Living Off The Grid

This is a guest post from “an anonymous seed bomber”.

Guerrilla gardening is growing in popularity in cities around the world. Guerrilla gardening is different from traditional gardening because instead of cultivating a home garden, guerrilla gardeners transform neglected public spaces. By beautifying abandoned parking lots, schoolyards, and alleyways, guerrilla gardeners are the Johnny Appleseeds of the urban landscape. Whether you are interested in growing your own food or simply making your neighbors smile by planting flowers and trees, here are a few tips to get you started.

1. 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.
2. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

If you choose to become a guerrilla gardener, make sure you way out the potential legal risks vs. rewards.