# how-to guerrilla garden?



## tenntex (Oct 27, 2011)

I understand the theory behind a GG is to have a hidden food supply (think Scarlett O'Hara returning to Tara after the yankees burned/stole everything).

But garden plants have been selectively bred so that they need much attention, and the right growing conditions.

They can't tolerate shade, they need to have the weeds controlled, insects are a problem, animals eat the produce, and they need to be picked clean to continue bearing.

How do you grow a GG?????? If the plants are taken care of so they produce, it can't be hidden from someone who is looking for it.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Your thoughts are maybe not totally accurate. Some garden plants can be in the shade (out here most have to be at least partially shaded), once established they can often compete very well with the weeds, birds and animals can be a problem but they can be eaten instead of the garden produce, and usually a guerrilla garden is considered as a possible emergency supply instead of something you would depend on for your survival.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Actually, your concept of guerrilla garden is a bit twisted. It is an urban movement to beautify and add greenery to their urban landscape by planting in vacant lots and any patch of dirt not used. It is not always food that is planted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_gardening



> Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening on land that the gardeners do not have the legal rights to utilize, such as an abandoned site, an area that is not being cared for, or private property. It encompasses a diverse range of people and motivations, ranging from gardeners who spill over their legal boundaries to gardeners with political influences who seek to provoke change by using guerrilla gardening as a form of protest or direct action. This practice has implications for land rights and land reform; aiming to promote re-consideration of land ownership in order to assign a new purpose or reclaim land that is perceived to be in neglect or misused.
> 
> The land that is guerrilla gardened is usually abandoned or perceived to be neglected by its legal owner. That land is used by guerrilla gardeners to raise plants, frequently focusing on food crops or plants intended for aesthetic purposes.
> 
> Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden in an effort to make the area of use and/or more attractive. Some garden at more visible hours for the purpose of publicity, which can be seen as a form of activism.












And if you want to join the movement here is that site...

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TennTex, you are correct - anyone that's tried to grow a regular garden could never see how this could possibly work!

First, It doesn't work with every plant. I *seriously* doubt something like sweet corn could be done GG.

Second, choose plants that do well in the wild. I know of a bunch of herbs (yes, not "food" but still) that do well when left to fend for by themselves, and also Rhubarb and Asparagus both do great "in the wild".

Hiwall is right - don't depend on GG as sole source of food or you'll starve.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

tenntex said:


> I understand the theory behind a GG is to have a hidden food supply (think Scarlett O'Hara returning to Tara after the yankees burned/stole everything).
> 
> But garden plants have been selectively bred so that they need much attention, and the right growing conditions.
> 
> ...


One thing that stands out in the landscape is a neatly squared off garden or field. The old concept of GG was to camouflage your crops so that they were not easily recognized at a distance (or even nearby). Crops were planted in random bunches with some cover nearby. It's more work and less productive but can be done. You need to chose your crops carefully to pick varieties that grow well under those (local) conditions. You should also plant things in the wild that will continue to produce there once established. These might be domesticated varieties of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, onions, garlic, strawberries, grapes, carrots, rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes, and other things that can re-seed themselves or grow from runners or roots. The problem is that many of these will die out over time if you don't care for them. You can also plant grains such as wheat, rye, oats, rice, etc. but these need periodic replanting because over time the native grasses will take over.

Many trees will do well in the wild. I've feasted on apples, pears, walnuts, pecans, acorns, pine nuts, and peaches picked from trees growing on old farmsteads and in the wild.

My advice is to plant wild varieties and keep them healthy if you can. Also get good at foraging and preserving the harvest. Near our home we can forage cattails, wild grapes (good for jams, jellies, grape juice, and wine just to name a few uses), wild raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, mushrooms, huckleberries, thimble berries, and a few others that grow on trees which I can't remember the names of! We also have nearby fishing, hunting, and trapping. Bee hives can be camoed and hidden but around our home the bears would be a real problem without some type of electric fencing (think solar fence chargers). We have birch trees and have made birch syrup from them (lots of work and not much syrup but it's an option for sweetener).

Unfortunately the domesticated plants need a lot of care if you expect them to continue reproducing sizable crops. Native plants will eventually take them over. That's why we emphasize foraging wild plants and planting crops that will thrive in the wild (in some places raspberries and blackberries are considered weeds!).

Even in the desert where we are now we know of a nice batch of grapes growing by a hidden spring. Get to know your area and what it has to offer. If nothing else get good at hunting, fishing and trapping. Let the wild critters do the foraging then eat them. (The old "brier patch" - think blackberries - is a great place to hunt rabbits and squirrels love acorns.)

The key is to plan ahead. Some things like trees need years to mature. Some can be dug from roadside ditches and replanted. In Kansas we never bought a tree. We just dug up volunteers and transplanted them in our yard and in other areas. A couple years ago I visited an old home site of ours and was stunned by some tall, beautiful, healthy oak trees we had planted in my youth. Even the Walnut trees were large enough to produce bushels of walnuts. Even if a person is getting on in years you can still benefit future generations with some forethought now. We still plant trees knowing that we'll most likely not live long enough to see them bear fruit. But our children and grandchildren will eat from them and perhaps put a lawn swing under them and enjoy some great shade and create some memories of their own. Maybe they'll remember us too even after we're long gone.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Another thing to remember is soil PH. GG does not allow you to make changes so you'll need to plant crops that do well in the natural soil in the area. Ours is high acid so some things just won't grow in the wild. But some crops adore highly acidic soil. Those are the ones we focus on.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Is this thread about growing maters or pot? :teehee:


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Could be either one!!!

I just put vegetable plants around the yard. Think of what doesn't 'look' like a vegetable... Potatoes, peanuts, carrots, spinach... even beans can be GG around the yard. 

I look at it this way. If the hoards of rampaging zombies ravage my area, what are they looking for? Stuff in the house first. If there is a nice, well tended garden in the back, that gets hit. But who is going to spend time walking around the yard? They will take a quick look... Bee Balm, Echinacea, Valerian, Mints.... Flowers, who cares about them! What are the chances any of them will take a close look and go, wait a sec, those are taters over there! Those clumps in the California Poppies, aren't they bush beans? That green crap, in front of those flowers, is that spinach? Even tomatoes, cucumbers, squash... If they are not in a 'formal garden' how many folks would even know what they look like?

Even in the weeds out back, you can grow vegies. If the soil sucks where you are, dig a small hole and amend the soil, then plant in that. Don't weed down to bare earth around them, clip weeds back so your chosen plant gets more sun and it will be the dominant plant.


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

Most of the underground tubers, medicinal herbs and savory herbs would go completely unnoticed if not planted in obvious planters or rows. That wouldn't work with most of the people here but I'm always surprised by the vast majority of people and just how little they know. It's not stupidity but a symptom of just how far we have gotten away from what our grandparents took for granted. No, who am I kidding, it's stupidity :laugh:


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

True. I count on just that. Everyone, well... not everyone but lots of folks... know what a string bean, cucumber, squash, tomato.. looks like in the grocery store. They are piled up right there for all to see!! But how many people these days actually has seen one growing and could recognize a plant they came from? How many folks do you really think could stand on a back porch and look at a random back yard and pick out something edible?

I have been to parties where someone has a cherry tomato plant on the porch and goes to pick a few. Folks are amazed that you could actually eat them! "You are going to eat that? Is it safe?" Same with fresh herbs, people are in awe!!! 

I know most folks here and the folks they know have gardens, but think of the population at large. Tomatoes come pre-sliced, cucumbers are slices of pickles, a salad is a combination of green stuff in small pieces with other stuff in it... Where it comes from they have no clue, nor do they care. 

When I was working I got lots of questioning looks. You can green beans at home? Is that safe? I would bring in a half pint jar of soup or chili for lunch... same thing... You are going to eat that? Is it safe??? Folks did not question when I brought in some extra harvest, but seriously questioned it when it was home processed.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Last summer I asked a 45 year old man to go out and "pick" some potatoes out of our garden, he actually was out there for 45 minutes looking or potatoes had know idea potatoes grew underground. We had a huge laugh at his expense.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

LincTex said:


> TennTex, you are correct - anyone that's tried to grow a regular garden could never see how this could possibly work!
> 
> First, It doesn't work with every plant. I *seriously* doubt something like sweet corn could be done GG.
> 
> ...


I agree with Grimms post, but if you are planting to eat then your list is good.
In the woods you need to stay away from deer food like peas & beans.
Tomatoes will grow in shade, just will not do as well as 6-8 hours of sun.

Sun choke is a good one, but deer like it too.
All the onions,leeks,garlic,carrots & potatoes will grow without a lot of fess.
Watering once a week will double your crop no matter how rich your soil is when you planting.
If you are in a Northren State it may not get as dry as it does in the South, but water is still the best thing for your garden, so mulching is important too.


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

There is a good article in the "off grid" News Week addition about guerrilla gardening. Most of what has been said here is talked about in the article. Remember about humanure and urine as a cheap source of fertilizer. Save and amend with compost.


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## tenntex (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your responses! They were all very helpful!


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## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

sprouting can be done mostly indoors, and certainly in small plots that are set down into dug out areas. located at the tops of hills and the centers of thickets, they can be quite hard to fine. If shtf, the animals will be all dead, so there will be little or no need to fence your plots, but if you should be so lucky as to need this, set up your fences to "v" into the center of your sides, so that you can leave a hole in the fence there, with a trap or snare suitably located in front of it, inside your fence. then the would-be diner becomes dinner, as is appropriate.


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## millertimedoneright (May 13, 2013)

I have planted small crops "guerrilla style". The one thing I learned is it is extremely difficult. Your fruit trees and things of this nature will be your hardiest and longest lasting. The number one difficulty I found was finding a place where water is close enough or somewhere where watering isn't necessary. Other than that wildlife seems to be a very big problem. You can lose 80% of your crop to rats, *****, deer, and rabbits in no time. Of course in a shtf scenario this would become a good thing rather than a bad thing. The key is using plants that fit the soil, water content, ph level, and sun level for that particular area. Spread them out and don't have them in rows. Even a city slicker who has never seen a corn or pea plant will be able to recognize groceries planted in a perfect row. Spread them out and plant them amongst the native wildlife.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

In reading the posts about Guerrilla Gardening it brings about thought to when I did some reading about Permaculture gardening. It seems like a near likeness between them. My "accidental gardens" which often don't look like a garden, because they are not organized, sound a lot like a GG. Many years ago we planted all of the lower flat area of our property randomly with bush beans and when they came up they were so close together they shaded the ground and kept moisture in the ground without having to water them, DW canned a lot of quarts of beans that year, plus we let others pick if they asked. We also have a patch of elephant garlic that's been growing for around 20 years that doesn't look like they are there until they put up flower heads, due to all the weeds that are in amongst them, I try to catch the tender ones just coming out and break them off before they get too tail, those are like tender asparagus when cooked.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

I consider guerilla gardening to be the utilization of plants that are not normally seen as food into my landscape and surrounding areas. I have jerusalem artichokes growing in my 'wild weed' border along one fence line, I also have day lilies growing about the place (food and cordage), juneberries in my hedge, and two highbush cranberries that were planted by a prior property owner. Anything I plant in my yard has to be edible as well as decorative for me to seriously consider it part of my landscaping plan. Some things I am looking into adding include dahlias (edible tubers), 'wild' garlic mustard (considered an invasive plant in many areas, it is delicious), elderberry bushes for my border hedge, various amaranths for the 'flower' gardens (leaves & seeds edible), calalloo (varigated) plants and vining sweet potatoes (not immediately recognizable as food by many and the sweet potato vines are delicious), some orach, a nice thorny hawthorne tree (small, decorative, medicinal as well as edible), and a couple perennial additions to my 'herb garden' patch - echinicea & walking onions. In my yard border I will be putting in a rhubarb patch, and planting some 'different; colored root & vining veggies (people don't recognize many of them as food, and the variation in appearance aids the illusion that they are for decorative purposes. 
If I decide to cut the brittle silver maple in the back yard, I will replant with a white oak from St. Lawrence Nursery, which has seedlings of oaks with acorns lower in tannin than usual, making them easier to process as food (lots of things you can do with acorns). I'm not shy about picking the neighbors' juniper berries either (medicinal and herbal). Oh yes, I'd like some filbert bushes in my landscape, too, towards the back of the yard where nobody can see that they bear nuts from the street. 
So my idea of guerilla gardening is a cross between using edible landscaping plants and wild food forage plants in my landscaping.

I have been known to plant on others' open lands - mainly medicinal herbs - motherwort and st john's wort are weedy looking enough to go unnoticed by the uninitiated. From what people are saying here, that is the true 'guerilla garden'.


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