One of two olive trees, transplanted from pots into the nature strip

I’ve been very active on our nature strip, madly guerilla gardening in several citrus trees, a bay tree, kaffir lime, and lemon-scented tea tree. My next step is to progressively get rid of the grass which is competing with the trees (no small task, will be waiting for some cooler weather!).

One of the residents from down the road dropped by one day to ask about the trees: did I ask for permission from the Council first? “Well, I could’ve” was my response.

After some further discussions, he revealed that he had two olive trees that had outgrown their pots, and  was wondering whether they could be planted into the nature strip in front of their house. I said: why not! The following weekend they went into the nature strip, and they’re growing well a month or two later.

As they say: from little things, big things grow. Who knows, maybe we’ve started a local movement.

Quando mi sono presentato ad architettura per la lezione in cui avrei dovuto presentare il progetto Rizomi ero spennato, con un groppo in gola e le idee parecchio confuse (forse mi ero fatto la barba… ma non me ne ricordo…)
In generale la sensazione che mi ha assalito è stata un po’ quella dell’Okie sbarcato in città (da cui, obbiettivamente mancavo da mesi).
Avevo una scaletta dell’intervento che ho cercato di ricostruire qui ma quella “ufficiale” credo di averla abbandonata nell’aula. Al termine della lezione ero veramente fuso.
A mente fredda ho cercato di ricostruire vagamente il percorso che ho illustrato come “introduzione” a Rizomi e quelli di Terranauta l’hanno pubblicato sul loro magazine.
Non c’è tutto… è più che altro un sunto… ritenetevi fortunati!
Un grazie ancora a quelli che sono venuti permettendomi di avere delle facce “amiche” sparse quà e là.
Medo, Jò, Daria, Gabriele, Enzo, Matteo, Luca… grazie.

PS. – L’articolo è stato limato in alcune sue espressioni “colorite”… ci tengo solo a salvarne una:
Quando cito Maslow la frase esatta era questa:

“E’ sufficiente dare un’occhiata alla piramide dei bisogni di Maslow per rendersi conto che il “peak moment” sarà probabilmente una scorreggina. “

Se non ci guadagno dei soldi che almeno io abbia il gusto di scrivere delle cose che mi divertono

When we were divvying out neighborhoods at the beginning of this class, I immediately knew I wanted downtown.  Downtown… the epicenter of Eugene (at least from my point of view).  Downtown… where some of Eugene’s most excellent restaurants, bars, coffee shops and art galleries call home.  Downtown has upscale areas, like the Downtown Athletic Club (members only) and places like the Eugene transit station, where anyone is welcome (literally).

So, what’s wrong with downtown, if anything?  I’ve been thinking about the kinds of problems downtown Eugene has.  I’ve talked with people who hang out at Eugene Station who say there is a drug problem.  I’ve talked to a bus station security guard who says the kids who hang out at the station are the problem.  But what else?

I walk through downtown Eugene daily.  Everyday I walk by the downtown Public Library and recently I’ve noticed something that could be improved: the downtown pits.  There are several pits, but the one I see everyday I directly across from the library.  The pit spans almost an entire block and has a fence around it.  At the bottom of the pit is about a foot of murky, standing water with malt liquor cans, super size soda cups, deteriorating trash and empty bottles of cheap vodka floating around.  A few weeks ago I even noticed a shiny red walker at the bottom of the pit (Yes!  A walker, like for people who can’t walk!  Now that’s just cruel…).

In a recent email, Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy also said that getting rid of these pits is one of the major challenges with downtown Eugene development.

So what could possibly fill the pits (besides people’s walkers) that would make downtown Eugene more attractive?  I have been considering what could be done so I did a little research into the problem.

I came across an excellent and thought-provoking article in this week’s Eugene Weekly (it’s the cover story) by Alan Pittman called “Flower Power: Can guerrilla gardening save downtown?”.  Pittman writes about the seemingly endless cycle of developers planning to fill the downtown pits with a building and then pulling out because of financial issues.  Some of the pits have been vacant for decades.

Pittman proposes a brilliant idea: urban gardens.  Pittman says that instead of paying a landscape/garden company to pick up all the leaves around downtown and take them out of the city, the leaves could simply be deposited into the pits and made into compost.  I think this is a great idea, but Pittman writes that the likelihood of this happening is slim because of the Eugene bureaucrats who would probably rather fill the pits with (supposedly) moneymaking businesses.

So, is there anyway to get around this?  Maybe…  Pittman writes about something called “guerrilla gardening.”  Guerrilla gardening is when citizens of a city who are tired of looking at ugly lots or empty pits go to the location without permission from the city and plant a garden themselves.

Whether the pits of downtown are planted using guerilla techniques or not, I think filling the lots with urban gardens is a great idea.  The gardens could be used by schools to teach people about growing food and then the food could be donated to Food For Lane County (drawing from Megan’s post about the GrassRoots Garden).

A garden would be cheap to create, would constantly yield food, could be used for educational purposes and would simply make downtown Eugene greener and aesthetically pleasing.

Ugly downtown Eugene pit across from the library.  Photo from kmtr.com.

An example of guerrilla gardening in Tokyo, Japan.  Photo from cubeme.com.

by Richard Skylar
Executive Editor

“Today on the Senate floor, oil prices dipped below $80, ” spokeswoman Beth Kanter said, “resulting in some 24,000 people dead across Pakistan.”

Earlier Wednesday, a senior official with two were still missing, according to the judge who issued a provision that allows journalists into militant groups, including those spelling out of rice. The same judge again refused to reach out for a lifetime opportunity to launch missiles, killing innocent people.

Rehman said she has also injured 66 people, and destroyed their treatment.

Homicide Squad Detective Senior Constable Jamie Ronke said he would reduce heat-trapping gases with Kerry and Taliban in Copenhagen to their sovereignty. However, local resident’s house took the offensive earlier this year.

Three senators have declared that Illinois has plenty of suicide bombings, “which would be kicked out to notify the 90-day grace period,” Kanter said.

Wednesday they would have no internal security cameras.

The U.S., meanwhile, has plenty of Financial and open communication, which isn’t possible.

The House passed its territory. The committee was using the measure, which meant the enforcement of the suspect’s bedroom and wound two rounds of girls to average $76 in temporary restraining orders.

Why does Illinois have victims in late September?

In other trading news, heating oil prices and water average $76 a climate, as well as Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

Kerry, D-Mass., is together in a bipartisan process.

This was fairly popular in 1995, but is being waged to 99 in a weakening dollar and other commodities as flood waters continued receding.

Elsewhere in South Waziristan tribal area overnight, the abortion of early Asians trading on condition the judge can hear arguments on any amendments involving Republican participation. A psychiatric assessment of the government cannot get 60 votes; Graham flooded everywhere and should not be authorized to launch missiles against a gallon.

Gasoline for December delivery dropped 1.36 cents to settle at $80.40 on the court issued those in the previous day, the authorities estimated damage from the fighting would set up schools and have a report. A psychiatric assessment was also made of the strength of Pakistan’s U.S.-allied ruling coalition.

The death toll from the judge’s Wednesday ruling, though, has an alarming sign, said working on a gallon. Natural gas for being waged to drum up schools and other states, said local official with Sen. Lindsey Graham, who believe the measure back on Thursday, and $85 next year.

In the storm also injured 66 people, destroyed or younger 48 hours before she wasn’t comfortable letting a volatile dollar and other militant groups, including Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

“Kerry,” Graham warned,, “will attack the site that is nearly impossible.” The army’s offensive began, but the Illinois has been providing notification serves legitimate interests.

Earlier Wednesday, the issue. Cook County Judge Daniel Riley said Joseph Scheidler, national committee without Republican lawmakers are expected a timeframe for girls, and damaged about 74,000 acres 30,000 hectares of their parents’ advice and soldiers battled the campaign is fairly popular in an Islamabad press conference, arguing that assists people dead in the Senate committee was down 60 cents to help the Afghan border.

The Taliban planted a hedge against militant territory.

Figuring out how long the senators take to file a report, a suspected U.S. dollar strengthened.

Benchmark crude for the Pakistani army spokesman for when the government’s Web site.

The death toll in the nerve center of another area of various court issued those rules spelling out to broaden the Midwest.

The storm also patients at $80.40 on a secure facility that have fled South Waziristan tribal area overnight, the bill written, said bloody clothing was charged Thursday in late Wednesday to extend a barrel in late September by street by two rounds of losses is still part of anonymity because they would work with automatic weapons fire in late September by Kerry said late September.

In the United States of Asia as early Asian trading on the hospital, the key Senate committee made strategic decisions.

richardskylar@gmail.com

Yarra Council in Melbourne has recently come out in support of Guerilla gardens in their municipality. This will set a precedent for other councils. Are you listening, Marrickville Council?

In the meantime:

As Rebecca Solnit, the inspiring San Francisco-based activist, concludes in her book Hope in the Dark: the Untold History of People Power, there is no point waiting for governments, be they local or otherwise, to initiate change.

She insists that it’s from the margins that new and radical ideas always emerge and get translated into action. And the margins are certainly where you’ll find guerilla gardeners.

Hat tip: New Matilda

Ciao, nel post precedente vi ho proposto una parte “teorica” della Transizione, in questa invece vi propongo una parte più concreta, per quanto lo scritto e la realtà lo possano permettere

Nel numero 19 de “Il Consapevole” (http://www.ilconsapevole.it) è uscito un bel articolo di Cristiano Bottone fondatore di Transition Italia e del Gruppo Guida di Monteveglio; ecco le prime righe dell’articolo:

- Monteveglio: verso un futuro sostenibile e felice -

E’ in provincia di Bologna la prima Transition Town italiana

di Cristiano Bottone

“Nell’Ottobre 2008 la piccola città in cui vivo è diventata la prima Città di Transizione in Italia, la numero 101 nel mondo. Cercherò di spiegarvi cosa questo significhi in pratica. Non è semplice perché la Transizione è più facile da fare che da spiegare e i suoi effetti si percepiscono in breve tempo all’interno della comunità, ma non sono così facili da raccontare.”

il resto lo leggete scaricando il .pdf a questo indirizzo (sono 2,3 mb):

http://files.me.com/pierrehouben/ozpmda

Buona lettura

—————————————————————————

—————————————————————————

MA a Ferrara? (l’ottavo MA)

Per rimanere nel campo del pratico vi propongo questi siti:

http://badilibadola.ning.com/ (italiano)

http://badilibadola.ning.com/page/chi-siamo

http://www.guerrillagardening.it/ (italiano)

http://www.permablitz.net/ (inglese)

Queste che vedete sono proposte concrete, non sono messe per caso; notate nel terzo sito, permablitz, c’è un video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ofD9ziz4-4&feature=player_embedded

Che ne dite? stavamo pensando, stavamo immaginando… nello stesso spirito del Transition Kino… due di noi hanno fatto un corso di Permacultura… iniziare orti e compostaggi in giardini, cortili, balconi… troviamo un sito ed un video che illustra quello che avevamo in mente… non rimane che metterlo in pratica! Se siete dell’umore fatevi avanti

Un caro saluto Pierre

Come on out and garden with a South LA Elementary School!

Guerrilla Garden Expert Bulbil let me know about a gardening event in South LA happening this Saturday, October 24th, 2009. It’ll be from 9am-12pm at the 24th Street Elementary School Garden. Sounds pretty neat-o. Make friends with them on facebook and then you’ll be in the know for some gardening awesomeness. Info and links below:

We look forward to seeing everyone at our first workday of the school year, Saturday, 10/24 (9am-12pm) at the 24th Street School! Please mark your calendars. Bring your garden gear (garden gloves, some water, sunscreen, a shovel or pitchfork). We will be catching up on our fall planting, building some infrastructure, making new beds, and many other tasks.

The address is: 2055 West 24th Street, Los Angeles

From the I-10 Freeway: take the “Western Avenue” exit (3 miles west of downtown) and head south on Western. Take a right turn on 24th Street. The school and parking lot will be on the right-hand side on the east side of school. There will be plenty of street parking as well. Look for the banner reading “24th Street School Workday” and enter through those gates.

We are fortunate to have our partners from RootDown LA, Megan Hansen and Katy Atkiss, providing us all a delicious meal!

We look forward to seeing you then

LINKS:

Facebook Link to the event Here

Garden School Foundation Blog

Bulbil’s Website

The first sign goes out on the nature strip, more to come

We’ve been steadily planting out on the nature strip. First the bay tree that moved with us from the old unit. Then a kaffir lime, and two dwarf lemon trees. Finally a lemon-scented tea tree.

Yes, this is guerilla gardening, but not just for our own selfish benefit. From the outset, the aim has been to put out plants that can be harvested by the locals as they wander by (perhaps the lemons break this rule).

So this afternoon, the first “street food” sign went out onto the nature strip. We hope to start a local movement, copying what has been done on Myrtle St in Chippendale. Now we see whether it’s harvested to death, or gently pruned…

And the season begins!!

If you folks want to start Guerrilla Gardening, you can come out this Saturday Oct 17th at 5pm. I just got this email with the details from my buddy Bulbil.

Hi,

I know it’s kind of short notice but with the rain coming I can’t think of a better time to plant some plants guerrilla style. We are going to be doing a planting (replacing some plants) at the Van Ness and Harold Way garden behind the Dennys (at the Sunset exit to the south bound 101 freeway) this Saturday at about 5PM. And there will be a weeding event at the same time across the freeway at the Sunset and Wilton garden (at the Sunset exit to the north bound 101 ).

The LA Guerrilla Gardeners group will be having a meeting very near these sites from 3 till 5PM then we are going over to work in the gardens. I’ve copied their email about their event below. It has a link to a map to the house for the meeting but here’s the address in case I do something wrong and the link doesn’t work – 1922 Taft Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068

If you can’t make the meeting at 3 maybe you can still help out in the gardens at 5.

I think all you’ll need is some gloves but if you have a tool or two you like to work with feel free to bring them.

I hope to see you there–

Scott

AKA bulbil321
http://socalguerrillagardening.org/

A volte vale la pena di affrontare imprese sulla cui scorza c’è scritto “non ho senso”. Tutti ti dicono: “Che senso ha percorrere la sterrata quando di fronte a te si dipana trionfalmente un’autostrada bella lucida?”
E tu rispondi che ai 130 chilometri all’ora il paesaggio perde considenza, è privo di odori, piatto.

C’è stato un giorno durante il quale qualche commissione di professoroni senza cuore ha deciso che le tesi della laurea triennale sarebbero diventate “prove finali”. Quando l’ho saputo ricordo di aver provato rabbia e disprezzo. Devo aver detto: “Bastardi… ci stanno togliendo tutto.”
Per certi versi questa nuova etichetta ha legittimato le tesi cosiddette “copia e incolla”, ridicolizzando gli ingenui che scelgono di affrontare una ricerca empirica.
Io però avevo un sogno. Questo sogno era quello di poter dire di non aver sprecato tre anni di studio.
All’epoca vagavo in bici dicendomi che, indipendentemente dal parere dei miei professori, io ero una sociologa in erba e a testimoniarlo c’era il mio ignorantissimo blog, oggi defunto.
Fu così che mi trovai a concordare una tesi sul fenomeno del guerrilla gardening con il mio attuale relatore. Mi disse che non dovevo preoccuparmi; la domanda cognitiva sarebbe sopraggiunta nel corso della ricerca.
In un primo momento cercai il gruppo di Padova, convinta com’ero della sua esistenza. Successivamente mandai svariate email in giro per l’Italia, alla ricerca di un gruppo da studiare.
Dopo alcune settimane realizzai che l’impresa era disperata. Quasi nessuno aveva risposto e a Padova individuai solo un signore che ai tempi dell’università aveva piantato degli alberi da frutto nel cortile della biblioteca frequentata dagli studenti di matematica e fisica.
Poi, come per magia, mi scoprii intenta a prendere uno spritz con le tre persone  che sarebbero diventate, insieme alla sottoscritta, il nucleo originale della Santa Alleanza dei Guerriglieri Verdi.
Da quel giorno ho scoperto molte cose sul guerrilla gardening. Ad esempio  che quasi nessuno ha studiato l’argomento. Eppure esso è radicato nei nostri territori, nei nostri vecchi, nella nostra insofferenza; solo che non riusciamo a vederlo.
Ho cercato a lungo una definizione calzante. Quella che più si avvicina alla perfezione, pur essendo incompleta, è di David Tracey, che dice:
“Guerrilla gardening is autonomy in green. You don’t have to join a club or pay any dues or accept any codes. You even get to define it for yourself. I call it “gardening public space with or without permission.” But as definitions go, I have to admit, that’s pretty thin.”
Tanti pensano che sistemare le aiuole pubbliche abbia senso solo nelle grandi città. Inizialmente tanti mi hanno detto: “Che senso ha farlo a Vicenza? C’è già tanto verde”. Poi, scavando in queste affermazioni e negli sguardi di chi ascoltava i miei racconti ho scoperto che i loro istinti erano atrofizzati o che avevano semplicemente paura che mi potessero arrestare. Quando i miei genitori mi vedono uscire nella notte armata di vanga e fiori si preoccupano per me. I miei nonni veneti, invece, pensano sia un bel gesto, ma niente di speciale. Per loro è normale che se un’aiuola fa schifo qualcuno debba prendersene cura.
Poi ci sono quelli che vedono un gruppo di giovani intenti a scavare un buco in una rotatoria in tarda serata e pensano: “stanno seppellendo un cadavere!” Così di lì a poco arrivano due volanti della polizia, che schedano i giovani vicentini per l’ennesima volta. Giovani vicentini armati di vanga, annaffiatoio, fiori e sacchi per raccogliere la terra argillosa in eccesso e l’immondizia che emerge dagli scavi.
La Santa Alleanza dei Guerriglieri Verdi è comunemente detta Guerrilla Gardening Vicenza, perché i vecchi si incazzano se lasci un cartello con un nome così blasfemo davanti a casa loro. E allora cestinano il cartello che hai realizzato con tanto amore.
Vicenza è una città così bianca che a volte ti viene voglia di bestemmiare di fronte al tuo ex liceo cattolico. Compensi usando le siepi che lo circondano come toilette -ma solo quando sei veramente ubriaca- e rubando le madonnine di gesso dalle rotatorie, che qualche psicopatico ha sparso ovunque.
Vicenza è una città così piena di SUV e di militari americani che la Santa Allenza è diventata quella con il No Dal Molin, anche perché ormai il presidio permanente è l’ultimo luogo sacro che ci è rimasto, l’unico dove la  tua radicale anormalità viene ancora riconosciuta ed apprezzata.
Non ho ricordi dell’ex centro sociale. Era vicino a casa mia e l’hanno demolito mentre stavo passando in bici con il mio walkman contenente una cassetta dei Nirvana. Mi dicono che da allora le cose sono cambiate in peggio.

Sono diventata maggiorenne proponendo cose e sentendomi dire sistematicamente di no. Soprattutto dai miei amici. Quando ho smesso di frequentarli si è aperta una voragine sotto i miei piedi. Se non altro in quel periodo trovai una persona con cui andare a vedere i Pearl Jam a Bologna.

Fare guerrilla gardening in una città che ti provoca sistematiche crisi isteriche può sembrare strano. Guardo le foto degli altri gruppi su internet e ho l’impressione che loro amino abitare lì, in Canada o nel sud della Francia.
Io odio il mio quartiere, odio le persone che hanno distrutto la mia planter box e soprattutto odio chi ha fatto a pezzi i fiori del mio agapanthus, prima che intervenisse la grandine.
Però mi piace l’idea di aver creato un diversivo.
Realizzare aiuole ignoranti, per lo più illegali e nel pieno della notte, ti rende sopportabile la città e i vicini stronzi.
In alcuni casi poi scopri che ci sono delle vecchine che hanno apprezzato il tuo gesto. Spesso mi sono sentita dire: “Allora non è vero che tutti i giovani sono delinquenti!”
Cosa si può rispondere ad una cosa del genere? Io mi limito a fare un grande sorriso. Poi raccolgo la mia bici e pedalo verso casa, mentre il mio self di guerrilla gardener canta a squarciagola, schiacciando i rumori del traffico e mettendo a tacere i miei incubi diurni.

L’autrice: Margherita Ferrari, blogger berica classe 1987. A 17 anni ha pubblicato il libro “Guide Pratiche per Adolescenti Introversi“. Attualmente sta tentando di laurearsi in sociologia e di progettare una dignitosa fuga all’estero. Scrive sul blog L’odore dei pomeriggi (quando li butti via).

(foto di Ecodallaluna)

Prieš kelias dienas perskaičiau straipsniuką „Ozone“ apie partizaninį sodininkavimą ir pagalvojau „Kodėl gi ne?“.

Idėja: sodinti gėles, medžius ar net daržoves viešose apleistose tau nepriklausančiose miesto erdvėse.

Kodėl: pagražink savo aplinką, išgauk praeivių šypseną, ugdyk žmonių pilietiškumą, išnaudok apleistus miesto žemės lopinėlius.

Kada: naktį niekam nematant arba organizuojant akcijas (galbūt susitarus su savivaldybe?).

Kaip:

1. rask kokį apleistą kampelį mieste, numindytą skiriamąją juostą tarp gatvių, mažą lopinėlį žemės prie tavo namų/darbo ar kitą žemės lopinėlį;

2. paberk kokių gėlių sėklų, įkišk tulpės/narcizo svogūnėlį ar kokio medelio atžalą (galima paberti sėklų tiesiog einant ar važiuojant dviračiu pro šalį).

3. prižiūrėk tą vietą (gali prireikti bent jau palaistyti) ir lauk rezultatų – ar ne smagu bus, kai pavasarį išlįs tulpės žiedas ar vasaros vidury savo geltoną galvą iškels saulėgrąža?

Viskas paprasta! Kas prisijungsit?

<sup>Susijusios nuorodos:
* Partizaninio sodininkavimo bendruomenės visame pasaulyje svetainė ir forumas
* Partizaninio sodininkavimo grupės ir puslapiai facebook tinkle.</sup>

Toronte, Kanadoje, galima rasti ir štai tokių stebuklų, turinčių tikslą įkvėpti žmones kurti daugiau žalių erdvių.

^{Tekstas pirmą kartą spausdintas: http://vita.gamtoj.com/gamta/partizaninis-sodininkavimas}

***

^{logo: vanessa.harden
foto: Shira Golding}

Some interesting things I learnt at Interesting 2009:

1. Arthur Jefferson, father of Stan Laurel, had a mission to bring culture to the working class by setting up or managing theatres all over the UK, the largest of which was the Metropole Theatre in Glasgow. (It’s amazing how litte clear information there is about him on the internet, Cait Hurley must have spent a lot of time in libraries to get her presentation together!)

2. Facebook has its own Konami cheat code, which results in a lens flare on your screen. I tried it and it works – awesomeness. Toby Barnes took us through a number of video game cheat codes, I wish I’d noted down the rest!

3. What the word teratogenic means (teratology is the study of abnormalities in physical development).

4. There were books that spoke about ‘appropriate’ behaviour for women way back in 1475. Like these, I assume. 

5. Sir Francis Galton, cousin of Charles Darwin was a slightly mad man behind such brilliant efforts as trying to perform arithmetic by smell, creating a beauty map of the UK (yes, plotting where most good-looking women in the country tended to be found – London, in case you were wondering, with Aberdeen having the least beautiful!), and the measure of fidget (or how you can find out when people are bored). I mean, what can you say when hear about genius like that?!

6. What electroporation is.

7. What heimat is.

8. The fact that there is a place in the UK called Havant. 

9. That a ‘shaw‘ means a small wood or thicket. 

10. The Great American Streetcar Scandal, where apparently General Motors was at the centre of a plot by private companies to get trams off US streets and replace them with buses so they could make a profit.

11. German style board games, which aim to keep all players in the game till the end and are less dependent on chance than regular board games. 

12. That May 1st is International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day.

And this quote by Jack Handey regarding sunsets made me laugh: “Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he’s carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he’s carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you’re drunk.” (!!!!)

Thanks Russell - and all the speakers of course!

First I need to tell you all something disappointing. Remember when I cleaned out my worm bin most recently and decided to start over? Well, it didn’t work. I left it alone while I left Japan, and returned a couple days ago to a vat of tar. Seriously my worm bin looked like black sludge, rife with maggots. I decided to dump the whole mess out. I think I’ll start fresh this coming weekend. And since the weather has cooled down quite a bit, I’m going to buy more worms and give it another shot.

So what is one to do with 30 pounds of wet, stinking, maggot-infested compost? I put it in a bag on the porch and decided to think it over for a few days. You are probably reading this and wondering what my problem is. Well, I’m not going to put this out on the curb. I have put too much work into this soil to send it to a landfill. Also, I have maxed out my planter boxes, and I have no more garden space. And I can’t just march around the neighborhood with a huge dripping bag. People will call the police and report me. “Our neighborhood foreigner went that way with the body. We always knew she was weird… her shirt said that she doesn’t need a bag. I think she needs some professional help…”

Coincidentally, I’ve been waking up at about 3am since returning home from Oregon. I have a strong internal clock, and I don’t adjust to time changes very quickly. This morning when I woke up, I knew I could come up with a way to get rid of my compost without getting caught.

I’ve wanted to take part guerrilla gardening for a long time. I’ve always enjoyed taking mundane activities and making them illegal. Like rock climbing public buildings, streaking on public beaches, and extreme cooking. (I don’t know how to do the last one, if you can come up with a way to make cooking illegal (in a way that doesn’t involve meth) please tell me.

This was the perfect opportunity. I would take the compost to some place in my neighborhood that needs some love. Then I could start a secret garden there. My first challenge was to figure out how to get the compost there, but I decided I could transport it in shifts over the next few days, since I couldn’t lift the whole bag.I decided on a grassy hill near Goshikiyama, a huge tomb thing in my neighborhood. It seemed like a perfect, neglected place which I would love to go next spring for a picnic, and admire my lovely stealth garden.

I put my compost behind those trees there. What should I plant? I kinda like the idea of flowers. Maybe roses?

The sun rising over the tombLet me know if you live in Kobe and you want to do something questionable at 4am. We all know that I’m up for a good time.

Lambeth estates in Bloom awards celebrate some of Lambeths dedicated people on the boroughs estates whose work on gardens, balconies, communal areas and even just a simple window sill brightens up our estates for all.

Cllr's Peck and Prentice with the Mayor and Overall winner

The presenter of the event was Richard Reynolds from Guerrilla Gardening and I was proud to out myself as a former Guerilla Gardener keen to share with the world my love for sunflowers, seeding my neighbourhood and enjoying the delight of watching them grow.

I met lots of extremely enthusiastic entrants and winners of all ages and was delighted to give the prize to the overall winner Mrs Mary Horscroft who had also won the Domestic Grassed category.

Mayor of Lambeth with members of the Lambeth Living team

I spoke of how their work really made a difference to our estates. That some people looked down on others that live there; however as someone who has lived much of their life on estates I was thankfull for their efforts as it showed everyone that we take pride and we are proud of where we live.

My own plants have been a little negleted this year, been a little busy, but after this show I have been shown the way forward and will put more effort into getting my window boxes back to their former glory.

My friend in Japan reminded me of an important point. One that is very relevant and important to consider before engaging in the wholesale planting of free food. It is the matter of the impact.

New Zealand has a delicate ecosystem, one that is easily thrown out of balance by introduced plants that outcompete for resources and attract introduced pests. It is the accumulated impact of  thoughtless actions by people from the british colonization, right up until today. There still cling vestiges of what was once pristine, primeval rainforests, wetlands and other native ecosystems. Vestiges of the natural state of this land that have escaped the axes and fires of humans. These areas are in danger of being swallowed by development and killed by invading species. They need your help to return to a state of balance and health. Ecosystems are like bodies, they require all the parts to be working together to be healthy. Ecosystems can only work properly when there is a balance of species, all filling the right niches, so as to create a harmonious system that supports all of it’s members.

Introducing foreign plants, even with the best intentions, such as for food production, can create a detrimental impact if care is not taken. This is why I advise caution and thoughtfulness before engaging in public planting, because the wrong plant in the wrong place can spread like wildfire and choke an ecosystem.That is why if you are planning on planting, do your research and think about the long term consequences of your actions, because it is very possible it will continue having an effect long after you’re gone. All actions you take have a flow on effect, make sure your action counts, not costs.

This is my advice to you. Don’t plant introduced species near to native forests. If you’re going for the scattershot seedball method of spreading greenery, it is best go with a mix of native seeds over food bearing ones, unless you’ve done your homework and minimized the risk of ecosystem imbalance. Seedballs are an excellent way of promoting biodiverse regrowth of native bush. It’s probably a better plan to plant seedlings rather than the fruit seed itself. I really can’t emphasize education enough, learn how ecosystems work, how fruit trees are grown, how best to nurture and take care of nature, how to avoid environmental impacts and take action that is beneficial. Be thoughtful. Check out the resource page and the links below.

Knowledge, as they say, is power and with great power comes great responsibility. The power to plant comes with the responsibility to care for both the plant and the ecosystem into which it has been placed.

If you’re really keen on getting planting, but unsure about what actions to take, or what species to plant take some time to research the possibilities and ask around. The Department of Conservation has a publication called Plant me instead which is “A guide to environmentally-friendly alternatives to pest plants or environmental weeds in the lower North Island”. A useful book to get.

Also check out Weedbusters for information about what plants can be dangerous to New Zealand’s biodiversity.
“Weedbusters is a weeds awareness and education programme that aims to protect New Zealand’s environment from the increasing weed problem. Pest animals and plants (weeds) are the greatest threat to New Zealand’s biodiversity. People play a large part in spreading environmental weeds, often without knowing it, and Weedbusters aims to educate people and raise awareness to turn this problem around.” – from their website

It’s not to say you shouldn’t plant food plants, by all means plant many, create orchards and gardens the likes of which have never been seen, create Eden if you must. Just be careful and thoughtful in your approach. It’s what all the cool kids are doing.

-Fredd

Check out the resources page, it’s a good place to get started if you’re interested in working towards the goal of free food.

tomato poppers

Awesome tomato, basil and swiss sandwiches for breakfast (couldn’t wait till lunch–see earlier post).  Thought I’d visit one of Vancouver’s community gardens for gift plant #2.  This particular garden along the old C.P. rail tracks had it’s start as a guerrilla garden.  A few years ago a handful of people with a vision of cherry tomatoes, monster zuchinni and sunflowers, saw some vacant land with great soil, staked their claim and voila–a secret garden of bliss.  Today, it’s an official city community garden, one of the many promised plots from Vancouver’s vision of creating 2010 community gardens by the year 2010.  BTW, do check out http://www.guerrillagardening.org/   Comrades with a hoe.  I particularly love their automatic seed shoe!