Today
I want to share with you one of my favorite accidental gardening methods...seed bombs...nature's way.
If you have never heard of seed bombs, they are a method of using a medium such as clay and seeds to create a quick way to add plants back into areas where vegetation has been damaged or destroyed. You can read more here.
A
couple of years ago, we placed our uncarved Halloween pumpkin in the flower bed
for a fall decoration. I never thought another thing of it. We watched it collapse
and decay over the winter, and it was kind of cool. Much to my surprise in the
spring we had dozens of little pumpkin plants sprouting up in the garden. Once
I thought about it, it made complete sense. Nature was made to replicate
itself. Some seeds require passing through an animal’s digestive system, some
require fire, some count on critters stashing them for winter substance and
then leaving them to sprout, but others may be able to create their own little
reproductive environment.
 |
| This is what is left of last years painted pumpkin in the flower bed. Although this one did sprout, we had a late frost and lost all the seedlings. |
This
fall we started a little experiment. I already know this can work with
pumpkins, let’s see what else will sprout in the spring. SO, we have an empty,
not so pretty lot next door. It has a six foot chain link fence on it. Along
the fence is about eight to twelve inches of ground and then an irrigation
ditch that is used to water our yard. This means we have a natural “trellis”
and a water source…a
perfect combo
for effortless natural solutions gardening. This ditch is only used by us so it
does not require the perfect grooming that is required for “running” ditches.
We let the side near the fence go “wild” this year just to test the viability
of gardening it in the future. It worked perfectly and gave us a great wild
area for insects and frogs to set up housekeeping.
The
key to this method seems to be in leaving the whole fruit/veggie undisturbed
and complete. IF, my deductions are correct, the system protects the seed until
the environment is right for growth. (This is where it is clear that I love
experimenting and am OK with not understanding all the biology behind what I
see.) If any of my followers are big on the biology, I would love to learn and
share why this works or in some cases doesn’t work.
I
look forward to updating you on the progress in the spring. We may even check
in on them throughout the winter.
My
hope is that this idea inspires you to step out of tradition and try natural
solutions in your garden. Have a wonderful, magical day…talk to you again soon!
Stephanie
eos4living@gmail.com
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