How to Make Seed Balls

While visiting the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival the other day, yes again, I attended a workshop where I learned how to make seed balls. I had never heard of a seed ball before but I think it is a potentially great idea. This is how they are made:

1. Mix equal parts compost and clay together in a large bowl.
2. Stir seeds into the mixture.
3. Using a spray bottle, slowly moisten the mixture with water until you are able to roll small amounts into little balls. The balls should hold together easily but not be too gummy or sticky.You may you latex gloves for this part if you would like.
4. Allow the balls to dry.

That's it. Easy. To be truthful these balls look a little like the stuff that appears at the backend of the digestive process, but they are  perfect little seed germination bombs. The clay holds the seeds together and prevents birds from eating them or the wind blowing them away. When it rains the compost provides an initial boost to the seeds. Supposedly you can just drop them on the ground. How neat is that? It would probably be best to choose native wildflower seeds and avoid invasive species. Epcot gave us an heirloon wildflower mix with seeds suited for all areas of the country. They didn't say exactly what was in the mix. I imagine things like tickseed, gallardia, and coneflower would work nicely.

Unbelievably it is still cold!

According to the calendar it is March 23rd and we are into the spring season. At this moment it is 57 degrees here. This is how I remember spring in Ohio, cool and rainy, but wait isn't this central Florida? This continuing cold weather has really slowed down my garden. My tomatoes are doing their best with the cold and the wind. I will not show you the sad pictures of my yard yet, but the roses love the cold. Here are some pretty little roses to hold me over until things pick up a bit in the garden.

A Neptune hybrid tea rose that smells wonderful. I wish I had a smell-o blog.







A Burgundy Iceberg floribunda.

Souvenir De La Malmaison-1843 old garden bourbon rose from France.

This Cold is Getting Old!

Well, yes it is still cold here in central Florida. Yesterday was kinda nice, but today there is more cold and rain. I have such an urge to get out and garden. My poor plants look so bad. I harvested the last of my carrots so that I could have their pot ready for the tomatoes.

I also went to Disney World for my birthday last weekend. EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival was scheduled to start the next weekend, but they already had many of the garden displays out. I regard Disney as an aspirational source of gardening ideas. Here are some photos I took of the new garden displays. I notice a new emphasis on edible gardening.