Christina Overton
Research and Argumentative Writing
Dr. Wesley Houp
30 April 2009
Guerrilla Gardening
“Guerrilla gardening is political gardening, a form of direct action, primarily practiced by environmentalists. It is related to land rights, land reform, and permaculture. Activists take over ("squat") an abandoned piece of land which they do not own to grow crops or plants. Guerrilla gardeners believe in re-considering land ownership in order to reclaim land from perceived neglect or misuse and assign a new purpose to it.” This form of activism has been highly popular in recent events, its name even dashing across the internet, televisions, radio, even billboards across the nation. A lot of this activity can be seen in areas like large cities, many of which have very little area in which to cultivate any personal gardens, but can have pockets of areas being unused or neglected that could be used for a small garden or even a larger garden collectively. One of the main concerns about this is whether or not the property that is being gardened on is public or private property, this can cause some complications if the Guerrilla gardeners are caught, but why would you punish someone who is only bringing beauty and life to an area of neglect and un use. Also, while this action is still illegal, much of the more publicized and political Guerrilla gardening is done under the protection of night and very carefully.
Guerrilla gardeners dive into action, removing litter, brush, and any other debris that need to be removed first in order to begin their attack on the unsuspecting piece of land that they have selected to beautify. This plot of land is then cultivated into a place of beauty and is often taken care of for years after the initial work is done, the first Guerrilla garden was created in the 70's, by Liz Christy and her group of Guerrilla gardeners. This garden was created in New York and is still flourishing to this day.
The first known Guerrilla gardener would have to be "Johnny Appleseed", for the legendary traveler who went down the Ohio River planting apple seeds all down and all along the banks of the river on unsettled land all over the U.S. He was the first recognized Guerrilla gardener
PART 2
The idea of Guerrilla gardening made me very skeptical during the beginning of this semester, I walked into a class where, instead of immediately jumping into papers and grammar, we began talking about gardening, destructive coal mining tactics, and what we as a class could do about it. To be completely honest I was shocked and confused. How on earth would we get away with such actions and where would we do it?! Well this class has turned out to be one of the best classes I could have ever taken on many levels. I think I have learned about more important things in this class than any previous English classes.
I didn't know about any of the Mountaintop Removal Mining, the effects of it on the people and wildlife around the mining sites, and how it directly effected me here in Tennessee, it was pretty crazy to hear of just how much damage is being done by these miners.
As this project began I realized there were many places that this project could really flourish. Pun intended. And while there were many places around Peck Hall, as pictured above, it seemed a little too obvious to just work there. There were many places around the dorms and other buildings, but they were also in areas on low foot traffic...and that is exactly the problem. Not many people would walk by these areas and SEE the gardens and appreciate it. And while I feel I have been too busy to really start this kind of project right at this moment, it has inspired me to do some work this summer, when I have time to really get some work done and maintain the areas.
The Library seems to be the best bet for planting something to be seen. Many students pass by the library, even if they don't go inside. Haha. So this summer I may plan a Guerrilla garden for this area with a few friends and tackle an area of more neglect than others.
Works Cited
1. http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ Web.30 Apr 2009.
2. http://webecoist.com/2009/03/04/the-joy-of-being-a-criminal-how-to-guerrilla-garden-in-5-fun-steps/ Web.30 Apr 2009.
