now, where are these mindfully scouted locations to guerilla garden? The best places to guerilla garden are found in open dirt plots, away from conscious landscaping. For example, an abandoned area that will not be bulldozed over is a wonderful place to start a garden! You could also spread them on the road verge between the sidewalk and the road. This is a fun and small way to support our planet’s smallest pollinators to make a big difference. When scouting it is important to understand the best success rate for your seeds not only in environment but timing. Seeds begin to go dormant over the winter months unless you are planting a perennial or bulbs for the spring. Therefore, one of the best times to spread your seeds is in the early part of your area’s warmer months, at the end of spring.