20 Pounds of Seed Balls - foraging.straw.seedballs PEP BB

I made these two days ago during the SKIP event.  It wasn't much harder making 20 lbs than to make 4 lbs.

Seeds were:
Wild harvested WI American hazelnuts
Mustard seed mix
White Dutch clover
Tillage radish
Common vetch
Field mint
Catnip
Yellow blossom sweet clover
Sepp grain

Here is my submission for Making 20 Pounds of Seed Balls - foraging.straw.seedballs PEP BB:

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are to make at least 20 lbs of seed balls/bombs:
      o at least an inch in diameter
      o can either be used immediately or quickly dried for storage (before the seeds germinate)
      o at least six different species in each ball/bomb

To document completion of the BB, I have provided the following:
 - A picture of the seeds in their mixing container
 - A picture of the finished balls on a scale showing the weight
 - A listing of the seeds I used

Clover (red, crimson, white, golden), paiute orchard grass, common vetch, field mint, sainfoin, cherry seeds, apple seeds

Here's more seed balls.

Included were

Golden clover
Crimson clover
Lambs quarters
Hairy vetch
Orchard grass
Sainfoin
Apple
Cherry
Dijon radish
Alfalfa

Here is my submission for the Foraging - Straw - Make Twenty Pounds of Seed Balls BB.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirement is to make at least 20 lbs of seed balls/bombs:
      o at least an inch in diameter
      o quickly dried for storage
      o at least six different species in each ball/bomb - see list below

To document the completion of the BB, I have provided:
 - A picture of the seeds in your mixing container
 - A picture of the finished balls on a scale showing the weight
 - A listing of the seeds you used

My Seed Bombs contain:
             o birdsfoot trefoil (perennial)
             o rose clover (perennial)
             o common vetch (annual)
             o crimson clover (annual)
             o lambs quarters (annual)
             o Winter Rye (might be perennial)
             o Hairy Vetch (annual)
             o Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia - perennial)
             o Braco white mustard from the abbey (probably an annual)
             o cherry (perennial) - pushed 1 into each seed ball while forming
             o apples (perennial)

I put the seed balls on the scale in two batches
- 11# 3.7 oz
- 11# 15.8 oz
- TOTAL: 23 pounds

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
 - A picture of the seeds in your mixing container
 - A picture of the finished balls on a scale showing the weight
 - A listing of the seeds you used

Beginning mix:  1 part compost, 1 part dampened coconut coir, 1 part sloppy clay, 1 part seeds

Seeds including crimson clover, white clover, lupine, carrot, onion, squash, dill, radish, sunflower, marigold, amaranth, cucumber, chard, kale, daikon, dandelion, mint,  and a bunch of unlabeled  or old seeds
plus 4 perennials: rudbeckia, echinacea, lilac, wild lettuce

PEP Foraging Straw Seedballs - 20 Pounds of Seed Balls; at least an inch in diameter, can either be used immediately or quickly dried for storage (before the seeds germinate), at least six different species in each ball/bomb
May 15:  22 pounds!


What did I learn:
~ Getting the mix just right took trial and error, too much water, then added coconut coir, and finally added more clay
~ Squash seeds did not like to stay mixed in
~ Smaller balls, laid out in a single layer dry before sprouting,
~ Laying out on bricks helped with the drying process too.
~ Where ever you work, wipe your hands, and dry your seed balls, you will spill seeds. My front yard might be colorful next year.
~ Use a pinch the size of a Hershey Kiss. Maybe a small cookie scoop would help make them even.
~ Rolling them in my hands like cookie dough makes them fall apart. Needed to swirl like dice.
~ (5 hours + 4 hours) x (4 pounds + 22 pounds) x $10/hr = $3.46/pound

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
- A picture of the seeds in your mixing container
- A picture of the finished balls on a scale showing the weight
- A listing of the seeds you used

I'm in the process of making two different sets of seed balls to help remediate a sandy hillside that's not recovering from some excavation that was done three years ago. This is the first set, tomorrow I'll submit the second.

The most prevalent seed in this mix is white clover, second is my wheat grex. After that I've added a pack of bumblebee mix (pictured) as well as a Mexican herb - Papalo (Porophyllum ruderale).

I mixed about six lbs of seeds, five lbs of clay, and the balance was compost. I'm not sure I got enough clay into the mix for them to dry and store well, but they held their form long enough to get them into the field. The balls shown on the scale was about 3/4 of the mix, but I couldn't stack more on this 1020 tray.

OK, second set of seed-balls for my sandy hillside are out and both are being watered in.

This batch was a big sack of sanfoin seed, followed by a lb of 'beneficial bugs mix' including 17 flowers and then an unsorted (three species) mix of winter squash, and miner's lettuce.

I did a better job with the clay ratio this batch.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements is to make at least 20 lbs of seed balls/bombs:
      o at least an inch in diameter
      o can either be used immediately or quickly dried for storage (before the seeds germinate)
      o at least six different species in each ball/bomb

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
Attachment 1  - A picture of the seeds in your mixing container
Attachment 2  - A picture of the finished balls on a scale showing the weight
 - A listing of the seeds you used: pea, oat, buckwheat, clover, hairy vetch, apple, pear, peach, apricot, kumquat, wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, mutton grass, sand dropseed, engelmann’s daisy, evening primrose, penstemon, mecian hat, desert globemallow, sunflower, prickly poppy tansy aster
Plus a photo of 24+lbs of seedballs to confirm that I didn't double dip.

I made 24 pounds of seed balls at the SKIP event to get both BBs!

The seeds I used for this one are:

Dandelion
Lemon balm
Sunflower
Lovage
Catnip
Chamomile
Clover mix

I made these during the 2024 SKIP event. The four pounds needed for the sand badge went so quickly I just kept going and managed to make another 21 1/2 lbs before lunch!

My seed mix changed a bit through the session because we were trying to use up old seed hanging around the library, but included:

Chickling Vetch
Sweet Yellow Clover
Wheat
Lovage (perennial)
Yellow Dock (perennial)
Cherry (perennial)
Sage (perennial)
Asparagus (perennial)
Calendula (perennial)
Columbine (perennial)
Nameless seed mix from The Library