In my post last month, I promised to teach you how to make “tea bombs,” which are a lot like seed bombs that grow into herbal tea plants instead of non-edible flowers.  After much deliberation, I decided to use catnip, chamomile, Echinacea, and hollyhock seeds for several reasons.  

All of these seeds are native to North America, and three of the four are commonly used in herbal tea.  While hollyhock may not be a tea that one tends to order at a cafe, it offers several health benefits for those looking to try something new.  In fact, hollyhock is a digestive aid that may help with inflammation.  The flowers are beautiful AND functional, although that is beside the point.

Before you can drink any of these herbal teas, you must plant them.  While most people may prefer to harvest these flowering herbs in their own gardens, that is not the point of this post.  It is still possible to throw some seed bombs onto vacant land and harvest the end products later.  That way they benefit not only your own land, but other land as well.  In fact, in the book, On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries, the author explains that not all seed bombs need be for decorative purposes.  It is possible to plant vegetables, herbs, and other edibles.

So how do you make a dirt clod that can become something you can drink later?  Here goes:

First, you will need:

  1. Five cups of red terracotta clay
  2. One pot of compost or soil
  3. One pot of seeds (or however many packets you can muster)

Now, follow the directions below:

  1. Mix seeds in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add compost, and then carefully add clay, stirring it well.  The clay is what binds the balls together.
  3. Add a little water (this is approximate, you can use your own judgment for all quantities — just avoid a sludgy texture).
  4. If it seems sludgy, add more soil or compost (which will counteract the water).
  5. Take your mixture and knead it with your hands into a ball.
  6. Flatten with a rolling pin.
  7. Slice into pieces large enough to make small balls.
  8. Wait a little bit to make sure they don’t fall apart before you are ready to toss them onto some vacant or neglected land.

There you have them!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave comments.  Stay tuned for Part 3, which will teach you how to pick a great location to grow your herbal tea.