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Introduction

If you want to help the natural world to grow and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, making your own seed balls is the fun activity for you.

Seed balls contain lots of different wildflower seeds and are held together by compost and clay. They’re easy to make at home, with no digging or expert knowledge needed!

They can be thrown onto the soil in a green space or planter, adding colour and supporting wildlife in your local area.

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Springwatch Academy

Join the Springwatch Academy as they start a wildflower takeover by making their own seed bombs.

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How to make seed balls

Seed balls are made from wildflower seeds, clay and peat-free compost.

The balls prevent the seeds from being a tasty lunch for birds and insects, thereby increasing the chances of your flowers growing.

You will need:
Native wildflower seeds, Peat-free compost or soil, water, bucket or bowl, clay or flour

Step-by-step guide to making your seed balls

  1. Get a nice big container, like a mixing bowl or bucket, and add a few handfuls of compost.

  2. Take your wildflower seeds and pour them in.

  3. Roll up your sleeves and give everything a good mix up.

  4. Then add some water to your seed and compost mix. Add the water gradually and be careful not to make the mixture too wet.

  5. Now add the clay. This will help stick everything together. If you don't have any clay you can use baking flour instead.

  6. Get stuck in and start moulding a handful of the mixture together into a ball shape.

  7. Finally, leave them to dry for about a day in a sunny spot.

  8. Now it’s time to get planting! Throw your seed balls onto a bare patch of soil or compost in a garden or planter. Leave about 10 cm between each ball.

Remember to get permission from whoever owns the land when planting your seed balls.

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Wildflowers

Your seed balls should have everything they needs to grow. Once your seed ball becomes moist and the temperature is right, your seeds will germinate.

It’s important to use native wildflower seeds when making your seed balls. If you're not sure which seeds to use, you could always ask your local garden centre to help.

Here are some examples of wildflowers we’ve used in our Green Planet seed balls.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 8, Red poppies growing in a meadow, Poppy
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Wild your patch

Bee visiting some flowers

Wildflowers give more than a beautiful splash of colour to our surroundings; they also help some of the most important creatures around us.

Insect pollinators (like bees) help flowering plants reproduce by carrying pollen from one plant to another. They perform an essential role to keep ecosystems healthy and to grow our foods, like fruit and vegetables.

Around the UK, bees and other wild insects are in decline. The good news is that by planting wildflowers we can help out our pollinator pals.

These pollinators need homes – called habitats – and they love areas like meadows with lots of wildflowers. But, you can also help them by planting flowers in gardens, backyards, pots and balconies.

So get out there and get growing!

Bee visiting some flowers
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