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Family Gardening Fun: Throw a Seed Bomb for Nature in 2025

Are you looking for a family-friendly nature activity to do with your children in 2025? Then you may want to consider throwing some seed bombs to build back biodiversity in areas in need of new indigenous plant growth.

Seed bombs are small balls made from clay and seeds that anyone can throw to help disperse seeds and encourage some new plants to germinate. Throwing seed bombs is a fun outdoor activity for children and the whole family. It’s also an increasingly popular nature-based craft activity for kids that produces no waste, just plants and flowers.

Below, we look at what seed bombs are made from, how to make one yourself, some tips on where and when to throw them, and how you can use this technique to start your own Nature Blocks™.

What is a seed bomb?

Seed bombs go by various names, like “seed balls”, “green grenades” and “earth balls”. Although there are a few different ways to make them, essentially, they are little balls of earth and clay that are made to contain indigenous plant seeds. When you throw these seed balls into your garden, they help the seeds to be dispersed where they can grow to revegetate areas.

Seed bombs became popularised in the 1930s after Masanobu Fukuoka re-invented the practice of throwing clay seed balls to revegetate barren land.

It has since become popular with guerrilla gardeners, but has also more recently become a popular way to get kids involved in planting. The seed ball-making process is lots of fun for the whole family. It can get pretty muddy, too!

So if you’re looking to get your children involved in a fun holiday activity in 2025, or you want to host a novel gardening-themed kids’ party this year, why not try this out?

First, get the kids to make seed bombs. Then get them to help throw them about in your garden to plant new wildflowers, vegetables, or groundcover.

 

How to make a seed bomb in 2025

It’s easy to make your own seed bombs at home. There are lots of different recipes you can find online, but essentially, they’re a mixture of mud or clay, some compost, and indigenous plant seeds.

As the idea behind seed bombs is to throw them in areas where you want the seeds to sprout and grow, you can be selective about which seeds you use. Some people choose wildflowers, while others prefer herbs or vegetables.

How (and where) to use seed bombs

Firstly, remember that you can’t go throwing seed bombs on private property or on state lands without permission, as that could get you into trouble.

But you can use them in your own garden. In fact, they’re a great way of making planting fun, especially for children.

They’re also a great way of building back biodiversity in areas that are dry or difficult to grow plants in, as you can throw them and forget about them until they start sprouting.

That’s because they have all the nutrients they need to grow, as well as the seeds, and they are dry, so they won’t get washed away or eaten by animals. Then, when the rain comes, the seeds get the moisture they need to start growing.

Here are some tips to help make your seed dispersal more successful:

1. Choose your site carefully

Seed bombs work best in soil that doesn’t have too many weeds growing in it, so that the seedlings don’t have to compete for nutrients and water.

You may want to specifically look for a site that has little groundcover or plants growing, perhaps somewhere that’s been impacted by a fire, landslide, or flood.

Most plants need some sunlight to grow, so try to throw the seed bombs somewhere sunny, where they will also receive some water.

2. Choose the best planting season

Different types of plants have different optimal planting seasons. Look at the seeds you’ve chosen to see when it’s optimal to plant them.

Avoid planting when extreme weather is predicted, or if you know it’s going to be raining a lot in the next few days.

While you’re waiting for the best weather, make sure you keep the seed bombs nice and dry.

Using seed bombs to start your Nature Block

At CVA, our mission is to empower everyone to get involved in building back biodiversity across Australia.

Using seed bombs is one way that you can do this, and you can even kickstart a Nature Block by using seed bombs.

Decide where you want to establish a Nature Block, choose some indigenous seeds, and throw a seed bomb in that place to get your micro-habitat for biodiversity sprouting.

To find inspiration about which plants to grow in your Nature Block and to join a community of Nature Stewards across Australia, download the CVA App today.