Seed Bombs!

I was super happy when I realized how lovely of an idea seed bombs would be for low budget Christmas gifts! They’re also pretty simple to make and the process can be done entirely with recycled items. You can also experiment with a couple variations of seed bombs – like garden or fruit bombs. My goal was to make some “bee friendly” bombs, so I went with wildflower seeds in my bombs. The whole process takes roughly 24-ish hours, more or less. My process is outlined below.

  1. Determine what sort of bombs you want to make. The simplest are often done with wildflower seeds since they’re hardy and grow in a multitude of different areas. I used 1/4lb of seeds (4oz) and it was A LOT!
    – for “bee bombs,” choose annual or perennial wildflowers, native to your area
    – for “garden” or “veggie bombs,” choose hardy veggies like greens, cucumbers, beans, or peas
    – for “forage bombs,” use seeds like sunflowers, oats, rye, and wheat
  2. Soak your paper overnight in a bucket with warm water. I used a whole Sunday paper, with the non-newspaper (shiny/glossy pages) removed. Shred your paper so that it’s easier to blend the next day. Cover in warm water and let it soak. My dogs helped me shred my paper
  3. Once your paper has soaked overnight, drain it completely (or as much as you can). Once drained, place some of the shreds (smaller batches work best) in a blender or food processor (preferably one you don’t care if it gets ruined because you’ll get ink ALL over the implement, and yourself; the paper can also ruin blades) and cover paper with warm water. Blend paper until it is a fine, oatmeal-y type of pulp.
  4. Once all of your paper is blended into pulp, dump it into a bucket and mix in your seeds. I mixed my seeds in a little at a time, so I could make sure I got everything mixed thoroughly. You want to make sure your seeds are dispersed fully throughout the pulp.
  5. Once seeds are sufficiently mixed, place pulp by handfuls (I did 2 at a time) into cheesecloth/dish towel/old t-shirt and squeeze/wring the cloth to get as much of the water out as possible!
  6. Once you’ve removed the water from your pulp/seed mixture, you can start shaping them. I used my mini-silicone molds PLUS some cupcake tins to make different sizes, you can also form them into balls or use cookie cutters or other molds to make various shapes and sizes. Press them firmly into the shapes you desire.
  7. Once shaped, remove from the molds and place on a cooling rack/cookie sheet/whatever you’ve got on hand to dry. I used cooling racks so that air can flow around the entire bomb, not just over the top.
  8. Place drying bombs in a cool/luke-warm area to dry. It helps if you can keep air circulating, I used a fan. You can keep them in a slightly warm area, but not too warm as you don’t want the seeds to germinate.
  9. Let dry for a couple days, you’ll be able to feel once they’re dry. Smaller bombs dry quicker than larger ones. Once dry, package them however you please!

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