April 14, 2009 News

Let Montreal sprout

Seed bombs and guerrilla gardening is easy

by Justin Giovannetti

Sitting in the lush and stuffy greenhouse of Concordia University’s Hall building on April 8, two dozen Montrealers learned how to make bombs—seed bombs, that is.

The seed bomb is the main weapon in the arsenal of the guerrilla gardening movement, a form of non-violent activism intent on saving misused urban spaces through gardening.

“The basic principal behind a seed bomb is that it holds all the qualities necessary for the seeds to thrive: clay, compost, seeds and a little bit of water to make sure it all holds together,” explained Alexandra Hall, the host for the Sustainable Concordia workshop called “Seed bombs and Seedlings.” “Basically the seed bomb is a mini pot in which the seed can grow.”

Seed bombs are well suited for Montreal, a city abundant in derelict lots and neglected neighbourhoods.

“You can use seed bombs wherever you like. Often today they are used to reclaim urban spaces where you can change the landscape and make it beautiful and add some colour and life,” said Hall.

Seed bombs have all the nutrients necessary to live and grow in an arid environment, like a parking lot or downtown tree pit.

How to make a seed bomb

The recipe for a seed bomb is simple. Out of eight parts: four parts clay, two parts compost, one part seed and one part water.

Get ready to get your hands dirty.

In a large bowl, combine the seeds and compost with your hands until the two are well mixed. Then add the clay slowly, while mixing it in with your hands. Add water until you reach something with the consistency of cookie dough.

Take the cookie dough-like mix and roll it into balls the size of big cherries. These balls need to dry for about a week so that they become hard.

The hardened balls are the final product.

Seed bombs may need to be thrown over fences or walls into closed-off spaces, so they need to be hard to survive the impact.

The best time for bombing is mid-spring to early summer.

Where do you get supplies?

For seed bombs, the hardest ingredient to find is clay, but the shavings left behind from sculptures by Concordia’s art students or dried clay from art stores work fine. Any kind of compost can be used, whether homemade or store bought.

As for seed types, plants that are indigenous to Quebec are preferable because they are hardier. As an example, the Sustainable Concordia workshop used three types of seeds: Nasturtium, an edible flower with bright colours; Mesclun, a mix of edible greens for salads; and Calendula, an edible marigold with known medicinal qualities. These types of seeds are available at hardware stores.

Guerrilla gardeners prefer edible plants because they serve a purpose beyond looking nice.

Targets

The use of seed bombs is limited only by the imagination of the urban guerrilla: there is nothing illegal about them.

Targets discussed at the workshop included train station platforms, under overpasses, abandoned parking lots, the Hall building’s balcony near Reggie’s or the tree pits that line downtown arteries like Ste-Catherine Street.