The clay we use is a standard low-fire red pottery clay. You should be able to pick it up at any ceramics supply company. We also sell supplies, but you can avoid shipping costs and packaging costs if you just pick up some at a local store!

Blake

Seed balls were developed in arid climates over the millennia in different parts of the world. There’s a lot of information and mix-information online. The earliest written reference that I have inferred is of romans using pelletized seeds at some point.

The initial purpose, which is embraced in Australia, is that of dryland cultivation. It protects the seed from foraging critters until the rainy seasons come, lengthening the interval of time available for dispersion. For guerrilla gardening, the purpose is similar, it’s an easy way to sow and neglect with a reasonably high success rate. I would imagine that if you’re working a no-till garden and have a bad back- why seed balls would be perfect (my initial reason for getting into seed balls)

Another application was developed in Africa and imported to the US with slaves. This was to coat seeds of rice and then toss them on the place to be flooded. When the area was flooded for cultivation, the rice grains would stay put and not float off.

For the avid vegetable gardener with a compost bin and worms, the seed ball might serve little practical purpose. It does seem, however, to have an appeal to those new to gardening. As a vector to the green universe, I think seed balls are a powerful tool. If it gets more people interested in growing things… great. Native wildflower seed balls are a LOT of fun to throw in ditches, especially from a car window.

As far as bulk production: A typical sowing rate is 1 per sq. foot, about 5000 per acre. When we get a bulk order, we use a different process. We make a matrix and mix the seeds into that as a whole, then pinch off bits for the balls. We use a tumbler to round them off. It goes very fast and we can produce seed balls for acres of land without substantial lead time. If our simple set up can do this cost effectively, I would imagine a process engineer, who I am not, could scale it up remarkably well. Just finished up an order for 3k, and this weekend will tackle a 5k order for a prairie in TX, so it is do-able for larger areas.

So… seed balls are fun, kinda sassy, they are of significant benefit in situations where the seed will have to wait to grow or not be tended. You can add some microbial life, and nutrients for poor soil so the seed can have a better chance in the form of compost. In a well tended garden? In all fairness, I can’t say that there is much advantage other than just trying something different.

If you checked out the website, thank you very much. I would be happy to answer any questions you have to the best of my ability. We just moved our worms to a Worm Inn MEGA and they are doing fabulously. THANKS BENTLEY!! 🙂

For me, this actually has my mind racing in a number of different, related, directions beyond seed balls themselves. So that’s part of the reason I am as excited as I am. But I DO also just like the idea of preparing the seeds ahead of time, thus minimizing at least some of the fuss and bother often associated with getting seeds started in the spring (while providing young plants with a nice additional boost).
😎