FarmBombing
SEED BOMBS TO REBUILD THE CITIES OF TOMORROW
PUSH, and Orto Capovolto, in occasion of EXPO Milano 2015, present FarmBombing: a project that links guerrilla gardening to service design, urban strategy and social innovation.
After the positive experience in Favara (Sicily) last May, FarmBombing brings in Milan its fair share of vegetable weapons to bomb polluted cities with few green spaces: seed bombs easy to plant, locate, cultivate and safeguard in a collaborative way thanks to the geolocation and the online mapping of the buds.
For such a special edition, plants have been selected with the aim to produce positive effects for cities.
A small but significant bottom-up step to recapture the space.
A personal contribution to improve the living conditions of our habitat.
Green bombs are not designed to destroy but to build; this is the reason why you can buy them by contributing with a donation to the crowdfunding campaign organized by FARM Cultural Park in order to support the realization of the first Children’s Museum of Sicily.
MIX OF SEEDS AND THEIR PROPERTIES
FarmBombing proposes 6 different mix of seeds with positive properties and benefits for cities and their citizens. The six green bombs produce plants and essences able to shoo mosquitos away, to attract bees, to repel maggots and parasites, to perfume the surrounding area, to color anonymous spaces and, why not, also to bring a bit of Sicily out of the island.
Order a six bombs kit by making a donation for the FARM Children’s Museum: you will contribute to the improvement of the environment and you will give a dream to many kids.
REPELS MOSQUITOES
Clay, fertilized topsoil, seeds of lavender, catnip and calendula
When to throw it: spring
Germination times: from 2 weeks to 5 years
Where to throw it: warm and temperate climate areas
Lavander
Lavandula is a genus of 40 known species of flowering plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The Italian generic name “lavanda”, with whom we are used to calling these plants in Italy, comes from the Latin gerund of the verb “lavare” alluding to the fact that such a species was much used in ancient times for body hygiene.
It needs dry and stony soils, exposed to the sun
It does not need large quantities of water
It blooms between January and May
It comes from the mediterranean bacin
Calendula
Also called “pot marigold” or “Spain carnation”, is a perennial (or annual) herbaceous plant which can take the form of a bush. The plant is entirely hairy and, if rubbed, it gives off a pleasant smell, harmless to humans, that is unwelcome to insects such as mosquitoes.
It needs sunny soils, not much dry
It does not need large quantities of water
It blooms in the late winter and in the early autumn
It comes from the european region
Catnip
Belonging to the Lamiaceae family, it is an aromatic perennial herbaceous plant with a minty perfume which is mostly located in the eastern mediterranean. Loved by cats, it is cultivated both for medicinal and ornamental use because it contains an insect repellent oil.
It grows in uncultivated lands, on hedges and roads
It does not need large quantities of water
It blooms between May and August
It comes from the eastern mediterranean
BEES IN TOWN
Clay, fertilized topsoil, seeds of chives, coriander and sunflower
When to throw it: spring
Germination time: from 10 days to 5 years
Where to throw it: temperate climate areas
Chives
With a pleasantly intense taste, reminiscent of the onion one, but much more delicate, the chives are an excellent flavouring for several dishes. Their pale purple flowers attract many insects, above all bees.
It needs cool and humid locations, fertile soils
It needs to be often irrigated during hot weather
It blooms between Spring and Summer
It comes from central Asia
Coriander
Coriander, also known with the Spanish name “cilantro”, is an annual herbaceous plant in the Umbelliferae family. It belongs to the same family of cumin, dill, fennel and parsley and it is used in cousine and herbal medicine.
It needs locations with mild temperatures, manured soils
It does not need large quantities of water
Fruits ripen on June and July
It comes from the mediterranean countries
Sunflower
The sunflower is an annual plant that presents a big inflorescence with a flower head, belonging to the Asteraceae family. When disc florets ripen, they become seeds, or better, fruits.
It needs sunny locations, well drained soils
It needs to be often irrigated
It blooms between Spring and Summer
It comes from the Americas
GARDEN FRIENDS
Clay, fertilized topsoil, seeds of tagetes, borage, chamomile
When to throw it: spring
Germination time: from 15 days to 5 years
Where to throw it: temperate climate areas
Tagetes
Tagetes is highly appreciated in gardening. The bright colored flowers, thanks to their perfume, that is not always pleasant, keep some parasites away from horticultural products. Roots release some substances that purify the soil from maggots and harmful parasites.
It does not have special needs of soil and light
It does not need to be often irrigated
It blooms from March to November
It comes from United States, Mexico and South America
Borage
Borage is a rustic and wild plant and spreads easily. It is used in horticulture as a pesticide, in cousine and in herbal medicine. It gives off a large number of little blue-violet flowers.
It needs sunny locations, uncultivated, pebbly and stony soils, along scarp
It needs to be often irrigated
It blooms between May and September
It comes from the Middle East region
Chamomile
Chamomile is an annual bushy herbaceous plant with pale green leaves, white flowers inside and yellow ones outside. It has calming and emollient properties and it can be used as a pesticide, above all against moth.
It needs sunny locations, arid and uncultivated soils
It does not need to be often irrigated
It blooms from May to summer
It comes from central and southern Europe
PERFUMES THE CITY
Clay, fertilized topsoil, seeds of basil, parsley, thymus
When to throw it: late spring
Germination time: from 15 days to 5 years
Where to throw it: temperate climate areas
Basil
Basil is an annual herbaceous plant, best known as a culinary herb featured in Italian cuisine, and in southeast asian cuisines because of its particular perfume. The flowering tops are also used for medicinal products, above all to make sedative action infusions.
It needs semi-shaded locations
It needs to be regularly irrigated
It blooms between June and September
It comes from India and tropical Asia
Parsley
Parsley is a biennial herbaceous plant with green piciolate and tripinnate leaves. One of the most used aromatic herb, it is rich in vitamins and mineral salts and it can be used for officinal products, above all for bruises, toothache and insect bites.
It needs sunny and rich in organic substances soils
It needs to be regularly irrigated
It blooms from July to August
It comes from the Mediterranean region
Thymus
Thymus is a perennial shrubby plant with a ramified stem which forms compact tufts. It has little green leaves which are covered by a thick down and white flowers. It is often used in cuisine as an infusion or as a seasoning in several dishes.
It needs sunny locations and mixed soils
It needs to be often irrigated
It blooms in spring and summer
It comes from southern Europe and Balkans
GROW SICILY
Clay, fertilized topsoil, zucchini seeds, caper, oregano
When to throw it: late spring
Germination time: from 15 days to 5 years
Where to throw it: temperate and warm climate areas
Zucca serpent di Sicilia
It is a plant belonging to Cucurbitacee family. It produces fruits, zucchini, which are long (even more than a meter) and narrow (with a diameter of only a few centimeters).
It needs temperate climates
It needs a regular irrigation
Zucchini are picked from June to September, tops (“tenerumi”) are picked from May
It comes from Sicily (Italy)
Caper
Caper is a small and ramified shrub, or suffrutex. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds, capers, often used as a seasoning, and the fruit (caper berries, known as “cucunci”). Both of them are usually consumed in oil, pickled or in salt.
It needs warm temperatures
It does not need to be much irrigated
It blooms from May
It comes from the Mediterranean basin
Oregano
Oregano is one of the most used aromatic herbs in Mediterranean cuisine because of its intense perfume. It is used in several dishes: with meat and fish, in salads and pizza. Southern Italian and Sicilian cuisines use it very much.
It needs Calcareous, dry and permeable soils, with good organic content
It does not need much water
It blooms from July to October, seeds ripen from August on
It comes from the Mediterranean basin
COLORS THE CITY
Clay, fertilized topsoil, forget-me-nots seed, cornflower and carnation
When to throw it: during all year
Germination times: from 15 days to 5 years
Where to to throw it: temperate and warm climate areas
Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to Borraginaceae family. It is a small plant with little elongated leaves and deep blue flowers. It grows slowly but tends to take all the space offered. It grows spontaneously and it is often located along waterways, lawn and in mountain areas.
It needs well drained and rich soils, it prefers sunny locations but it also suits to semi-shady conditions
It needs a regular irrigation
It blooms in spring and in the early summer
It comes from Europe, North America and New Zealand
Cornflower
Cornflower is a perennial or annual herbaceous plant belonging to Asteraceae family. It is a wildflower characterized by a deep blue color similar to lapis lazuli. It grows spontaneously in cereal fields, in meadows, in uncultivated soils, along the roads and it can reach up to 90 cm in height.
It needs dry soils with low nutritional values
It does not need large quantities of water
It blooms in Spring and in the early Summer
It comes from Europe, North America and Asia
Carnation
Carnation, or “Flower of Gods”, is an annual, biennal or perennial herbaceous plant belonging to Caryophyllaceae family. It is one of the most perfumed perennial plant and it presents thin leaves and white flowers. It is mostly used as an ornamental plant in gardens, terraces and flats.
It needs sunny and rich in organic substances soils
It does not need large quantities of water
It blooms from May to September
It comes from temperate areas
PUSH is a research laboratory that studies urban dynamics and develops concrete actions to trigger a systemic changing. Through information technologies it designs services able to create value for the community.
We work in marginal contexts, places that are scenarios for social, cultural and economic conflicts and need new models and effective solutions to improve services for the citizens.PUSH is based in Palermo, a beautiful city but full of problems. This is the ideal environment to prototype innovative solutions, test their impact and lead their scalability in new contexts.
Orto Capovolto is a social cooperative born in Palermo in 2015 with the aim to create a community vegetable garden, both through the raising awareness of issues such as urban agriculture, food and environmental matter, and through the creation of Urban Farms (urban and suburban vegetable gardens and farms), according to different scales. The purpose is to test a better environmental, economic and social sustainability for cities and citizens.
Set up just few months ago, Orto Capovolto has already realized several educational projects in some schools of Palermo, and it has won the social innovation award “niQuea”, assigned by Cluster Biomediterraneo Expo Milano 2015.
Farm Cultural Park is not a museum and it is not an art gallery. It is a new generation cultural centre where the important thing is not the permanent collection. It does not mind the product but the process; not the value of the works of art but people’s one.
Farm is a museum of people. It is for those who want to share the all they have: economic resources, time, knowledge, competences, network and friendships. One of the last and most ambitious project of Farm is the Children’s Museum, a place for the future where kids of all ages will be able to play, learn and dream, in order to cultivate critical thinking, social responsibility and global awareness. At the moment a crowdfunding campaign is online to support the project, and FarmBombing is contributing with its peaceful green weapons.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
- TAKE your seed bomb and get ready to the action
- GO and choose a place you can easily reach in the future, to throw the bomb (e.g.: parks and flowerbeds)
- LOCALIZE it by using the form below
- THROW the bomb by accompanying it with your battle cry (e.g.: «Suca», «Banzai», «Forza Palermo»)
- GO BACK to visit your bud when you have time and take care of it
- WATER it during the first days if the climate is too dry
FILL OUT THE FORM TO LOCATE YOUR BOMB
Zoom the map with the maximum level and drag the cursor manually to indicate exactly the bombing place.
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