






This is the first in a series of articles by guest blogger The
Apocalyptic Housewife .



Somewhere in California, a blighted, mosquito-vector abandoned property is
about to get an echinacea dose via seedbomb.

Seedbombing combines elements of childhood disgruntled mudbomb-hurling; the
balance of meticulousness and zen that good gardeners possess; and my own
forte, the invisibility and vigilance of a sniper.

It also requires a certain attitude. The first step to seedbombing is: 1.
Understand that a job worth doing is worth doing crappily.

You will fuck it up . Live with this. Embrace it. 
Nothing worth
doing was learned perfectly the first time. If Mother Nature herself were
perfect, she wouldn't need us urban urchins to help cover her
scars with flowering seeds.

Here's where we started -


Gift seeds of California Poppy via Jessica Reeder's mom. Thanks,
MamaHun.


2. Mix in seeds.

Use seeds of any kind, even dumpster-salvaged ones, or the ones that might be too
old for the garden.

You can mix them with a 30/30/40 mix of potting soil, worm casings and clay. Or
you could go out to the shed and grab a few handfuls of that sod mix you got at
that estate sale last year and get to mixing.


NOTE: Cover your work area. Dust can fly into your mouth and
eyes very easily. If the fertilizer in the mix is what I think it is, that
wouldn't be pretty. Use gloves to break up the soil with your
fingers.


3. Make bombs.

Form the mix into balls of any size from sling-shot-pellet up to softball.
You're going to be throwing them. Customize it yourself.

Mine were more or less matzoh-ball size and shape, out of habit. This worked out
pretty well.

Allow to dry overnight, or until they're solid enough for the next
step.
4. Throw.

Today, I kept it simple. I chose one abandoned property a few minutes from
downtown, and two vacant lots. The leftovers went onto the jungles alongside the
freeway offramps.


First lesson learned -- you need at least two people to seedbomb from a
vehicle . The first responsibility should be driving safely. I found this
hard to do while also avoiding cops, dealing with the camera and the car window,
scoping out angles of approach for throwing, etc.

I ended up with a broken fingernail and dirt all over my lap. Also, a perfect
strike. But you'll have to take my word because a camera at that moment
would have been crazy.

Second Lesson -- keep the seedbombs in a shallow covered container .
You want both tidiness and easy access. Plus, those things are crumbly. I made
eight; the last two were totally pulverized after being jostled in a paper bag
for half an hour.

And the last lesson -- have fun . It's play. Seedbombing is a
hit-or-miss way for change to take root, pun intended. It's chlorophyll
graffiti. No one I know is getting digg'd or favrd yet for throwing color
and scent around the ghetto. Do it to see how it feels. You may want to keep
checking on your flowers (I promise I will) or you might get an idea to do
something else completely unexpected (I did).

Enzo Angolini spike heels found by serendipity at St Paul's Thrift for
$3.98. Sexy, non?


For example, make smaller wildflower seedbombs and carefully 'plant' them
in a meridian by making holes in the ground with your heel and then gently tamping
the dirt over them with your sole.

This is also good practice for looking lost and cluelessly invisible. More on that in
future posts.

5. Enjoy.


Earth is my friend, like that old classmate who you keep forgetting to drop a note to
on Facebook.


When I took a victory lap and hand-wash break in the mall, I was happy, not in a
smug superior way, but in the knowledge that I had avenged myself against the
whole Sunday-at-the-mall culture that I felt smothered by. I did it by throwing
flowers all along those places no one goes, but where our planet's future
lives.

There is one over-riding message to this -- Quit being such a goddamned
perfectionist. Yes, yes, I know, you know of much better places
to never throw those seedbombs you haven't made. You could get better soil
if you put it on the shopping list. You undoubtedly write much better and could
have a real serious article with awesome non-blurry pictures taken by a person
who actually can get the timer to work for a goddamn change. The actions that
you never do are absolutely perfectly effective, in your imagination.
But my actions accomplished something today.

Which brings us back to: 1. A job worth doing is worth doing crappily.

This blog is the digital proof.




6 Responses to "The Apocalyptic Housewife Goes Seedbombing"



Kate 25. Nov, 2009 at 3:37 pm

Did this with my aunt in Griffith Park after the last bout of fires.
Didn't know there was a term for it- my mom and aunt have been seed
bombing for years. They'll be glad to know it is catching on among the
under-60 set.




Raggedy Anarchy 25. Nov, 2009 at 5:46 pm

Thanks for commenting, Kate. Your mom and aunt sound great.

I used to see this old scary dude walking around checking the trees in
Griffith Park for Dutch Elm Disease. Turns out he had been a brilliant
biology student before losing derferment and going to Vietnam. Thanks for
making me remember him.

We are everywhere.




Summer 26. Nov, 2009 at 10:52 am

Loved this!




brian 14. Dec, 2009 at 8:10 pm

Didn't know there was a name for this. Awesome idea though. My wife and
I did this when we lived in Texas ... planted blue bonnets in a state
park. Yeah, I know, "Texas has plenty of blue bonnets," you
say ...

Well we thought they could use more.




Jessica Reeder 15. Dec, 2009 at 9:08 am

Hey Brian, thanks for stopping by! That was nice of you. 

There is no such thing as too many flowers. Well done.

We just made seedbombs for our holiday gift baskets; they're a mix of
flowers from the yard, heavy on the poppies.




I am not nice, young, hip, white, rich, educated, suburban or any of the other
things you are unconsciously assuming anyone who loves the earth must be. My
discontent is the mother of invention, and by invention, I mean creative
re-purposing.

I love bringing apt quotations and poems to awkward occasions the way another
guest would bring a box of See's. Actually, I do that, too. Anyone who doesn't
have a sweet tooth is bound to have a mean streak, and freegan chocolates are
perfectly salvagable most of the time.


That's me. I'm the Apocalyptic Housewife. I take pictures and have ideas and
enjoy my thoughts and try to do a little something less about consuming and more
about redemption every day. It makes me a little nicer.




