Guerilla Gardening In San Diego

One of the easiest ways to beautify our city is to take abandoned lots or any unused land and plant something. Such an easy idea, actually an old idea that has found a new life. Not only are people planting native plants, called "seed bombs", but fruits and vegetables are also being planted. It's a great way to beautify and feed the city, and get adults and children alike, involved in gardening and conservation. Brilliant. The guerilla movement is nationwide. I'm just trying to think of where, in my community, seed bombs could be planted. I'm going to keep my eyes out for both the seed bombs and a place to plant them. Below is an excerpt from the UT, which tells more about the new trend called "guerilla gardening." San Diego’s first seed bomb vending machine is managed by Jim Mumford, founder of GreenScaped Buildings and a specialist in planted roofs and vertical gardens. He fashions himself as an eco-warrior who scans for new ways to get people talking about greening the urban environment. “You put two quarters in and turn the dial and out rolls a seed bomb,” Mumford said. “It’s a great feeling.” He was amazed by the interest when he took his “secret weapon” to a recent environmental fair in San Diego. “Watching the kids, it was like a magnet. They had to come over and look at it,” Mumford said. “Because of that, the parents came over and talked. ... A lot of this is really just to get the conversation going.” The guerrilla gardening movement gained attention in the early 1970s when activists in New York City made illicit plantings on blighted parcels. Its roots go back at least to the 19th century, when a pioneer nicknamed Johnny Appleseed planted the frontier with apple trees. Keep your eyes open for seed bomb vending machines. Buy your seed bomb, find a local empty lot that needs a little sprucing up, then drop the bomb. What an easy way to beautify San Diego! “Gardens, scholars say, are the first sign of commitment to a community. When people plant corn they are saying, let's stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another.” Anne Raver quotes