Brisbane to Bogota

Guerrilla Gardening Wheels

I mentioned Guerrilla Gardening in the PARKing post and it occurred to me that some of you may not have heard of this global phenomenon, so I thought I’d write a blog about one of my favourite forms of peaceful dissent.

Guerrilla Gardening is a type of direct action where individuals or ‘troops’ identify a certain neglected piece of land and reform it into crops or gardens with all sorts of plants including flowers, vegetables and herbs. This is usually done in cities or urban spaces but this does not necessarily have to be the case.

Guerrilla Gardening is a completely voluntary activity however it is more a form of activism than voluntarism; although there is a definite element of civic voluntarism to it.  Guerrilla Gardening is a way to engage people in the urban space, a way of challenging land ownership and encouraging land rights and land reform.

Guerrilla Gardeners perform various ‘digs’, from planting singular trees in parks, or creating nature strips, beautifying council land or starting impromptu city farms. Some ‘digs’ start small and get bigger, some manifest into community gardens, whereas other ‘digs’ remain small, with a lone flower brightening a footpath.

To me Guerrilla Gardening is the most inspiring form of activism, where people take a space that is neglected and give it new life. It can provide food for urban dwellers and opportunities for community engagement, all the while greening the streets.

One of the most prominent Guerrilla Gardeners’ Richard Renyolds has set up www.guerrillagardening.org which is a website with a blog, tips and a community forum. It’s a great resource to find out more about Guerilla Gardening, with examples and stories of Guerrilla Gardening and call outs from other Guerrilla Gardeners looking for willing participants to go out on a dig.

A quick ‘how to Guerrilla Garden’

As a Guerrilla Gardener you should first find a piece of public land that is looking like it needs some love (in the form of plants), preferably one near your home (so you can water and tend to the plants), then purchase the plants (or even better germinate them yourself), then choose a night and go out on a ‘dig’ (night is best to avoid the prying eyes of the law and council workers.) If you would like more details on how you can Guerrilla Garden your neighbourhood I suggest you check out the Tips Richard Renyolds website www.guerrillagardening.org.

I think I might go out and do some Guerrilla Gardening before I head off.