Composting Events and news

Seed balls, or compost balls are used for “seed bombing” where the balls are thrown, dropped by hand   or even from the air into the area where they are to germinate .  They also provide a means of sowing wild flowers in school grounds and allotment sites  neglected areas of towns and cities. As part of Compost Awareness Week Stokes Wood Allotments in Leicester will be providing workshops in making Seed balls on the afternoon of 5^th May

The conventional Speedball is  made by  rolling the  seeds in a ball of  compost which is coated with a layer of  wet with the compost and clay acting as a carrier for the seeds so they can be thrown into inaccessible areas. Each seed ball provides the seed(s) with a mini ecosystem.   However, as this technique  will normally require the purchase of clay, we use  an alternative  suitable using flour instead of clay.  The completed balls  are then placed, or more often thrown into the garden or  ground, where it is hoped the plants will grow. dissolve.

I normally make speedballs in groups of 16 – 20 children with each child making three balls if they are paying to participate and making the bombs to take away at the end of the session. However, if  the plan is to seed bomb a school garden each student  may only make one bomb  and the bombing can take place in small teams with each team bombing a marked off section of the garden. When the seeds have germinated the students can see how effective they have been in covering the whole of the target area.

More details on speedballs go to http://www.carryoncomposting.com/441149735. And on the Stokes wood Demonstration Site Compost Week activities http://www.carryoncomposting.com/441149731

The Stokes Wood composting demonstration site   has now been Registered for:

• T23: Aerobic composting and associated prior treatment,
• T26: Treatment of kitchen waste in a wormery,
• U11: Spreading waste to benefit non-agricultural land and
• U12: Using mulch.

We started three  of the bins, a Hotbin and 220 litre and 330 litre  bins, available from Get Composting under the Leicestershire and Leicester City Council scheme, this morning using spout stalks and leeks left in one of the Reception bins (photo)  by plot-holders together with a little catering waste from the café.

We still have more bins to add to the site in the months before it is officially opened as part of Compost Awareness Week.

Visitors are welcome to drop by on Wednesday mornings when the café is open for drinks and breakfasts

The www.carryoncomposting.com  page on Liquid Feeds  made from plants  has been updated and now includes Comfey, Dandelion, Grass Cuttings, Horsetail, Nettles and Seaweed Plant Liquid Feeds. 

We have given Compost Teas a separate page   Compost Teas  to make searching easier.

The  new compost demonstration site at Stokes Wood Allotments  is on course to be completed ready for an official opening to celebrate Compost Awareness Week on 5^th May. The site will house a wide range of compost bins suitable for use when home composting including Blackwell bins available through Council Schemes,

Tumbler bins including  a large Mantis,

a Rowlinson bee-hive bin suitable for a smaller garden 

Hotbins, Green Johana  and a Jora food composter  as well as a range of wormeries.

There will also be a section on making plant and compost based liquid feed including aerated compost tea.

The Rowlinson Beehive  composter was kindly donated by GardenSite has been installed..  https://www.gardensite.co.uk/garden-structures/composters/     Composters from GardenSite"

CAW Launch

As part of the launch events there willbe:

• a  painted compost bin activity where bins loaned to and painted by local schools will be displayed,
• a compost safari workshop and
• an opportunity to make compost Seedballs to be thrown to plant wild flowers in difficult to reach  areas  and school grounds.  
• More details to follow.

Compost Seedballs

Seed or earth balls are used for “seed bombing” where the balls are thrown or dropped by hand   or from the air into the area where they are to germinate .

Sowing Seedballs directly in the field is a technique used in ancient Egypt and  by North American First Nations’ tribes and is now being used  for the large-scale regeneration of land.  

Seedballs dropped from the air mat contain the seeds of trees to create forests while those thrown by hand  are often used for planting wildflowers in abandoned vacant and neglected areas of towns and cities. They also provide a means of sowing wild flowers in school grounds and allotment sites.

Clay based Seedballs

The conventional Seedball is  made by  rolling the  seeds in a ball of  compost which is coated with a layer of  wet clay  or,  in a variation of the method, the seeds, compost and clay are all mixed together when making the ball. The compost and clay act as a carrier for the seeds so they can be thrown into inaccessible areas. Each seed ball provides the seed(s) with a mini ecosystem. Where the balls are made commercially, they are normally about a 1cm in diameter a size which makes scattering, but home-made versions tend to vary and are often larger.  The clay provides a  shell   protecting the seed and nutrients  in the compost from  predators e.g.  as birds,  ants and rodents.   However, as this technique  will normally require the purchase of clay there is an alternative  suitable for allotment sites and schools using flour instead of clay. 

The completed balls  are then placed or more often thrown into the garden or  ground where it is hoped the plants will grow. There are techniques where the seeds are spread form aircraft, but my view is that this is unlikely to be used on  allotments or school grounds and  domestic gardens,  so no further details are given here.   Seedballs can also be used for planting in pots and raised beds.  The seeds will remain dormant until their environmental needs are met. When enough rain has permeated  the clay, the seeds germinate with the initial growth of the plant being helped by the nutrients and minerals in the compost.  After about three weeks the first seedlings work their way through the seed bomb and root into the ground below.  As they grow the seed bomb begins to dissolve. There are variations to the basic recipe one used by  Seedballs (https://www.seedball.co.uk/ ) are made with the addition of  chilli to help protect  the seed from predators.

Flour and Compost Seedballs

Home, school and allotment composters may like to make seedballs using their compost without having to purchase clay. Flour Seedballs  provide an easily made and cheap alternative to the tradition clay encased ball. These are more likely to disintegrate if thrown  spreading the seeds and ensuring a wider coverage of the area and seed bombing might be more fun for children. However, it does mean that the seeds will lose their compost packing  on impact and germination may be better if the seeds are put on the soil, raised bed or flower pot.  More information on www.carryoncomposting  Using Compost