Sewing the Seeds of Hope
I confess, I harbor a huge artist crush on Renee Garner of Wolfie and the Sneak. Her work is layered in recycled materials and found objects, a concept I admire. I love the thought of creating sustainable art. Recycling in a physical sense (as opposed to the recycling of ideas and styles that is unfortunately typical of much art we're exposed to nowadays.)
When Renee offered plant advice in her column at Modish, I threw her my urban garden challenge. The thought of planting seeds, nourishing the soil, and growing my own garden got me to thinking about how huge one small seed can be. "Look how these weeds have grown in this stale dirt", I thought. "Imagine what this will look like when I actually put effort and love into it."
This is what inspired the summer Hope Revolution -- Sewing The Seeds of Hope. Here's the challenge. Make some seed bombs and find public patches of dirt that could use a little love. Plant it and leave behind a hope note. You can make your own, or print off one of these lovelies Renee created.
Every time you pass the spot, even after the note is long gone, you'll be reminded of your secret operation, and the power of a single seed. Or in this case, seed bomb. :)
Reader Comments (7)
krystyn--you're so awesome. wow.
sweet idea girl! i love it.
I LOVE this idea. But I haven't the faintest idea where to find the earthworm castings or the clay!
Debra, sorry for the oversight! That's probably because the article is from the LA Times. Apparently there you can go to a local worm producer and pick up free worm castings. A search for something similar where I live (Atlanta) turned up empty.
Clay soil should be commercially available at your local landscaping supply retailer. I'd suggest asking them about an alternative for the castings -- basically you just need something that is rich in nutrients so the seed bombs can sustain themselves.
These are also pretty cool:
http://www.matchstickgarden.com
Just one matchstick in the sad dirt on my back porch mixed with rain, and I had a big plant practically overnight!
worm castings--
red wriggler bait worms are the same as compost worms--i haven't asked, but I wonder if bait shops would be nice enough to share their poop?
terracycle offers this as a product as well-- available through big box stores
http://www.terracycle.net/main_plant_food.htm
dried compost is a suitable alternative--a lot of cities now have composting facilities and sell it by the pound for a very cheap price, of course, if it's a collective action to make some seed bombs, or if you have a garden of your own to use the compost in, 20 pound bags are available almost everywhere
clay--
i'm inclined to think potters would be willing to share their clay, perhaps leftover unfired red clay from school projects or places that offer pottery classes
also construction sites--it would be pretty quick and painless to find a construction site after 5 (and before dark) and just pick up a big chunk of dirt.
at a certain depth of digging, red clay seems pretty much inevitable
I hope that helps?
I am so looking forward to meeting you. I am so inspired by your hope revolution and you have made me want to step my art slam up a level.
and, bombing the earth is very cool.
I love your idea, and I posted a note on my post today all about your notes with a link to your blog. I think it's wonderful...you are paining hope all over your city. What beautiful ideas you have! In a world that is so sad just now, planting seeds of hope is just what everyone needs.
Karen