About Seed Balls
Seed Balls are Ancient.
- They were used in West Africa to sow rice into dried riverbeds to be safe until the rains.
- Various sources suggest that seed balls arose independently in Asia, Africa, and Meso America.
Seed Balls are a conservation tool.
- They conserve the seed until the right conditions arrive. As such, they can stave off germination for quite a while.
- If you are looking for rapidly sprouting seed balls for garden beds and education, try our sunflower and clover seed balls. True wildflower seed balls can take months- even years to germinate.
Seed Balls are fun.
- Handling mud and seeds is something just about everyone can enjoy.
- Planting seed balls can be great fun and makes gardening accessible.
- Watching bees and butterflies on wildflowers that you grew is a great pleasure.
Seed Balls are NOT fast gardening.
- They won't make your garden grow faster - in fact, the seeds may germinate more slowly.
Seed Balls will not bullet proof your seedlings.
- Drought, flooding, frost, funji, feet, deer, bunnies. Seed balls just won't do much in these cases.
What to do:
- Choose species that will grow in your region.
- Plant your seed balls thoughtfully, at the right time of year, in a place where the soil and light are appropriate.
- Plant them at the correct depth. Don't just throw the seed balls (sounds catchy, but it doesn't work well).
- Be patient.
What to expect
- Most wildflowers will need to overwinter before they grow. Plant them in the fall. We pre-treat some seed balls so that you can plant them in the Spring.
- You will need to get enough rain to break down the seed ball, exposing seeds sufficiently. This can take some time.
- Seedlings will appear in properly conditioned seed after there have been sustained conditions that are suitable for germination.