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Gavin Lemieus of Ann Arbor fires off a "seed bomb" at the Water Street property in Ypsilanti using a slingshot, Wednesday, May 1. Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com

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• Gavin Lemieus of Ann Arbor fires off a "seed bomb" at the Water Street property in Ypsilanti using a slingshot, Wednesday, May 1. Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com /calendar/photologue/photos/_1_/cache/050113_Water_Street_seed_bombing_CS-1_fullsize.JPG
• With slingshot in hand, 4-year-old Sena fires off a seed bomb at the Water Street property. Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com /calendar/photologue/photos/_1_/cache/050113_Water_Street_seed_bombing_CS-2_fullsize.JPG
• Residents gathered to seed bomb the Water Street property in Ypsilanti, Wednesday May 1. Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com /calendar/photologue/photos/_1_/cache/050113_Water_Street_seed_bombing_CS-3_fullsize.JPG
• Stu Morgan, 7, of Ypsilanti shoots off a seed bomb Wednesday May 1. Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com /calendar/photologue/photos/_1_/cache/050113_Water_Street_seed_bombing_CS-4_fullsize.JPG
• A seed bomb sits on Ypsilanti's Water Street property after residents fired off a number of them. Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com /calendar/photologue/photos/_1_/cache/050113_Water_Street_seed_bombing_CS-5_fullsize.JPG

Several Ypsilanti residents participated in a planned May Day event on Water Street and "seed bombed" a portion of the property Wednesday.

Ypsilanti blogger Mark Maynard,along with other community members, organized and planned the seed bombing.

Maynard first posted about possibility of doing a seed bomb in early April and received a positive response from residents, who urged him to move forward with the idea.

Organizers created a mix of seeds, packed into a clump of clay and compost. The fresh “bomb” was then left to dry for a day or two. Then the actual “bombing” took place Wednesday, with several volunteers and children throwing the bombs on a designated portion of Water Street.

Flowers are expected to sprout within a few weeks.

“That property is right at the heart of the city and it’s a desolate, underutilized space, and has been 10 years,” Maynard said in an interview with AnnArbor.com a few weeks ago. “We’ve been waiting for development, so here people are kind of empowered to do something themselves by creating something that will grow, and having this plot that reflects resiliency of the city."

Residents used slingshots to fire off the seed bombs.

Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.