Guerrilla Gardening, is a growing method environmental activists are using, in order to take back abandoned pieces of land, and either beautify it or grow food. This is an example of how individuals, without the permission of the state, can take action in a productive manner that benefits the community as a whole. Among the biggest benefit, is the absence of raising your taxes, voting for a bond issue for funding, or inevitably running over budget like government usually does.
The volunteers ambition, is the only thing that is needed for this idea to manifest. The history of guerrilla gardening is rich with stories of huge gardens erected overnight, communal gardens and even mass guerrilla gardening actions during special orchestrated events.
Turning abandoned eyesores around town into thriving botanical displays that brightens the community is a noble action, but the idea of planting free food in a community is a brilliant idea.
There have been examples of this throughout history that I dug up on Wikipedia:
In Northern Utah, apple trees commonly grow along the banks of canals. Asparagus grows along the smaller ditch banks. Many of these plants were seeded 150 years ago by the workers who dug the canals, by burying their lunch apple core in the freshly dug soil or by surreptitiously spreading seeds along a new ditchbank
Tacamiche banana plantation workers in Honduras illegally grew vegetables on the abandoned plantation land, rather than leave with the plantation’s closure in 1995.
Guerrilla gardening is prominent in Melbourne where most of the inner northern suburbs have community vegetable gardens; land adjoining rail lines has undergone regeneration of the native vegetation, including nature strips.
There is a small community group in Melbourne called “Permablitz” who gather regularly to design and construct suburban vegetable gardens for free, in an effort to educate residents in Melbourne on how to grow their own food and better prepare them if/when food prices become too expensive.
The concept of having communal gardens is another way to counter the agricultural-industrial complex, and promote locally grown food. Care should be taking when choosing a location for food that will be eaten, due to possible toxicity from close proximity to highways or toxic runoff.
Their is another form of guerrilla gardening that is more geared for personal gain, cannabis growers. There are forums that cover the subject and even a DVD called Never Get Busted from ex-narcotics officer Barry Cooper, that provides tips on how to avoid law enforcement and rogue harvesters.
There are some great sites with info on how to do this effectively. GuerrillaGardening.org has tons of info about the subject and a community of people worldwide who are practitioners. Richard Reynolds, who launched the blog 2004, also has book called Guerrilla Gardening that was published may of 2008.
Here is a 12 step guide that is outlined on his site:
| Here are just a few tips I’ve learnt about how to go about Guerrilla Gardening, a basic twelve step guide of things to think about. These are not rules, you make them up, you’re a guerrilla, they are just some lessons from war. Share yours and discuss more in the Community here. | |
| 1. Spot some local orphaned land. You will be amazed how many little grubby patches of unloved public space there are. Neglected flower beds, concrete planters sprouting litter and untamed plants, bare plots of mud. Chose one close to home, perhaps you pass it on the way to the shops or work, and appoint yourself it’s parent. This will make it much easier to look after in the long term and reduce the risk of straying into a dangerous neighbourhood. |
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| 2. Plan a mission. Make a date in the diary for an evening attack, when trouble-making busy bodies are out of sight. Invite supportive friends, or perhaps enrole supportive strangers by announcing your attack in the Guerrilla Gardening Community here. |
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| 3. Find a local supply of plants. The cheaper the better. For city dwellers think local DIY stores, supermarkets and whole salers. The cheapest plants are ones that are free. Sometimes garden centres will have spare plants to give you for the cause. Or befriend someone with a garden (you might even be lucky and have a garden yourself). Think of these private spaces as the training camps for harvesting seeds, cuttings and plants hardened for their big adventure in the wilds of public space. If you have things going spare please leave a message in the Community forum for guerrillas near to where you live. |
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| 4. Choose plants for front line battle. Think hardy – resistant to water shortages and the cold, and in some locations pedestrian trampling! These plants need to look after themselves a lot of the time. Think impactful – colour, ever green foliage, scale. These plants need to really make a difference, for as much of the year as possible. Visit the Community to get advice about specific plants for your part of the world, and to share your horticultural advice with the less experienced. In London I use a lot of herbs like Lavander and Thyme, tulip bulbs, shurbs. |
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| 5. Get some Wellington Shoes. Whilst protecting your feet from mud and providing good purchase on a fork, these rubber shoes also don’t look too obviously “agricultural” as the usual boot, and blend in well with the urban environment. I’ve even worn these clubbing. Andy (233) wrapped his white trainers in carrier bags which worked very effectively, and enables a very convincing clean-footed get-away should you want to whip them off quickly. |
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| 6. Bag some bags. Plastic bags, bin liners (not only can they keep your feet clean), but they are essential for clearing up the deteritous of war. Weeds, litter, flower pots, and pebbles need to be carried away. For gentle work recuse wind blown carrier bags or for more serious gardening reuse compost bags or giant sacks from builder’s merchants. The thick plastic does not rip and you can lug a great deal in them to a nearby bin. |
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| 7. Regular Watering. One of the responsibilities of a Guerrilla Gardener is ongoing tendering. Water is short in many parts of the world, even drissly old London. The Guerrilla Gardener must usually carry water (though I know of New York guerrillas who have keys to road side hydrants!) I have used petrol cannisters, they are the perfect water-tight, efficiently-packed portable transportation. But it has caused passers-by to ask if I am a nocturnal arsonist. Julie (159) came up with the genius idea of using old water dispenser bottles. Here she is with the bounty from her office! They work extremely well. | |
| 8. Seed bombs. For gardening those areas where access is difficult or a long dig is unsuitable, use a seed bombs (sometimes called green grenades) which are seeds and soil held in an explosive or degradable capsule. There are many different methods, some you can easily make at home, some that require a bit more ingenuity. I’ve compiled a list of six options and their pros and cons on a new Seed Bomb page. Visit it here |
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| 9. Chemical Warfare. Boost your plants with natural chemicals. Some guerrillas are lucky to have space for compost heaps. Alex (1797) lives in a flat with no garden so has employed an efficient army of red worms to help him make his chemical weapons. In a box in the kitchen his Eisenia Fetida transform food into a rich vermicompost and worm juice fertiliser. Click here to read his blog and for links to other worm farmers. |
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| 10. Garden with a girl Clara (005) pointed this out to me. Having a girl on a dig (not only is as useful as the equivalent male troop) is a brilliant diversion should the cops pass by and get inqusitive. I encourage participants to take inspiration from the appropriately named Daisy Duke, who was masterful at diverting Boss Hogg from whatever Bo and Luke were up to. Then again, dressed like Daisy, the police might assume you were into floral bedding of a very different nature. |
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| 11. Spread the word Let people know what you have done with a few flyers under doors near the guerrilla gardening war zone, a poster taped to a phone box or bus stop, a marker in the soil. Engage passers by in conversation, perhaps even bring a few spare tools. And welcome local media (particularly if they’ll help towards the cost of your gardening, which many do). |
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| 12. Transportation. If you are not guerrilla gardening within walking distance from your home (the ideal) you will need some transportation. My solution has been capacious two seaters. Convertibles with big wide flat boots enable both trees and large trays of plants to be easily transported. The one pictured is an old Volkswagen Porsche 914 with a wipe clean vinyl interior. Andrew (1679) gets all over the place on a bicycle, with plants strapped to his back (even a Washingtonia palm). |
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I also found a great post submitted by Off Grid Ebert on livingoffgrid.org, that also has other useful tips on the subject.
- Pick a space that is visible and will make an impact on your neighborhood – the spirit of guerrilla gardening is about community. Pick an ugly space that many people see on their drive to work every day – like a dirty median strip or a busy street corner. Beautify it by planting flowers. Or, if your aim is to grow food, pick a space in a centralized neighborhood location, like an old schoolyard or an abandoned lot.
- Convert the soil – Most likely the space that you pick will have less than ideal soil conditions. Make sure that you clear the area of trash, large rocks, and small shrubs or weeds before you start. You’ll want to then decide on the shape and size of your garden. Next, stake it off and start digging. You’ll want to turn over the soil by digging at least 6 inches into the ground. Discard any rocks and roots that you find. Then, add manure and compost to the soil to ensure that the soil is nitrogen rich. Get the right tools – you don’t have to go high-tech. Guerrilla gardeners only need a few simple and easy to come by tools: a spading fork, a hoe, a trowel, a rake, and a watering can.
You may encounter the following barriers as you attempt to plant your garden:
- Theft of food – Because guerrilla gardens are on public or abandoned property, you do run the risk of getting your bounty stolen. One way to stop potential looters is to post signage around your garden explaining your project. Make sure that your sign does not name specific people involved with the project. In some states, gardening on property that you do not own can be prosecuted as “environmental vandalism”. A simple sign that says, “Please don’t take what you don’t need – this is a community garden”. Anyone with half a conscience will be deterred. If people do steal food even with signs like this posted, just assume that they needed it and replant.
- Yield – Many gardeners have been able to eat for at least a summer on their garden’s vegetable yield, but some never see their garden past the seedling stage before the lot owner discovers their garden and pulls it up. Check out the forums of Guerrillagardening.org to read about the experiences of other gardeners. The forums are organized by region.
- Legal issues – The fact that the word “guerrilla” is attached to gardening in abandoned areas is no accident. What you are doing is illegal and can be unsafe. Most gardeners chose to do most of their work (tilling, watering, pruning, harvesting) at late at night or just before dawn. If you want to plant a garden that needs ongoing, long-term care(like a vegetable garden), you might consider asking the owner of the property very nicely – (tip: it helps to mention how beautifying the lot may help increase property values in the neighborhood, or offer them a percentage of your annual vegetable yield). For gardens that do not need ongoing care, (like flowers, trees, and shrubs), it is easy to plan an overnight mission with a large group of people. Plant everything that you can in a few hours, water what you need to, take a photo, and then get out.
This is a fascinating subject, and of course you should be aware of the risks you take by doing something that isn’t sanctioned by the state. (sarcasm)
-Agora!
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