Awesome Guest project | Guerrilla Gardening in Menlo Park
Today’s post is fueled by guest content. My friend David (the thing about having the name “David” is that you tend to know a lot of other Davids) lives out in Menlo Park, not far from the Stanford Campus in California. When I hear him describe Menlo he makes it seem as if the area is very white bread and square and afraid of most things awesome.
Earlier this week David emailed me a few inconspicuous photos, it’s the description which made them something of value:
There’s this vacant building next to where I live. There are planters
out front that look like they’re meant to hold ornamental fruit trees or
something. But there’s nothing in them so they just fill up with
garbage. In my ongoing quest to freak out the squares, etc., etc., I
emptied one of the containers of trash, filled it with potting soil, and
planted some peas. They just emerged yesterday! Maybe people will be
reluctant to throw trash on the tender green seedlings?
It is hard to say, would litterbugs even recognize a small seedlings? How big and pronounced would the seeds have to get before they were recognized as being a food source? This reminds me of the Seed Bomb methonds used by guerrilla gardeners. They would draw more attention to a blight by throwing seeds of brightly colored flowers into empty lots. At first, they are just used to beautify the area. Then the idea starts to sink in: we could actually grow something here.
With just a little bit of effort, we can grow things anywhere. David’s project is proof alone.
David is also interested in street art, and you can check out his documentation of Menlo Park street art here.
What are some simple things you could do in your area which could beautify or draw attention to something otherwise neglected?
