Seed Bombs: Bomb or Bust?

Seed Bombs: Bomb or Bust?

As promised, I had to follow up on our seed bomb experiment. As you may remember last spring, in an attempt to add some colour to our neighbourhood and rid ourselves of an eyesore, the abandoned meatpacking facility on the corner, my children and I made seed bombs.

Using a recipe from guerrilla gardener extraordinaire Liz Christy, we concocted seed bombs, which are basically water balloons with some soil, peat pellets, bits of paper towel and flower seeds mixed in. Making the bombs was a little messy, but a lot of fun.

The lot owned by the meatpacking facility has been vacant for a number of years. The seven-foot high chain link fence collects a lot of wind-blown trash and waste from thoughtless passersby. I spent an afternoon raking up garbage and making sure there was no broken glass or city surprises on the site before I brought over my little ones.

The lot looked infinitely better after I'd finished. In fact, my spectacle attracted an audience from the building across the street. A few even pulled up lawn chairs on their balconies. No doubt, they were in shock that someone had taken it upon themselves to clean up the joint.

When I brought my children over, I instructed them to aim for the corner of the lot, where most of the trash collects. I lobbed one in the general area to give my kids the gist of the technique. They thought this was hilarious, and before we knew it, all the seed bombs had been launched, more or less in the general vicinity of the corner.

Fun was had by all, but the seed bombs didn't produce very much. In fact, they don't appear to have produced anything at all. They faced some very stiff competition from native plants and wildflowers. I have chosen my words carefully, as one of the bloggers I follow, Flora Urbana's Roger Latour, a specialist in plants native to this area, would not appreciate my calling these, ah gems...weeds.

All my raking seemed to stimulate growth among the natives, and our abundant rain this summer has contributed to their prolific growth. At any rate, you can see just how high the native plants have grown from the picture (My daughter is 4'1"). These plants do not look bad, and they are high enough to block garbage from blowing into the area and keep undesirables out.

Will we try seed bombs again? Well, this was our second year with zero results, but the seed bombs were still fun to make. This experiment may need a proper control next time. Answer: maybe.

Related posts:
Liz Christy Seed Bombs and Some Not So Covert Bombing
More on Guerrilla-ing in NYC and St. Henri
Attention Guerrilla Gardeners: the Liz Christy Seed Bomb (a how-to)
Trespassers in St. Henri Win City Gardening Contest
What Exactly is Guerrilla Gardening?
Guerrilla Gardening: Tips for the Novice

Read more »

Green Trespassers: One Step Closer to Community Garden

Green Trespassers: One Step Closer to Community Garden

Last week via Facebook, I heard some news from Torsten Hermann, the St. Henri guerrilla gardener. The City of Montreal had delivered the promised topsoil, and the CBC had been around to interview him about his gardening project.

A few days later, Torsten was informed by several neighbours that they had heard his name and community garden mentioned on the radio. This additional publicity has made Torsten a local celebrity in St. Henri, particularly on Delinelle Street.

(Are there any guerrilla gardeners in your neighbourhood? Please tell us about them.)

"Everyone on the street now has high hopes that the City will officially make this a community garden," said Torsten.

As some readers may recall, the owner of this land remains a mystery. In true guerrilla gardening fashion, Torsten Hermann and Fraser Wilkinson cleared this rubble-strewn St. Henri lot in the spring of 2008, with what some considered "lofty" hopes of starting a community garden.

The many initial detractors on Delinelle Street and the surrounding area have since changed their minds and are now showing their full support--the project is thriving, as I saw for myself this weekend.

The Delinelle Community Garden and Park, as Emily Wilkinson's hand-painted reads, has expanded in size to accommodate eight neighbourhood gardeners who are now working side by side. Torsten showed me each of the different gardener's plots and told me a little bit about each person and how they came to be members.

Emily had taken over for her father, Fraser, in mid-season last year. This summer both were gardening together, as were Jessica, Matt, Miriam, Nicole, Lauren and Torsten, all residents in and around Delinelle Street.

Torsten told me that the experience has been extremely positive. In addition to receiving more plants from the borough flower give-away, the community garden has received much more.

"A few weeks ago, one of the neighbours, a landscaper, dropped off that bush," he said, pointing to the newest addition. "Another neighbour also came out one night to offer us a case of beer. But the nicest part," he added, "is when the odd person stops by to tell us how great our project is."

I noticed a complete walkway with patio stones this time, and Torsten explained that they were donated by Mr. Doré, a local landlord. With the remaining patio stones, the gardeners planned to put a patio in the back corner under an elm tree, where neighbours could bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the shade on a hot summer's day.

The compost was being moved closer to the gardening plots, and Torsten showed me how they were planning to expand the garden if more green thumbs wanted to join next year. Another addition was a raspberry, strawberry and rhubarb patch.

Mmmm... I can taste the pie already.

There are also some plans for a street party at the end of the summer around harvest time, which I am looking forward to.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the gardening membership expand from 2 last year to 8 this year. What is more, the area looks well cared for.

Liz Christy would have been proud of Torsten and his gang of guerrilla gardeners.

Related articles:
Liz Christy Seed Bombs and Some Not So Covert Bombing
More on Guerrilla-ing in NYC and St. Henri
Attention Guerrilla Gardeners: the Liz Christy Seed Bomb (a how-to)
Trespassers in St. Henri Win City Gardening Contest
What Exactly is Guerrilla Gardening?
Guerrilla Gardening: Tips for the Novice

Read more »

Liz Christy Seed Bombs and Some Not-So-Covert Bombing

Liz Christy Seed Bombs and Some Not-So-Covert Bombing

On a rainy Saturday afternoon, my daughter and I created our arsenal of seed bombs. It didn't take much convincing to enlist my six-year-old's support in a covert operation. She was an enthusiastic participant. She loved the idea of throwing water balloons, filled with muck...and other stuff.

We quickly discovered that the seeds and crushed peat pellets readily clogged the balloon opening. Blowing up the balloon first to stretch it out is key, as is using a funnel with a fairly large opening. We got the hang of it after the third balloon. For best results, you should add the fertilizer beads first, then the seed mixture, some tissue, the crushed peat pellets and finally the water. (For the Liz Christy seed bomb recipe, click here.)

(If you try this recipe or any other please drop us a line and let us know your secret.)

It was a messy affair, requiring an extensive clean-up afterwards, but it was fun! My kids love anything with balloons.

My daughter's attention waned after the ninth bomb, so that is when we called it quits. Besides, this was just "a test."

On Monday morning, as I was walking my son to daycare, I noticed that the fenced in area on the corner lot was actually unlocked (for a picture of our bombing site click here). Major coup! This meant that I could actually rake up some of the debris and dead leaves so the seed bombs would land on soil and improve their chances of survival.

After raking for about an hour that afternoon, I was pleased to discover that much of the debris and leaves accumulated over the years had decomposed into fairly good soil. I also collected the usual suspects: broken bottles, and a fair bit of polystyrene and styrofoam, which, as we know, never decomposes. In total, I filled five garbage bags before my husband reminded me that I was only looking for a place to "test" the seed bombs.

As we only made nine seed bombs, I thought we could target a small area in the corner where debris collects. Maybe future debris would serve as mulch.

Both my kids took part in the offensive, and although I told them to aim for the corner, several bombs...veered off course, while others did not explode at all and had to be relaunched.

Even if nothing grows, fun was had by all. I will keep you posted if we see any result.

.

Read more »

Attention Guerrilla Gardeners: the Liz Christy Seed Bomb (A How-to)

Attention Guerrilla Gardeners: the Liz Christy Seed Bomb (A How-to)

In 1973, on a mission to green Manhattan, Liz Christy and her band of green guerrillas took to the streets armed with weapons of mass creation: seed bombs. Liz and her army hurled these homemade concoctions into the air well into the wee hours of the morning, as New Yorkers were fast asleep, unaware of the green revolution unfolding at their doorsteps.

I have come across several recipes for seed bombs, but none as elaborate as the Liz Christy. My daughter and I made seed bombs last year, and along with her kindergarten class, we bombed a spot next to the Laurier Metro station, but saw no results. I have a feeling that the mix of wildflower seeds was a favourite among our feathered friends.

(If you are a seasoned green thumb and think you could improve on the following recipe or seed mixture, please leave a comment so the green revolution may continue.)

Instructions
Anyway, the Liz Christy appears to have been a little better designed. Bombers could use either a balloon or a glass Christmas decoration for the bomb casing. A funnel was used to add the seeds, some time-released fertilizer pellets, moistened peat moss crumbs, some tissue paper and finally some water before the bomb was tied off (balloon) or plugged with a small piece of cloth (glass Christmas ornament) and shaken vigorously.*

Bombers were sent on a reconnaissance mission ahead of time to determine how many seed bombs would be required to cover their target area. They also received instructions on bombing techniques: an overhand throw for the balloon bomb and underhand lob for the glass ornament. Vacant lots without any public access were their primary targets.

Bombing took place throughout 1973 until the City surrendered a vacant lot in Manhattan on the north-east corner of Bowery and Houston to Liz Christy and her crew for the symbolic sum of $1 a month in April of 1974.

The seed mix changed with the seasons to increase their chances of green advances.

Early Spring: Batchelor Buttons, Diathunus, Grass, Wildflowers
Late Spring: Cosmos, Portulaca, Zinnias, Nicotiana
Early Summer: Sunflower, Ornamental Grass Mix, Zinnias, Marigolds
Early Fall: Soy Beans, Clover, Winter Rye, Cleome

Personally, I would opt for the balloon seed bomb casing, as it can hold more ammo (Maybe Christmas ornaments were larger and made of thicker, more resistant glass in the early 70s) . I also think that balloons are easier to transport.

I found the glass Christmas ornament a bit odd given the broken glass it would produce, but I think we can cut these do-gooders some slack. After all, what's the fun of bombing without a resounding crash...Just don't let your children play in the area afterwards.

*Source: http://www.lizchristygarden.org/

Read more »

More On Guerrilla-ing in NYC and St. Henri

More On Guerrilla-ing in NYC and St. Henri

In 1973, New York City artist Liz Christy and her band of gardening activists, the green guerrillas, began their quest to reclaim urban space by installing flower boxes and seed-bombing vacant lots. The group eventually came across a promising looking site on the northeast corner of Bowery and Houston in Manhattan. They cleared the rubble and trash, spread some donated topsoil, installed a fence and got down to work.

In December of that year, Liz and her 25-member force approached the City of New York to see if there was a way to gain official access to the land. In April of 1974, the City's Preservation Housing Development Office authorized the rental of the lot for $1 a month, and the Bowery-Houston Community Farm and Garden was born.

Sixty-raised vegetable beds made up the garden's initial configuration, and trees and herbaceous borders were later added. In its second year, the Bowery-Huston won the Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your Neighbourhood Award and became the urban community garden model that spread throughout New York's five boroughs. The original green guerrillas started running workshops and showing other urban gardening groups how to get started.

In 1986, the Bowery-Houston was renamed *Liz Christy's Bowery-Houston Garden in memory of Liz Christy, who died of cancer at the age of 39.

St. Henri Guerrillas One Step Closer to Community Garden

In a recent post, I wrote about a pair of St. Henri. gardening activists, Thoresten Hermann and Fraser Wilkinson. Via Facebook, Hermann informed me of some new developments in their community garden project, which has the entire street abuzz. The City of Montreal, through its organization Eco-Quartier, has offered them topsoil to get started this year. In addition, they will be receiving a few pear trees as an added bonus (however, no mention of a partridge to date).

Hmmm...topsoil and pear trees. Looks like the City is complicit in the boys' plan for a community garden, as municipal authorities have yet to ask either Hermann or Wilkinson if they own the land they're cultivating.
Is the City aiding and abetting, or is the City actually the owner and getting some landscaping for free?

It really doesn't matter. Everyone is a winner. The Delinelle Street residents in St. Henri have a beautiful green space, Hermann and Wilkinson can enjoy gardening, and if the owner ever shows up, s/he has an attractive lot that has been cleared free of charge.

*Source: http://www.lizchristygarden.org/

Related post:
Trespassers in St. Henri Win City Gardening Award

Read more »