Guerrilla Gardening

Guerrilla gardening is a gardening trend that has spread too many parts of the world, including South Africa. Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening on land that gardeners do not have the legal rights to cultivate, such as abandoned sites, and any other areas that are not being cared for. The land is secretly used to raise plants, frequently focusing on food crops, but not neglecting flowers for their aesthetic purposes. Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, while others garden at more visible hours. Worldwide, this practice has implications for land rights and land reform; aiming to promote the re-consideration of land ownership in order to assign a new purpose or reclaim land that is perceived to be in neglect or misused.

If you do not want to risk being caught and prosecuted, try guerrilla gardening at home, you will be surprised how many neglected little spaces can be transformed and used productively. And, if you live in a townhouse community, the trustees could be persuaded to integrate some vegetable crops and fruit trees into the garden landscape for everyone to enjoy. And if you have space, it would be easy to start a communal vegetable garden where everyone can participate. 1 May marks International Guerrilla Gardening Day. If you are passionate about greening our future why not go out and plant a tree somewhere or start a little vegetable patch on you sidewalk.