How to Make Seed Balls for Planting

Mix 5 parts dry, red clay with 3 parts dry compost in a large mixing bowl. You can gather red clay from the ground or use red potting clay. If you dig clay out of the ground, spread it flat and allow it to dry completely. Break apart any clods until you have a fine powder. Mix in 1 part fine sand if your clay doesn't contain any sand or other particles.

Add 1 to 2 parts of your choice of seeds to the mixing bowl and blend it with the other dry ingredients. Use seeds from a wildflower seed blend or gather seeds from the wild. One of the appeals with seed balls is you can use them to spread vegetation to forgotten areas, such as throwing them over a fence in a vacant, empty urban lot. If you don't plan to grow the seeds in your own yard where you can monitor the plants, stick with noninvasive native species to avoid releasing problem plants in an area without natural control.

Blend the ingredients constantly while adding small amounts of water at a time until the mixture become moist but not wet. The mixture should form a clump when squeezed in your hand, but you should not be able to squeeze water from the clumps. Expect to use 1 to 2 parts of water for the seed balls. If you measured the dry ingredients in cups, use 1 to 2 cups of water added slowly to the dry ingredients no more than 1/4 cup at a time.

Shape the seed mixture in your hand to form balls roughly the size of a marble, or 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter. Use a spoon or even a small ice cream scoop to measure out equal quantities. Roll the mixture between your hands to shape the balls. Continue rolling until the clay in the mixture polymerizes and the outside becomes smooth.

Lay the moist seed balls on a flat tray and allow them to dry for at least 24 hours. Collect the balls and store them in a cool, dry space until ready to use.

Toss the dried seed balls anywhere you wish to encourage new plant growth, whether it be in an empty corner of your own yard or a forgotten lot in your neighborhood. Scatter the balls at a rate of about one seed ball for every square foot of garden space to ensure the bare space fills in well. The clay ball protects the seeds from birds and other foragers until rain falls, softens the seed balls and germinates the seeds.