The Vernal Equinox

(Remember to read Chapter One first)

Generally, the Vernal Equinox means that Spring is here, and the weather should be getting warmer and sunnier, and plants and flowers, and the bears' favourite vegetables, should be beginning to grow. This gave the bears the idea for their celebrations.

"How about if we plant some seeds?" suggested Teddy. "Then we can watch them grow."

"Good idea," replied Scary. "But how about we make it slightly more interesting, and maybe make something that we can plant anywhere, and even make into presents for our friends? We could make seed bombs!"

"Ooooh! That sounds even better!" Teddy said. "What are they and what do we have to do?"

"Can I help?" asked Gerry, who was visiting the bears that day.

"Of course you can!" said Scary. "Though it may be a bit of a messy job!"

Of course, the bears - including Gerry - wouldn't mind getting a bit messy if it was while they were doing something fun, so Scary told them what materials they had to find first.

They needed some red clay powder (they had to quickly run to their local craft store to find some of this though), some potting compost (which they already had stored in their greenhouse), and some flower seeds (again, they had some packets of flower seeds which they had bought ready to start planting in their garden anyway), some water, a small cup to measure with, and two bowls to use for mixing.

So Teddy and Gerry set to work and started by putting the clay powder into a bowl (they used old, chipped bowls as they would get very messy) and adding some water and leaving it to soften for 30 minutes. In the meantime, they mixed together ½ a cup of seeds (they had to open several packets), and 2-3 cups of compost. They added this mixture to the bowl containing the wet clay then slowly mixed it together with their paws, adding a bit more water until everything stuck together but wasn't too wet (unlike their paws!) Then they rolled the mixture into firm balls and left them to dry in a cool, dry spot indoors for a couple of days.

When they were dry, they invited all the other teddy bears to help them fling some of the balls around their garden. They had to be a little bit careful where they threw them though so that they were spread out into places they actually wanted flowers to grow! The others they wrapped in pretty fabric tied into a bag with a bow and gave them to their friends as gifts to use in their gardens.

The clay protects the seeds until enough rain has fallen to slowly break down the clay until the seeds are released. Then the potting compost gives them a head start until their roots grow into the surrounding soil. They may sprout within a few weeks, or wait more than a year until the conditions (temperature and rainfall) are just right for growth to begin.

You can buy ready-made seed bombs from gardening stores, but the bears think it is much more fun to make your own! Enjoy!