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Nature Care Challenge | March 2021: Guerilla Gardening

Posted on March 1, 2021February 10, 2022 by Malu

The pandemic is still here! Depending where you live, you might not be able to anything really. Here in Germany, the sun suddenly came out and declared springtime. Everyone is out and taking walks. They pass by my mothers garden, which is now again filled with crocusses, snowdrops and “winterlings” as they are called in German, and tell her through the fence how happy it makes them to see the pretty flowers and the bees alredy buzzing around them.

Wouldn’t it be nice to spread this happiness around? If there isn’t much else to do, we can at least reclaim our empty streets and make it more beautiful.

This month I challenge you to go out guerilla gardening in your neighbourhood.

Guerilla gardening describes the act of greening public or abandoned areas to make them look friendlier. Generally, the greener an area is, the better. Green spaces, even if they are small, attract insects and birds and make stressed people a little happier.

Step 1: Find you gardening spot(s).

Next time you take a walk around the block, have a look for vacant lots, sad parking areas, a niche next to a bridge… anything that looks sad and empty.

Unless you are willing to drag a pick-axe to your chosen site and face the concerned passers by and possibly police, I recommend choosing spots were the ground is exposed and not covered by concrete.

Ideally, your spots should have at least a few hours of sunlight, even if it is indirect. Direct sunlight all day on one little plant surrounded by nothing but concrete however, will probably not make it..

Also, try to find spaces that are exposed to rain, or are on your route to wherever you go on a daily basis, so you can water the plants regularly.

Do not choose a spot that requires you to break and enter. If there is a fenced off vacant lot, you really want to green, try contacting the municipality and ask them to connect you with the owner. The owner, or the city if there is no private owner, might just be really happy, someone wants to make it prettier, and give you the keys.

Step 2: Choose your plants.

Growing in a hot concrete jungle with little care is tough for a plant. So you want to use plants that can handle these conditions. On the other hand, you don’t want them taking over the entire city. Please double check (quick online search) that the plants you have chosen are not invasive species to your country. If you manage to choose plants that are native to your area, you will add extra value to your guerilla garden, as native plants are guaranteed food for native insects and birds.

Generally, I recommend sunflower seeds, as they are relatively easy to come by and birds can eat the seeds after the flowers dry up. Poppies and other flowers found in a field on hot summer days will probably survive (I collect the seeds year-round whenever I bump into some). Bulbs of narcissus or crocus will likely come up year after year, but need more concrete-free space as to not be barbecued in the sun.

Step 3: Action!

Take your seeds, bulbs or seedlings, a hand shovel and/or rake and a bottle of water and go to your spot. If necessary, clean the spot up a little and remove all the trash. Plant your plants according to species specific instructions and gently water.
Optionally, consider lightly covering your project mulch (grass cuttings, sawdust, leaf litter). This will keep the ground from drying out too fast and stop soil erosion in heavy rain, giving your little plants much better chances at survival.
Check on your plants every once in a while and make sure they are getting enough water. Watch them bloom and attract insects and smile!

Quick alternative for people in a hurry, scared of being yelled/stared at by strangers, or just lazy or not so organised:

Buy some seeds, or bird feed, or if you want to spend the money, buy some ready made “seed-bombs” and keep them in your pocket. Throw them at the naked ground as you pass by, preferably on a rainy day. Maybe something will take (it helps if the ground is not rock hard, trampled flat, but a little crumbly, so water can enter).

*Photo Sources:
Trashed back-yard: Scott Rodgerson
Sunflowers & apartmentbuildings: Yevhenii Kershkov
Abandoned house with field of yellow flowers: Kamil Ślusarczyk

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    About me

    My name is Malu. I am a conservation-ecologist currently living in Germany. I’ve always been wild about the outdoors and can spend hours looking at an insect labouring away at its daily challenges, or a bird building its nest, or … there’s just so much amazing stuff happening out there! I’m really glad you’ve made it onto this page so I can share my joy with you.

    Monthly Challenges

    We only have about 6 to 8 years left to turn this environmental mess of a ship around. So much has to happen politically, but the people also need to change habits and start to appreciate our environment more. So every 1st of the month I post a nature care challenge with environmentally friendly lifestyle choices of habits for you to try for 30 days and, if you like, let it stick with you for longer, maybe even for life.

    Lots of little droplets make up the largest ocean.

    Are you absolutely unable to do the current challenge? Or maybe you are underwhelmed with the challenge and want an extra one? Check out the previous challenges to see if there is something you would like to try.

    The challenges  make up the major part in the flow of posts here, so they are easy to find. But if you want to get a good overview of the challenges set so far, simply follow the link below.

    Do you want to set next month’s sustainability challenge?

    Contact me and pitch your challenge to me. It might be up next month. You can either write the whole challenge, and why we should do it, or just give me an idea for something to look into.

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