Guerrilla Gardening

Davidor7

Hi all,

Hope this is the right place to post this. I’m a student filmmaker at NUI Galway and am hoping to pitch a documentary on guerrilla gardening next week, which, if selected, would be filmed in the coming months. I’m wondering if guerrilla gardening is something that actually occurs in Ireland, and if so, would any such gardeners be willing to have a film crew come document any future gardening excursions?

If anyone is interested, or has any relevant info pm me, or e-mail me at davidor7@eircom.net.

Cheers,
David.

CJhaughey

I would be interested if GG occurs here, given the small population and relatively small urban centres as opposed to the UK, you only have to travel a small distance in most directions and you are in a rural environment:)

Davidor7

Yeah, the few people I've talked to about it seem quite interested in it, but there seems to be very few, if any, organised guerrilla gardening events. T'is a shame its not more common, because it seems a fascinating hobby.

fatman5800

Excuse my ignorance but what is it?

Davidor7

fatman5800 wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what is it?

Best to take a look here:

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

Someone can correct me but my basic understanding is that it is gardening on land that you don't own, usually public land. This could be neglected verges or roundabouts, that sort of thing. There's probably much more to it but I'm still catching up.

lucylu

Tidy town committees do this

The Sweeper

Guerilla Gardening is essentially creating garden landscape on public property - it used to be about planting food crops on disused land in urban areas (e.g. turning the patch of scrub in the midst of a block of flats into an allotment overnight) but it's become more and more about beautifying desolate urban sites - e.g. vacant lots, roundabouts, central reservations, so on.

It's unpopular with authorities because it clashes with bureaucratic requirements for planning permissions, safe access to the site in question, approved materials and on some occasions the guerillas won't do such a fabulous job and there may be a health and safety risk involved with the finished landscape. Additionally there's the required upkeep on the newly made garden - although the best guerillas will often use plants and materials that are extremely low maintenance.

Guerilla gardening often raises merry hell when the council goes to tear out the finished product (for various reasons), at which point the media and the local people usually cry havoc, as you would if someone went to destroy something lovely and return it to its former state of deriliction.

Gordon Gekko

I recall reading something a year or so ago about guerilla allotment gardening somewhere around Dolphin's Barn - I think it had something to do with the Indymedia crowd. OP, you might find some articles on it there.

arse..biscuits

I'm involved in an alotment scheme in Dublin city centre on council land. Its basically unused land, rubble and stones weeds. Myself and some others went in and built 30 raised beds, filled them with muck and started growing food.
It's not exactly guerilla gardening in the sense of planting flowers on a roundabout under the cover of darkness.

Davidor7

Gordon Gekko wrote: »

I recall reading something a year or so ago about guerilla allotment gardening somewhere around Dolphin's Barn - I think it had something to do with the Indymedia crowd. OP, you might find some articles on it there.

Will have to check it out. I'd be good to know it's still going on in the area. I'll get back to ye if I find out about anything still going on.

arse..biscuits wrote: »

I'm involved in an alotment scheme in Dublin city centre on council land. Its basically unused land, rubble and stones weeds. Myself and some others went in and built 30 raised beds, filled them with muck and started growing food.
It's not exactly guerilla gardening in the sense of planting flowers on a roundabout under the cover of darkness.

That sounds really interesting. A few people in the class are pitching similar projects relating to allotments and guerrilla gardening, so I dunno would you be interested in talking to us, should any of our projects get picked? I'd need to know by the weekend, cause we're presenting our project ideas on Monday.

arse..biscuits

We'd talk to you no problem.

Davidor7

arse..biscuits wrote: »

We'd talk to you no problem.

Great stuff! I'll get back to you next week when I know if the projects been picked or not.

Cheers!

Davidor7

arse..biscuits wrote: »

We'd talk to you no problem.

Hi arse biscuits


I tried sending you a pm a few days back but don’t know if it sent. I got through the first stage of pitching the documentary and have to report back again this week. I dunno if your still interested in talking to us if it gets picked? If so could you give me a bit more info on the allotment you’re involved in – where it is, how you got involved, etc.


Cheers,
David.