On the evening of August 20th 2009, I took my 20 minute walk, laden with water for my garden. It was the night of the black moon but I was happy loping down the hill the my little bit of greenspace. When I arrived and realized the garden had been mowed to the ground I was in such a state of shock, I went ahead and watered it and headed back home, feeling rather conflicted.
The revenge of the Bean Bandits and Pirate Tomatoes is upon us! I finally found a good spot on one of the Greenways of Vancouver BC. No one was using it, it got good sun and was just by a sky-train and rail-road tracks so it seemed a perfect spot. There is a lot more space available in this area,…
Food Security & Sustainability: For The Times Ahead
by Harvest McCampbell, published by Bio Diverse Press in May 2008 arrived just in time.
This book is a level headed and comprehensive look at what is coming our way. Without fear-mongering and trying to get rich off of your fears, Harvest McCampbell provides a wealth of resources and practical steps that you can take to prepare for the transition that our world is gearing up for.
Harvest shares her vision of a Green World that her Grandmother passed down to her, and makes us consider how we would survive if we woke up one day in a world without asphalt or cars. In this book Harvest shares her answers to the question her Gram used to ask her when they were out in the woods gathering wild food and herbs.
“Maybe today, maybe when we get back to where we left the car, there will be no car, there will be no roads. Then what will we do Little One?”
In a few simple paragraphs, Harvest McCampbell filled my head with visions of the Green World her Gram spoke of and my heart with a secure feeling of hope. This book points to how we can each help each other to find our way through the mess we have made of things by working together with respect and confidence.
The Stone Soup Festival at Britannia on Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC fell on Mother’s Day weekend this year. We arrived at the festival just as the jolly Carnival Band was rambling around the park and were soon planting pumpkin and sunflower seeds, feeding the chickens at the Backyard Chicken information desk and munching on a bowl of hearty FREE stone soup.
This was my first time at the festival and I was really impressed and surprised that although there were a few vendors selling honey, dehydrated vegetable crackers, pottery, gourmet foods and plants, the main content of the festival was information.
I stopped at a mason bee exhibition and was impressed to discover that even though I could buy a very affordable bee home and bees, I could actually make the same thing myself from bamboo and just put it in a sunny spot and let some prayers drift on the wind in hopes that some mason bees will make it their home. I felt no pressure to spend money, but I did get a great mug for my mother while there.
There are as many ways to guerrilla garden as there are stars in the sky, and that is the best thing about it. The best way to do it is your way and to just get started. Many people love to make seed bombs and drop them as a group, other people love sneaking privately about the city — planting plots. Some people like to be highly organized — others random and without a thought. The main thing that holds it all together is that we are people reclaiming the land around us, reaching out and getting involved, hanging around and making sure that it grows, and grows and is a pleasure for all who pass by.
I have recently started reading the book The One-Straw Revolution
by Masanobu Fukuoka and his natural farming methods have astonished me and made me rethink what little I thought I knew about growing plants. I was already familiar with Rudolf Steiner’s methods of biodynamic farming, yet even so this book has been a real mind-opener.
Although I have been planting things in random places for a few years I haven’t had a chance to really take over a piece of land in an urban setting until this year. I spent much of last year walking the streets around my area checking out pieces of land. I didn’t want it to be too far from where we live in case it didn’t rain much and I had to haul water every day. I didn’t want it next to a main road to avoid the pollution from car exhaust, and I wanted it to get plenty of sun and rain. I finally found a good spot on the Greenway under the skytrain and next to the train tracks not too far from our apartment.
The Winter Farmer Market of Vancouver BC comes together fortnightly at WISE Hall 1882 Adanac Street at Victoria Drive. My favorite item at this time of the year are the potatoes. Music is always good and entertaining and it is fantastic to have such a fabulous view of the skyline of Vancouver's downtown in the distance. This particular market was…
Balcony garden bar overlooking Vancouver, BC. Coriander, tomatoes, chilli, calendula, passionflower, nasturtiums, basil, sage, green-beans and corn. This is the first year with the garden in this location, and the corn didn't do very well--not enough dirt for their roots, they did a good job, considering, but I didn't get much corn. Next time I will have to try miniature…
Balcony garden bar overlooking Vancouver, BC. Coriander, tomatoes, chilli, calendula, passionflower, nasturtiums, basil, sage, green-beans and corn. This is the first year with the garden in this location. I have lot to learn about balcony gardening, so thank god for the Internet.
Balcony garden bar overlooking Vancouver, BC. Coriander, tomatoes, chilli, calendula, nasturtium, passionflower, basil, sage, green-beans and corn. This is the first year with the garden in this location. I have lot to learn about balcony gardening, so thank god for the Internet.
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