SeedCookies

On a recent sun-kissed afternoon, we got our hands dirty. We mushed together some AR red clay, compost, seeds and water in a large bucket, then spooned the sludge onto large wax paper lined cookie trays.
We were making seed cookies, a sort of all-in-one tool for preserving and propagating plants of all sorts.
And while our versions may have been on the fancy side, how they work is simple.
Just scatter the seed cookies over soil and wait. When the rain comes, the seed cookies will decompose. As the warmer weather arrives, the seeds will germinate.
Over time, you'll have budding plants on your hands, without ever having to dig.
It's the best low-cost, low-maintenance way of planting that we have found.
The late Japanese farmer-philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka helped pioneer the use of "seed balls" over the last half century. Fukuoka's focus was on natural farming - he believed that the no-till method was best for the soil and ecosystem - and seed balls offered several advantages.
First, the casing protects the seeds from being blown away or eaten by birds and other animals.
Second, they don't require watering or planting.
Third, they can help rejuvenate soil once the ball break down.
Seed cookies are more versatile.
For the home gardener, seed cookies offer a distinctive way to save seeds. It's a fun project that kids can help with, and the seed cookies themselves make great gifts.
Making seed cookies isn't an exact science, but the overall composition is important.Our general purpose flower composition is a 4-2-1 ratio of clay to compost to seeds to prevent overcrowding once the seeds germinate.
The clay holds the cookie together, forming a hard 1/4" thick cookie when dry.
The compost component can include worm castings to enrich the native soil. We also add a dash of hot pepper to some of our mixes to discourage some critters from damaging the seed.
As for the seeds, you'll want to choose plants that require little maintenance, and native to your area.
Plants that need attention, like lettuces, won't do as well, given the hands-off nature of sowing seed cookies.