lspichkin

It does seem an awful waste of land when you see these public spaces that are basically ugly and neglected. So much potential for growing both flowers and edibles but the bureaucratic hurdles are far too great for most gardeners to deal with.

Enter the Guerilla Gardening movement....

Check out some of the before and after photos on their website. Yes, there is some risk and expense involved but if it's a spot you pass all the time it's almost like planting your own yard, except many more people benefit from your efforts

lspichkin

I walked by our local park the other day and noticed that someone had planted a vegetable garden there over night. I was pretty excited that someone had taken the initiative to do this and they had even put up a sign encouraging anyone in the neighborhood to use whatever successfully grew there. Alas, two days later the entire garden was gone. Apparently, the city was not quite as happy about this development as I was...

te_3ko

From the little i have seen on the subject. Its best not to leave notes pertaining to consumption, "they" dont like that.

I recently signed up at the GG forums myself, and have been involved in a few small solo projects over the past 2 years. A few nice surprises but nothing as amazing as some of other empty lot transformations i have seen. I think next Spring will be a very good year for plants and my newly budding thumb.

Thanks for having me in the forums!

Heres some pics of my home garden:
te_3ko's garden

lspichkin

Thanks for sharing your photos!

dougsko

Cool book on the subject, Amazon.com: On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries: Richard Reynolds: Books

Tiki

Yep, I started a community garden at one time on my street. One of the main concerns from the "man" was that someone would pick and eat something inedible. It is a legitimate concern, and so is having people over harvest, harvest too early, etc..

I love the idea of guerrilla gardening; but, I feel one must also be respectful of natural habitat. I think it is best suited to neglected urban areas in both practice and spirit.

To each their own however.. I had a teacher once that said, "all plants are native, some just haven't figured out where they are supposed to live yet."

sathya

Ultimately, I think guerrilla gardening should be synonymous with ecosystem restoration. I'm cultivating a forest garden with persimmons, pawpaws, hazelnuts, currants, elderberries, and chestnuts, all of which are native here. When the plants mature, I plan to spread the seeds far and wide.

All of these will be extremely beneficial to wildlife. The wildlife will do far more to restore the urban environment than my own small efforts, and in a pinch they themselves are food.

The plants we think of as "vegetables" have been bred by humans who kept them near the home and fed with manure. I would think more in terms of edible weeds than "vegetables". For example, goosefoot was cultivated in Europe until spinach arrived, now it is considered a weed. There are cultivars of goosefoot like Good King Henry that are more palatable, but extremely hardy.

Indigenous people everywhere gardened like this.
Homeowners Insurance Quotes Evidence Discovery Services

As far as seed sources, I would turn to craigslist, if people use that where you live. If you're down under, there seem to be lots of permaculturists there who would probably be supportive.

I've attached a video where Feral Kevin outlines a plan to restore his environment to a state that could support hunter gatherers again.

keepitlow

I wildcraft brambles along walking trails, bike paths, etc. Scattered about 30,000 bramble seeds this season. First time I tried, so will what develops

byrosemuji

An urban adventure at the threshold of nature and culture, taking back our own time and space, transforming the urban desert, into a provider of food and a space where people meet face to face to discuss and participate directly in the remaking of their own towns and cities.
.

Learning to produce our own food is essential if we are to ever truly take control of our own lives. It liberates us from the role of passive consumer, remote from real decisions, alienated from nature.

It is a step away from the grip of capitalism and the concrete boot on the foot of life.

Growing food requires land. Look around you, it's everywhere.
If not horizontal, it's vertical. There is always somewhere.
Your imagination is the limit, railway embankments, back gardens, golf courses, roofs, car parks, overgrown bits, cracks in the pavement. The flower beds in your town centre could be growing your crops, right in the heart of the consumer landscape of burger bars, chain stores and supermarkets.

Guerrilla gardeners are out there now. Why not join them in digging for revolution.

herbfan2

I think gardening anywhere is great but gardening in urban areas is even better because it uses unused space and it gives city dwellers the enjoyment of the gardening experience.

__________________
Regards,

Sonny Chenoweth
Get more herb garden information