Fukuoka in his field

In Japan, a man named Masanobu Fukuoka made balls out of mud and lots of seeds. He threw them around and they grew abundantly.

A friend of his wrote a book about his success, which appeals to the American desire for easy ways to get a big payoff. Fukuoka and his success have subsequently achieved cult-like following.

Flash forward many years. People are trying this in the US with wildflower seeds. People are afraid to say,  ‘THIS DOESN’T WORK,’ for a few reasons:

1. Fukuoka is loved; he must know what he was doing.
2. It feels like such a great idea! It must work, it simply must!
3. Folks are just embarrassed that they wasted all that time and expense on wildflower seeds.

What gives? Was the sage-like Fukuoka lying? No. It worked for him.

It didn’t work for you. Let me add a little more depth to the narrative of Fukuoka:

In some of the most fertile soils in the world, a man named Fukuoka made balls out of light and nutritiously rich amorphous silicate minerals from millions of years of volcanic activity and lots of seeds, which for centuries had been bred to produce abundantly in the selfsame soils. And, he tossed these balls around and they grew.

What US Fukuokans do:
In some of the most disturbed and neglected soils on the continent, they make balls out heavy, infertile phyllosilicate minerals and acidic compost mixed with native wildflower seeds which are very picky about their germination and generally not good competitors. They throw these balls out onto barren landscapes and they do not grow.

I’m gonna give you credit for seeing the difference between these narratives. 

The burden of growing these challenging species does not end with a seed ball. These seeds need your care. We also never recommend just throwing the seed balls. The plants will need room to root and proper environmental conditions. We work hard to re-educate guerrilla gardeners on the ways to make these nifty things work with native wildflowers on US soils.

Don’t get sucked into the “Throw n’ Grow” mantra. It doesn’t work. Don’t waste thousands of wildflower seeds on hastily made seed-balls following a recipe that you learned from a smiling blogger who just loves butterflies and organic muffins. Growing struggling native species is a battle against the onslaught of invasive species, lawns, and climate change. It’s work. You need to face down that challenge with your trowels and your love for the planet. We’re here by your side. But the bottom line- it’s yours.

So, we sell seed balls. Why?

We’re led by an environmental scientist who gathered a wildly qualified team to assist in the development a way to make these seed balls with wildflower seeds so that they have many of the benefits of Fukuokan seed balls but address the limitations of the environment and the demand for wildflower seed balls here in the US. It’s taken us years of trials and innovations by three staff scientists and a production engineer, including experiments to address the specific needs of different seeds for both production and germination, but we do it, and our seed balls grow well, without wasting seed, your money, and your time.

Other seed ball makers? Fukuokans and enthusiasts. There’s a difference. Where they roll seeds in mud, we go through great pains to control the density and even the placement of the seeds within the seed balls on a species-by-species basis. Our material handling technique minimizes the compaction of the clay and portions the compost into its variously decomposed components. We regulate the pH of the matrix with different fractions of organic material, and we test, test, test. That’s what it takes. It’s not rocket science; it’s biology, it’s soil science, it’s process engineering… and it’s not easy.

Colors brighten as they dry.

As exciting as seed balls can be, they can appear a wee-bit drab. Here’s a quick and simple way to color your own seed balls from easy to find groceries.

Supplies

• dry soil-based seed balls (purchase or make your own)
• milk (dairy, almond, and soy all work well)
• corn starch or holi powder (check out our no-fuss-kits)
• assorted food colors (not needed if using holi powder)
• small cups or bowls
• a fork for each color
• a small paint brush for making patterns
• wax paper
• apron or smock

Directions

1. Prepare several cups or bowls with a small amount of milk and starch. 1 part milk to about 2 parts starch. Mixing with a fork works well because it breaks up the clumps. You don’t need a lot. About 1/4 cup mix for each color. The consistency should be that of honey. Adjust by adding more milk or starch.
2. Add ample food colors to each cup. The color will lighten up considerably when it dries, so GO BOLD!
3. Plop a seed ball into one of the cups, count to 5, and lift it out with the fork, allowing excess seed ball color to drain away.
4. Place on wax paper to dry.

Tips

1. Go with simple color combinations or things can get muddy.
2. Add stripes, and layers of color with a small paintbrush.
3. Use dyed starch Holi powders and milk for super intense colors instead of food color. These are the same powders used for ‘Color Runs’ and are available at many online retailers. Mix 1 part milk : 2 parts Holi powder.

Gallery

Hover over image for steps.

Green gifts represent a deep hope, and also an honest admission to our children. Our generation and that of our parents have left a soured legacy. We’ve degraded the the planet, the most precious and irreplaceable resource that our children have for their future.

But there is something we can do to mitigate this damage. We can give our children the ethics, passion, and tools to begin to repair the damage. A tradition as fundamental to our core as giving and sharing is the perfect way to help our children care for the ailing Earth.

Consider the following in your Holiday shopping and activities

• Indoor gardening supplies for those who are eager
• Tools and supplies for gardening in the spring
• Recognize the Solstice in your celebrations! December 21.
• Green technology educational kits- solar power, wind power.
• Things like bikes, kites, scooters, sporting goods that get kids outdoors
• Use pillowcases, recycled paper, or simple wrapping paper that’s natural, un-dyed, unbleached for wrappings
• Brightly colored quilting ‘quarters’ (1/4 square yard of printed cotton fabric) can be used year after year for wrapping small gifts
• Binoculars, hiking boots, and backpacks
• Books on nature. Kids love books that help identify plants and animals! They are full of pictures and great for browsing. Bird ID books offer year-round nature fun!
• Bird feeders
• Solitary bee hives
• A trip to the Aquarium, Science Center, or Nature Center near you
• And, of course, we’d love it, during this slow time of year for gardening businesses, if you shopped at our store!

Gifts like this not only can help your child learn to value the Earth, but can also begin to show them achievable ways to treat it with love and respect.

Growing plants with seed balls is a fun, green activity for everyone!

Win seed ball supplies for a seed ball event with over 100 guests! Perfect for nature centers, schools, libraries and Earth Day Celebrations! Also win some for you, too! Continental US only.

There will be two winners: one person, and one organization.

The Organizational Prize (Pick One):

• 500 seed balls native to your area 
• 5kg of seed ball matrix and enough wildflower seeds to make 1000 seed balls

The Personal Prize (Pick One):

• 100 seed balls native to your area
• 1kg of seed ball matrix and enough wildflower seeds to make 200 seed balls

Our ready-to-use Seed Ball Matrix

To Enter:

1. Like our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/seedballs
2. Share this Facebook post.
3. Email your name and a suitable school or organization that could use the seed balls to: contests@seed-balls.com We PROMISE not to send you emails or promotions. If you would like to be on our mailing list, just let us know!

To Win the Personal Prize

The Personal Prize will be drawn randomly from all complete entries.

To win the Organizational Prize

Whatever organization gets the most references in the emails WINS! Share this post with people who support your school, library, nature center, or other community organization!

Contest Ends January 1, 2017

Send questions to: Blake@Seed-Balls.com

Asclepias tuberosa, Butterflyweed, sends out its radicle after a day of treatment in our natural plant hormone trials. Goal: Milkweed by seed without winter layering.

We move a lot of milkweed in the Fall and early Winter for the savvy gardeners who know that so many native perennials require the winter to break plant dormancy. Many folks, however, miss that window, either because they are busy (I’m guilty of having a stack of seeds by the door waiting for fall planting, then the snow flies…), or because they simply don’t know that some plants need to be sown in the Fall.

We want to help these potential milkweed gardeners out this Spring, so Brian Moyer, one of our staff scientists, and I set to work. Here’s how research works at Seed-Balls.com:

1. We start with identifying an issue we’d like to address that fits within our business mission: ‘Biodiversity through green business.’ In this case, it’s the need for reliable Spring-planting milkweed seed balls.
2. We’ve do an extensive literature review. So, we found articles as far back of the 1930s and as recent as this decade. Brian and I read through them and identified several naturally occurring plant hormones and seed-coating treatments to try singly and in combination on the five species of milkweed that we can reliably find.
3. Our research is driven by three things: hypotheses, the marketplace, and our environmental ethic. After we refine the question based on our review of earlier research, we develop hypotheses that build upon what we have learned. I prefer to use hypotheses to the softer ‘science questions’ approach to research. Having a clear statement to test helps focus experimental design on critical issues. Certainly observations often lead to more questions that can fuel further experimentation, but for me, the heart of any experiment it to test an idea, rather than free-form exploration.
4. Next, we design affordable experiments to test those hypotheses as effectively and efficiently as possible. Sometimes, this means taking a shortcut or acting on a hunch. This deviates from peer-reviewed science some, since pure research does not seek commercial gain. So, I suppose Seed-Balls.com has that in common with the pharmaceutical and mining industries (egad!); we are, after all, a business. Because both biodiversity and education are big parts of our mission, we’ll share the critical components of our experiments through our websites or our products.

Our Milkweed Dormancy Experiment is really several different experiments, each designed to test narrow hypotheses like “Gibberellic acid and Saltpeter together will have a greater impact on Asclepias germination than either would alone.” If we verify the hypothesis confidently enough, we will be able to determine the method that works most effectively, and a quantification of how effective it is. From this we can determine if it’s commercially viable, and how many seeds need to be in each seed ball to ensure germination.

An experimental tray in our lab with hundreds of tests of plant hormones on Asclepias species.

California Poppy Guerrilla Droppings

We’re always listening to customers very closely, and one thing we heard frequently is that seed balls are too expensive for large-scale conservation projects. Even at bulk conservation prices, it can add up over an acre!

People respond to seed balls. They are round, a great size in the hand, and this all makes them a great outreach and educational tool for those new to gardeneing. But the seeds don’t care if they are in a perfectly round ball. The cost of the seed balls is mostly associated with manufacturing and packaging. After about two years of trials, we’ve landed on process that fits the bill.

• Seeds love the loosely packed rich matrix
• We can make it substantially faster than seed balls per seed-ball equivalent.
• It’s packed volumetrically, so there is no weighing or counting of small numbers of seed balls.

Our minimal packaging is keeping costs down even further.

This sounds fantastic, but there was one issue: the questionable marketability of a product that looks just like goose poops. We kicked some names and packaging ideas around in the workshop for some time, and realized, that this was an issue best left to our social media fans. We posted a contest on Facebook, and had over 100 suggestions, some witty, some dry, some mildly but hilariously crude. From Feseeds, to Nature Nuggets, and Guerrilla Droppings to Coveralls, we had a great range of ideas to run with.

We’re test marketing the seed pellets under two names: Guerrilla Droppings, for the guerrilla gardening potential. We realized that a city planner would not be happy seeing “Guerrilla Droppings” on her spring quarter budget, so we we have the second product name. ‘Ground-CoverAlls’ fit the bill for the conservation market. The only difference is the label.

California Poppy cotyledons happily emerge from Guerrilla Droppings in the Lab.

We’re testing 18 spring-sowing species now, and as they pass testing, you will find them for sale at the following websites:

• http://shop.seed-balls.com/collections/guerrilla-droppings
• http://guerrilladroppings.com
• http://amazon.com

Looks like… droppings.

Important conservation species Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata) thrives in this new dispersal product

Here are a variety of indoor gardening activities to get the kids thinking about the outdoors again.

For Plants

Germination of Beans

• Seed Balls, of course! Not buying them, making them! It’s a blast, and it doesn’t need to be too messy. We’ve got supplies and tips on our website.
• Experiments! Set aside some time to learn about seed anatomy with your kids, and grow big seeds that germinate fast like peas, beans and sunflowers. Do some dissections of a variety of seeds at different stages of development, some drawings, and even photo sequences as the seedlings grow! Bean Experiment  Another Bean Experiment
• Windowsill herbs and starters. Some herbs taste perfect in just a few weeks after germination. Maybe you won’t have enough basil for your pesto, but your plants may be big enough to remove a leaf or two for your kids to have a taste of the garden to come!

Kokedama – A Japanese-style Moss Ball

• Kokedama! A fast version of bonsai that involves a ball of mud wrapped in twine, and moss or coir. Fun, unusual, and a very striking window plant.  We’ve got supplies, here.
• Plan a garden layout with your kids. Let them color it, and look at photos of different plants and vegetables. Visualizing a garden can make the process seem more tangible to new gardeners!
• Grow an avocado pit, onion, potato, or even ginger! Try rooting houseplants, or even re-growing carrots and celery from left overs.
• Force some bulbs. Narcissus, crocus, and tulips.
• Get your hands on some seed catalogs. Set a budget for your child and permit them to pick some seeds. Help by giving realistic expectations, but also encourage your child to step out of their comfort zone, trying an unusual vegetable that’s in their favorite color, for example.
• Recycle a glass jar and build a terrarium.

For Critters

A toad house by Judy Brophy.

• Birdhouses. There are a number of birdhouse kits available online. Why not get some bird houses built in anticipation of nesting season! Remember that different birds have different nesting requirements. If you’re unsure what birds you can attract to your garden, check with your local DNR  or university extension for suggestions and plans.
• Bird feeders. Build or buy one Birds will usually only take a couple weeks to find a new feeder. Make sure to keep it stocked through the rest of the winter, as birds can come to depend upon a feeder for their meals. Learn to identify some of the birds that visit, kids will love to keep track and will revel at the sight of a new visitor!
• Toad houses. That’s right! Upside down bowls, cups, pot saucers, propped up on rocks. Paint them up nice, maybe even the insides so the toad can have some decor. Discuss good places for your toad abodes, near shade, vegetation, and if possible, moist soil.
• Bat houses. Bats need all the help they can get right now. Providing alternate housing can create safe havens of healthy bat population. Build the house in the winter, and place it in the Spring. Here’s a good link about how bat houses can help, and how to build them! https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/what-can-you-do-help
• Prepare for pollinators! What kind of pollinators are you hoping for? Butterflies? Bees? Birds? Consider building additional habitat for them. Many solitary bees don’t sting and appreciate housing that you can build affordably and attractively! Have you ever considered bee-keeping? Now’s the time of year to start building your hives and ordering a starter colony!

For People

• Get out in the community and plan an event with one of these activities at a public library, school, or scouting club.
• Work with your school or service group to get the ball rolling on a community pollinator garden! Someone has to start it, why not you and your family?
• Take a portable activity like making seed balls, or planting starters to a nursing home with your kids. Seniors who love to garden get cabin fever like no-one else, and you can help them out and bring some real joy to their day by supplying smiling kiddos to assist with a fun green activity.

In humanity’s on-going effort to harness the power of plants, there is definitely some benefit beyond the placebo effect in many cases, and modern medicine and associated bureaucracy is slow to evaluate the utility and risks of many herbal medicinals. For example, Foxglove, aka Digitalis, is toxic in native form, but is used regularly in modern medicine to treat heart conditions, much as it was in the 10th century! Sympathetic medicine (eg rhino horns and tiger penises for male virility) has proven to be a less successful approach than the methodical observation of actual effect.

Don’t take this gallery as advice, please. I’m not a medical or herbal practitioner, I just love plants and their histories.

Matters of the Heart

Steeped as a tea, the leaves and seeds of dill are claimed to assist in romantic difficulties.

The Red Hibiscus is frequently used in love potions; it’s associated with good fortune and passionate love.

Common foxglove, Digitalis vulgaris, is quite poisonous. In refined form, it is used in the manufacture of potent heart medication.

The Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is a native wildflower in the Eastern US. It’s association with love comes from it’s resemblance to a heart.

The Forget-Me-Not. Once worn by separated lovers to ensure fidelity. 

Cupid’s Dart, Catananche caerulea, is a member of the Aster family, and has been used in sympathetic love magic since the Romans.

Cardamom, Elattaria cardomomum, is a spice with a rich history in Central Asia, has long been associated with love and romance.

Ginseng. The root of this plant is a traditional aphrodisiac. Ginsenosides, a chemical in the root is under review in a number of fertility-related studies.

The Saw Palmetto is used in various love potions to improve circulation to the genitals and enlarge breasts.

Star Anise has two uses in herbal medicine, warding off the ‘evil eye,’ and also bringing good luck in matters of the heart.

The Passion Flower, so named because of numerological parallels with the story of the Crucifixion, or Passion of Christ. Used in herbal medicine for a calming effect, but also to excite passion. This latter adaptation of the plant is the result of misunderstanding the origins of the plant’s name.

Damiana, a Mexican herb, has a long history in traditional medicine for treating everything from asthma to irregular menstrual cycles. Its aphrodisiac properties have earned it the nickname “Shirt Remover.”

Making Babies

Rasberries, Rubus idaeus, is used in herbal medicine to regulate pelvic blood circulation.

Red Clover, Trifolium pratense. Some report that this common clover increases circulation to the groin and moistens the vagina.

Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis, purportedly increases the production of cervical mucous.

Chasteberry, Vitex agnus-castus is an ancient medicinal under modern review for benefits relating to breasts and menstrual pain.

Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica, is apparently rich in vitamins that promote fetal and maternal health.

Maca, Lepidium meyenii, is a South American cruciferous vegetable, not unlike a radish. It’s used to treat a host of female issues and to improve fertility in livestock, as well.

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is thought to stimulate mucosal membranes and regulate female hormones.

Alfalfa, Medicago sativa, is rich in vitamins and has been used in herbal medicine for centuries for bowel regulation and urinary tract issues.  Despite this, pregnant women should avoid alfalfa sprouts because of the risk of food-borne illness.

References

Note: our inclusion of references does not reflect that we agree or disagree with the information that we sourced. We’re just letting you know where we found some of the information we provided to acknowledge the resources…  and for your curiosity.

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12807304
• http://www.paghat.com/cupidsdart.html
• http://herb-magic.com/dill-leaf.html
• http://www.abebooks.com/9781300889830/Materia-Magica-Mickaharic-Draja-1300889837/plp
• http://www.teenwitch.com/herbs/cardamom.html
• http://abetterhappierstsebastian.com/journal/2015/10/8/persian-love-cake-with-honey-rose-cardamom-cream-and-pomegranate
• http://wellnessmama.com/1326/get-pregnant-naturally/
• http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/top-3-fertility-herbs/
• http://natural-fertility-info.com/fertility-herbs

Ron Finley, Gangsta Gardener and Community Leader in South Central LA.

It’s rare to find an individual who is as raw, independent, and direct in his willingness and tenacity to solve a significant problem as Ron Finley. I’m thrilled that Ron took the time for this interview for Seed-Balls.com, and hope that he’s as inspiring to you as he is to us.

Visit his website: Ronfinley.com.

Ron illegally grew vegetables (?!) in between the sidewalk and the street in front of his house in South Central LA food desert. Refusing to cave in to law enforcement, he worked to change the laws. Since, he has been gardening steadily and helping others do so. He’s given a viral TED talk, and he’s now the focus of an award winning documentary,  Can You Dig This, trailer, below. I can’t wait to see the film!

Ron’s TED talk was a great inspiration to me when shaping Seed-Balls.com’s mission. For all the seed balls we put to market, we’re also donating supplies and educating about the value of gardening within our community and online.  When you start breaking the frost in your garden this spring, think about Ron’s efforts, and consider how your gardening can help the community around you to grow as well!

Interview

Ron Finley reflects stoically in his garden.

Blake Ketchum: You’ve been on the frontline of urban agriculture for some time. What is working? What are the critical challenges?

Ron Finley: People. People are the challenges and people are what is working! This it’s not just about growing food. It’s about changing culture. People don’t touch shit anymore, we have to change that. Everything is in cyberspace and not based in reality. The fact that feeding yourself and your family has become abnormal is a testament to our time.

Blake: When people are introduced to growing their own food, how do they feel?

Ron: Some people are intimidated. Some people celebrate it. Some are transported to a place in time where their family grew their own food. But once they are introduced, it changes their entire view and the trajectory of the way the relate to food. It empowers people, it’s like reestablishing purpose.

Blake: I’m the kind of person who loves growing radishes in November even though I don’t live in a food desert. What can I do to help promote the benefits and joys of vegetable gardening?

Ron: Just that. Share what you feel and how it makes you feel. Share how simple and how complex it is at the same time. Share the alchemy of nature. Get on your soapbox and confess your love and how you have embrace gardening and profess how it has changed your life and how it has become your solace. Tell people how the soil seduces you and how everything comes from and goes back to the soil. Tell them that the soil represents life itself.

Blake: Urban areas are distinct from agrarian landscapes in so many ways. What are the most valuable rewards of bringing agriculture to urban centers?

Ron: The most valuable rewards are change in the eco system, help, proximity to the population, less resources and energy used to get the food to the people in underserved areas, but most importantly, a greater understanding of the food system and where food comes from and an appreciation for the process. If we’re gonna get gangsta about something, we have to get gangsta about Mother Earth.

Photographs sourced from RonFinley.com.