So, I got a little ahead of myself when I took a jaunt to Tractor Supply Company with my son a few weeks ago. Winter was long, the sun was shining, my son had just picked out the most perfect windmill birdfeeder, and the organic seed display was freshly stocked. That being said, I went a little crazy with the seeds and purchased WAY too many. After spending two days planting all the seeds into individual starter pots, we ran out of pots and the kids got a little tired of the process. We needed to expedite things a bit and I didn’t want to waste any of the seeds. Everyone likes a good mix of lettuce in a salad anyway, so we went a little nutty and decided to make lettuce bombs – a virtual explosion of salad greens – with the two packets of lettuce seeds we had left.
Seed bombs, or “earth dumplings,” are a Japanese style of low-maintenance gardening that basically involves “bombing” areas with seeds and hoping for growth and plant life. Popular in America since the 1970’s, dropping these seed bombs can create, alter, and even sustain a natural structure. Entire urban community gardens have been started with the detonation of a few seed bombs, so to the few extra seed packets I have laying around, I say “Bomb’s Away!” right?
Lettuce Bomb Recipe
Needed:
- 2 cups of bentonite clay (or unscented clay kitty litter, if you don’t have bentonite)
- 1 cup seed starter mix (or potting soil or compost)
- 2 packets of mixed lettuce seeds
- 1 cup water (maybe a little more, maybe a little less – the consistency should be like cookie dough)
We combined all these ingredients in a bucket, mixed it up, rolled it into small 2-inch balls, and dried them in our little greenhouse for two days. We arranged them in a very fancy Amazon box for this process.
You will know they are ready when they’re dry to the touch and resemble an owl pellet. Feel free to use any kind of seeds for this process, herbs and wildflowers would be amazing!
Since we just moved and are in the process of constructing the garden, I planted the seed bombs in larger pots until I can plant them in the ground. However, you can simply plant these in organized rows in your garden bed, plant 4-5 in a container, or simply throw them into an area with soil and sun and hope for the best, which is technically how seed bombs are supposed to be “planted.” So, if you are short on time or have way too many seeds on your hands, here’s a quick and easy way to get those seeds a’ growin’! Guerilla gardening at its best