Edinburgh Community Gardening Activists

Cuthill Park Community Garden, Prestonpans, East Lothian

2010-09-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

before

While other folk were having a lie-in or heading off for the start of a long weekend, on Saturday morning, the Friends of Cuthill Park were taking delivery of a 20 yard skip (if you didn't already know, these things are huge).

after

We had set aside two days to blitz the overgrown area where the Community Garden (a.k.a. Cuthill Vittles) will be sited. It became clear quite quickly that this was a bigger job than any of us envisaged. Fortunately lots (over a dozen households) of people came along to muck in .

After hacking down the shoulder-height nettles, we discovered all sorts of weird and wonderful objects including a fire extinguisher, a games piece from Connect 4 and Pure Garage Rewind Back to the Old Skool CD.

Any initial fears about ordering too large a skip proved unfounded as we soon began to fill it with weeds and debris.

We also discovered this little fella....a shrew who must have been a bit bewildered at seeing several children all peering at him.

There were shrieks of "Can I hold him?" and "Look at the funny-looking mouse!" (n.b. shrews aren't rodents) from the kids.

As shrews have a high metabolism and need to eat every few hours (some of these little mammals will perish if they go without food for as little as two hours), we retreated from the vicinity to let him find a hidey hole.

After four hours of tilth and filth it was apparent that we needed a second day so we returned on Sunday to begin the painstaking job of removing the nettle roots and levelling out the mounds of earth.

The area in front of the burnt trees is a horrendous mess of masonry, metal, Tyvek-like material and broken glass - all of which seem to be fused together after the many arson attacks. Clearing this section is going to be a long term project.

We've still a lot of work to do but we are almost at the stage where we can put in some raised beds and get sowing some vegetable seeds!

Next step is for East Lothian Council to remove the fire-damaged trees; and for the Friends of Cuthill Park to thin out the foliage along the wire fence ready for planting the edible hedgerow in November. We also need to buy a water butt, build a compost bin and about a zillion other things. Why not join us? We're on the 26 bus route, we're a friendly bunch and you could be part of a fantastic community project.

A HUGE thank you everyone who came along over the two days.

http://cuthillpark.blogspot.com/

Before and After

2010-08-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today I visited the Porty Community Growing Space behind the Town Hall.

The change since I last visited the site is incredible.

The strip of land is now packed with raised beds and pop-up greenhouses bursting with produce (and happy gardeners).

MAY 2009

It's hard to believe that the site was an almost inpenetrable jungle just over a year ago.

The site began as a guerrilla gardening project without Edinburgh City Councl's knowledge or agreement. I suspect the whole project would have come to a standstill had it not been for Lucy-Ann's tenacity when dealing with the local authority- who initially were not exactly overjoyed by our presence. Today the site is leased from the Council and is a fully-fledged community project.

Guerrilla Gardening was a great kickstart at Porty but now with a committed group of individuals and community activists, the project looks set to be sustainable in the long term.

A Guerrilla Gardening Poem

2010-07-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

Garryas of New York
Their invention is in not trying to impress you,
with no intention of trying to convert you.
They do it for themselves; for satisfaction but yes, perhaps,
for reaction
to see things so,
to see seed sowed
in rundown, worn down, unimaginable, unmanageable areas
that need tending, defending, from the ravages of time,
savages of neglect, to erect a basis, an oasis
of calm, with no harm meant from
these expert extroverts -
these are the people who reform and transform -
these are the Guerrilla Gardeners. Harbingers
against politically correct institutions. With quiet resolutions,
taken from the ancient ?Diggers?, invigorators of traffic islands
in low and highlands; of empty plots, vacant lots and virgin verges.
Driving round a roundabout to see who?s around and about -
with verve and nerve and not a little aplomb, a seedbomb
is mackled if it can?t be tackled
and though not thrown at random, is still abandoned
to its fate,
to gestate and
to await an explosion at a later date with
a saturation of seeds, a suffocation of salvias,
a bombardment of begonias.
Have a brush with a buddleia, a butterfly bush
or populate with poppies but, if all else fails,
it won?t be poplar; nor as popular, and to do or die: plant leylandii!

David Allinson July 2010

(via GuerrillaGardening.org)

Pimms and Permaculture in Prestonpans

2010-04-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Take 3 guerrilla gardeners, some compost and mix together with Pimms until slightly squiffy, and you've got yourself a recipe for, well a bit of a laugh really.

Jan, Lucy Ann & Thea got together to create some seedbombs for future bombing missions.

How to make a seedbomb:
Mix 1 part seeds (we used native non-invasive wildflower mix and added some sunflower seeds), 3 parts compost, 5 parts dry red clay (befriend a potter), 2 parts water. Form into marble-sized pieces. Dry in the sun for 24 hours (don't leave out overnight to get rained on like Jan did). Lob!

How to make a Pimms Summer cup:
Mix 3 parts lemonade, 1 part Pimms Number 1, add slices of cucumber, apple, orange, lemon and mint. Pour. Drink!

Velveteen Screen's 'Guerilla Gardeners'

2010-04-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

The first two minutes of Velveteen Screen's 10 minute documentary as part of Pilton Video's Streetwise 2010 project can be seen here. You might recognise a few faces.

Caught on Camera (and it's not CCTV)

2010-02-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Pilton Video presents 6 short films and documentaries- if you want to come along, buy your own ticket (http://www.filmhousecinema.com/tickets) and meet in the bar.

WHAT: Streetwise 2010
WHEN: Saturday 28th March, 1 - 3 p.m.
WHERE: Filmhouse Cinema, Edinburgh

Duration: 120 minutes
Certificate: Rated 12A

Primary Park
Written & directed by Leo Bruges  

When Brian, a nine year mixed race boy, is bullied out of his local playpark, he looks to his hero Barack Obama to find the courage to face the bullies. But will he succeed?

When II Worlds Collide
Written & directed by Garry Fraser

A gritty slice of life portraying the experiences of Jai, a teenage boy from a shattered family, as he crosses the class divide into his girlfriend’s world.  

GirlTM
Written by Fraser Edmond, directed by Catriona Ruth Paterson  

Ben's dream girl arrives for his birthday. Rob, useless in love, wants one too. Leaving town for a few days, Ben presents Rob with an opportunity not to be missed – with tragic consequences. 

Street Pastors
Directed & produced by Genevieve Bicknell & Magda Dragan 

Late evening on the drunken streets of Edinburgh, the Street Pastors go out to ‘help, care and listen’. As the night progresses and the stories unfold, we wonder who really needs who?  

A Tramline Runs Through It
Directed by Jon Pullman, produced by Lorna Sinclair

It was supposed to be an iconic transport system for Scotland’s capital, but as project costs have escalated and the route downsized, only a single line remains – forging its determined way from airport to ocean. 

Guerrilla Gardeners

Directed and produced by The Velveteen Screen Collective. 

Across the city a growing army of disaffected gardeners are reclaiming land left to ruin. But just who are these green fingered rebels?  (Oh, I don't know, who on earth could they be???)

Guerrilla Gardening - better than sex?!

2010-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

According to an article in EcoSalon, the best things in life are free. We knew that already didn't we. But did you know Guerrilla Gardening tops the list of free fun?

Read the full article here.
Check out these ideas and step outside of the expensive, prepackaged entertainment box.

Guerrilla Gardening

Try your hand at guerrilla gardening. You know that boring patch of grass on the corner? I’m sure no one would mind if you sneaked in some sunflowers or a bunch of marigolds. Guerrilla gardening is an underground urban movement to take back the little green spaces most people ignore. Beautify your neighborhood, on the sly.

The Outdoors

Hiking, biking or walking in a local natural area or park. Yes, this is obvious, but sometimes we forget how free and easy some of the best pleasures are!

Concerts

Keep your eyes peeled for free concert and theater-in-the-park series starting in late spring and summer.

Urban Foraging

Take up urban foraging. Who doesn’t like free food? Learn about wild, regional edible plants or befriend a neighbor with an overloaded fruit tree going to waste. Augment your diet with fresh, free foods!

Sex

Have a partner? Have sex. Nature’s foremost free fun activity – get creative with it! (Getting busy is certainly one of our favorite healthy recommendations.)

Picnic

Take your honey or some friends on a good, old-fashioned picnic.

Trade Entertainment

Scour your books, CD’s and DVD’s for those items you just no longer need and trade them in for credit at a local used CD or bookstore. Spend the afternoon browsing for new reads and new tunes you’d never find otherwise. If there’s no used media store in your area, try a website like SwapTree or Title Trader.

Stargazing

Spend a night stargazing. Find star maps online or in the library, then scout out the darkest part of town and learn the constellations. Watch as they change through the seasons. Bring a romantic partner for extra motivation.

Podcasts

Explore the vast world of podcasts. I myself am a podcast addict, loving to enrich my mind with interviews and alternative news. You can find storytelling and comedy podcasts too if you prefer something a little lighter, or podcasts featuring music you’d never hear on the radio.

Volunteer

Try volunteering. I know, I know, this is not what people usually think of for fun, but my husband has shown me otherwise. He regularly volunteers for behind-the-scenes help at music festivals and expo’s, which means he meets lots of great people and attends the event for free. I’ve done it with him and I have to admit, it’s more fun than simply buying a ticket and being part of the audience.

Craigslist (and more)

Check out your local Craig’s List free section or Freecycle. This is a fun way to pick up free things you need, and maybe some fun items you can redecorate or make art with. Surprising things have been known to turn up…I’ve seen soap-making kits, antique roll-top desks and even a hot tub! It’s definitely worth a spin.

Clothing Swap

Call your friends and organize a clothing swap party. Tell them to bring all the clothing, shoes and accessories that no longer suit them (or fit them) and spend an evening hanging out and shopping for free.

Garage Sale

Have a yard sale. You know you have lots of stuff you could do well to pass along, and make a little extra cash while you’re at it. If the weather is still too cold where you live, start putting things aside now and you’ll be ready for yard sale season.

The Library

Make use of the public library. This has been one of my favorite free things since I was a kid. I mean, c’mon, books, movies, music – all for free!?! Depending on how extensive your local library system is, you will have an amazing amount of resources at your fingertips. Your taxes already paid for it, might as well take advantage.

Potluck

Host a potluck. Humans are social animals, and we all love to eat. Food is a great icebreaker.

Get Creative

Pull out a sketchbook and draw. If you’ve got colored pencils or watercolors, play around with those, too. Looking at something deeply enough to draw it can be a powerful exercise in perception – and recognizing beauty in surprising places.

Nature Knowledge

Get a regional plant identification guide (from the library, of course) and make a point of learning the names of the trees and plants in your area. It’s even more satisfying if you bring a sketchbook along and create your own personal botanical book.

Send a Note

Make homemade greeting cards for upcoming holidays and birthdays. You can use fabric scraps, magazine cut-outs and odd bits of beautiful paper. People love to receive snail mail.

Get Fit

Develop a workout routine that you can do without equipment (or minimal things you might already have, like a jump rope or dumbbells) and then do it! It’s most fun if you find a sweet spot outside, with the fresh air and shade under a tree. Need workout ideas? Here’s a place to start.

Write

Start keeping a journal. If you don’t like to write, don’t be dismayed. One of my favorite journalers simply does one small watercolor painting per day, and that’s all she needs to record the progress of her life. If you’re a crafty DIYer, you can easily make a journal yourself with simply things you have around the house.

HINT HINT - A Guerrilla Gardener's Christmas Wishlist

2009-12-02T04:50:00.000-08:00

#1 SEEDBOM

Available from Etsy by clicking here

SEEDBOM is the friendly bomb that grows!

SEEDBOMs are handmade from a mixture of eco-friendly, locally sourced and recycled materials such as used egg boxes, shredded office paper, organic compost and flower seeds.

SEEDBOMs contain everything you need to start growing flowers practically anywhere. The idea is to get outside and interact with your environment, join forces with nature and brighten up dull and lifeless places in your area by throwing SEEDBOMs into derelict land, neglected spaces, fenced off eyesores or even your neighbour’s messy garden and watch them grow!

#2 Outdoor Trompe L'eoil

Inspirational and also perfect for coverign up that eyesore while you are working behind the scenes. Fantastic value and only available from DZD.

#3,4 5, 6,7 ....

gloves, trowels, forks, automatic planters, hoe, dandelion spade, saws, secateurs, trugs, spades, rakes, water storage canisters and cordless tools... We always need sundries such as plant markers, rubbish bags, twine etc.

Site specific wants include habitat boxes, ladybird towers, birdbaths, feeders, pump, pond, pondliners. In the 'social' space at Porty we are aiming to have seating, benches, tables, solar lighting, firepit, screening and decorative items.

For growing spaces we need rotavator/tiller, barrow/cart, planters, netting and climber frames.

We are always trying to spread the word by taking stalls at fairs so are on the lookout for display boards and tables.

Because we are often up very early or in the middle of nowhere and with no access to electricity, we could do with flasks, camping gear/shelter, waterproofs etc.

Please Santa, we've been very good this year and anything from a trowel to a totem pole would be most gratefully received.

Action Aid's Hunger Free plant tags

2009-10-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

From your pot of peonies to plants in Parliament Square, wherever things grow, Action Aid wants to see your HungerFree plant tag!

Hunger is political - and people in the UK can make the difference.

Action Aid needs you to spread the word - and send a photo that will encourage others to get involved in ending hunger, everywhere, forever.

Just click the three steps below and find out how you can spread the message.
Step 1: Order your tags on the Action Aid website.
Step 2: Go Guerrilla Gardening (I'm sure you already know how to do that but here are Action Aid's suggestions!):

"We want to see those plant tags spreading accross the country like wildfire. Your friends, neighbours and local politicians should be constantly discovering them - and deciding to join the campaign. A few suggestions:"

Make sure that the best-loved plants in your home and garden are as commited to ending hunger as you are by adding a HungerFREE plant tag to their pots or beds.
Visiting a tourist attraction? It'll probably have some neatly trimmed plants. Why not accessorise them with some lovely ActionAid plant tags?
Popping into the supermarket? Don't you think that those pots of fresh herbs (which always die when you get them home anyway) might be improved by a message about hunger?

Step 3:(optional) Upload a picture

* Take a photo with your digital camera or mobile phone
* Create an email with your name and personal message in the subject line (unless you put the plant tag somewhere really cheeky, in which case you might want to stay anonyous)
* Add the photo to the email as an attachment
* Send the e-mail to fliazogg577@tumblr.com and your photo and message will appear instantly on the ActionAid page.

A Gaggle of Guerrillas

2009-09-26T01:43:00.000-07:00

Shown left is how this Prestonpans High Street site looked at 6.30 this morning.

Shortly after this photograph was taken, fellow guerrilla gardener Rosie turned up, armed with violas, laurels and pansies.

As we began turning over the soil (and discovering several fragments of pottery which Prestonpans is famous for), Anne arrived with a golden conifer, violas and water.

Lucy-Ann and Andrea came along with trays of pretty chrysanthemums and we set to work.

It took less than an hour to fill the plot with daffodil and tulip bulbs, bedding plants, cordyline, heathers, artemisia and a boulder from the beach as a centre piece.

By this time it was light and people were starting to mill about so we went our separate ways, to catch some ZZZZzzz.

As we left the site a flock of pink footed geese flew overhead. Or is it a gaggle? or skein? What is the collective noun for geese? Come to think of it, what is the collective noun for guerrillas. A mask of guerrillas? A balaclava? I ♥ East Lothian. I ♥ guerrilla gardening.

A huge thank you to the fabulous people who gave up their time, plants and water to make this happen.

The location can be viewed here (switch to Bird's Eye View). Feel free to water and weed as necessary!

Unprepossessing in Porty or... Bath Street Bombsite... (Portobello)

2009-09-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

On heading down Bath Street (off Portobello High Street) towards the promenade... there's a site that's been vacant for years...

Get a little closer...

Find a gap at the side of the fencing and squeeze through...

Penetrate the jungle and debris...

And lo and behold.... what do we have 'ere then??

A tarmacked hell or could this be turned into a wildlife h(e)aven...?

The very least we could do I suppose is liberate the bench and pots??

This site is privately owned but the owner has been in touch with PEDAL (http://www.pedal-porty.org.uk/) and is amenable to the site being turned into some kind of community garden. PEDAL have contacted us to see if we would be interested in taking this project on?

Would be a big undertaking but on the plus side we would have the backing of PEDAL and the owner...

If we leafletted the local area (where there are obviously some very keen gardeners), we could get local residents involved...

There is grant money out there for this kind of venture which PEDAL may be able to access for us. The owner may well be prepared to pay for the cost of skips etc to get the site cleared. Needs a lot more thought and consideration.... A meeting with the owner would be a good starting point and to have a proper look round the site. May be a good project to consider for the New Year? Let me know what you think!

Get your kicks on route 26!

2009-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 26th September, two exciting but different projects are taking place in Prestonpans.

For those of you who don't know The 'Pans, it is just along the coast from Musselburgh on the 26 bus route (or 129 but I couldn't think of a song for that).

The first event is a stealth guerrilla gardening operation. The site is small but perfectly formed patch of earth in a rather prominent pace. It will kick off at 6.30 a.m. (obscenely early I know) for maximum wow factor. If you want to be involved then get in touch.

The second event that day is a community bulb planting from 2.30 p.m. in Cuthill Park, Prestongrange Road, Prestonpans.

It is a large public space which has enjoyed some regeneration recently but would benefit from a horticultural hug.

These events are being organised by East Lothian Book Club for Fabulous Women as part of The Big Bulb Plant. It would be FABULOUS if you could join us.

Please check www.meetup.com/fabbook for any change of plans - events won't go ahead in adverse weather conditions.

A constitution for ECGA

2009-08-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone

As I've looked into getting some funding for ECGA projects like the Portobello Town Hall garden, it's become clear that we need to make the organisation a bit more formal. Most funders insist that we have a constitution, plan of activities and bank account.

I've put together a draft constitution, using a model from SCVO, the umbrella body for the Scottish voluntary sector. This would give us a set of rules for running things like meetings and membership, but not fundamentally change what we've been doing.

I'd appreciate it if you could read the draft and let me know if you have any comments/queries/suggested changes.

Draft constitution for Edinburgh Community Gardening Activists

Once I've taken all these on board, we'll need to get as many people as possible together to adopt the new constitution and choose our first office bearers. Hopefully we can do this on one of our workdays in Portobello towards the end of the month or in September. Then I can get on and sort things out with the bank.

At the least we'll need to elect:

A Chair, to organise and run meetings of members and act as our public face
A Secretary, to look after our correspondence, list of members and the like
A Treasurer, to be responsible for the money. I'm happy to stand for this one.

The constitution is quite a long document, but here are some of the key features:

A two-tier structure of members and management committee, where office bearers are empowered to act on behalf of the group
Membership is free and open to anyone who wants to join, subject to a veto from the management committee
The need to maintain a register of members and hold an AGM
Meetings of members can be called by the management committee, or at the request of ten or more members
Five-year term limits for members of the management committee.

There are also provisions to deal with other eventualities that may arise in future, such as withdrawal/expulsion of members, conflicts of interest, employees, becoming a charity, and winding up the group.

Thanks!

Big gardening plans, small budget

2009-08-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

Most guerrilla gardeners have a miniscule budget. Thankfully, that helpful bunch of people known as the general public regularly assist us by leaving all manner of litter which we can use in our battle.

Larger containers are a positive gift to the guerrilla gardener as they easily be turned into a birdbath or planter.

A plastic bottle can be used as a raincatcher, underground reservoir, cloche, watering can, bird feeders or a humane mole deterrents (placed a little way in soil with lid removed - wind makes a sound moles don't like).

The ubiquitous inside-out umbrella can be stripped of its fabric and the metal frame used as a support for climbers.

It's important to clear any litter from a site that could potential harm wildlife and that especially applies to carrier bags. Don't discard them though...even torn bags can be washed and fused together (by ironing them between two pieces of cardboard). The melted polythene then becomes a tough, sewable fabric useful for windbreaks, weedmats or polytunnels.

The biggest stumbling block we currently face on the Portobello site is funding - or rather, lack of it.

We have utilised whatever happened to be on site (strawberry anyone?) and hope to use the strange metal cage thingy as a cloche.

Lucy managed to get some free pallets from B&Q where she bought nails, posts, hinges etc, to make them into compost bins. (However, the prospect of secure storage looks a long way off unless the gardening fairy drops off a shed.)

If you are looking for ideas, take a look at Instructables or get inspiration from Earthship Fife who run Creative Waste Workshops.

If you can donate your time, expertise or equipment (or just want to say hello), we would love to hear from you.

The 'Sprout a Couch' photo is courtesy of ReadyMade

Save the Honeybee

2009-07-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

Neonicotinoids are killing the honeybees.

Please join the Soil Association's campaign to ban neonicotinoids.

Click here to take action and sign the petition

Triumph and Tragedy: West Richmond Street

2009-07-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Just a wee update on the site at West Richmond Street. We did lots of weeding, seeding and bulbing and things had been sprouting up left, right and centre! For many years this had been a badly neglected rose garden, full of weeds and a few struggling overgrown untended rose bushes.

Unfortunately some Council gardeners turned up with a whole heap of volunteer schoolkids and sadly they blitzed a lot of the area before we realised what was happening! It was a great shame and a missed opportunity to really teach these youngsters about gardening. We managed to save part of the area we'd planted but sadly rather than a mass of flowers over most of the site, only a fraction remains. We managed to salvage this bit after negotiating with the gardeners. They admitted themselves the area would be covered in weeds within a few weeks and they had no plans to come back to the site or do any new planting. What a waste of so much potential beauty! They also didn't do a very good job of weeding and left the roots of the most pernicious weeds!! However we have been delighted with the mass of flowers that has sprung up and each day there is something new to delight in.

Lots of bees have been buzzing around the flowers which is lovely to see.

The broad bean seeds that Thea planted have grown very well and are looking extremely healthy. Unfortunately the red onions Andrea planted fell pray to the Council gardeners but a couple have survived.

Lots of lovely ladybirds (my most fave wee beastie!) have been visiting the site and keeping the greenfly off the sun flowers we planted against the wall. These should be coming into flower very soon and I'll post some more pictures when they do.

We have had lots of compliments from local residents and people on the way to work. Many folk have stopped to thank us for the work we've done and to say how much it cheers them up on their way to work. We often see folk stopping to admire the flowers. A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has helped work on this site. There's still lots to be done and I'll set some potential dates/times in August for doing some more work.

Rock Trust Volunteers - Wed 8th July 2009

2009-07-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Well another very successful day was held at Porty Town Hall this afternoon. A whole heap of volunteers came along from the Rock Trust along with a few workers from the Trust.

In the photo you can see a couple of the workers from the Rock Trust, Mark and Sarah along with some of their volunteers. All the Rock Trust volunteers beavered away all day doing a lot of clearing at the site.

One of the workers from the Rock Trust Mark got rather a fright when he disturbed a wasps nest! However apart from a few stings he was fine. Though I can't really blame him for the fact that he did run like a girl! One of the volunteers did brave the area later to do some clearing.

Everyone did a fab job of digging up masses of tree roots and the site looks a lot clearer now. Another one of the volunteers did lots of clearance work round the corner of the site. I think we can now finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! They all seemed to enjoy their time at Porty and are keen to come back in a couple of months to do some more work and see how things are progressing. A very big THANK YOU to everyone who came from the Rock Trust. They all worked extremely hard all day and we really appreciate their help.

Jupiter Artland

2009-06-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

There's treasure hidden away in a West Lothian woodland. There's a rather special garden called Jupiter Artland.

Having made a fortune in the family business, a couple bought Bonnington House. They've turned the grounds into a sculpture park with works from some of Britain's leading artists.

There's pieces from Andy Goldsworthy, Charles Jencks and Anthony Gormley amongst others. Also, bees! Even the cafe's worth a look: a shining metal 1952 Silver Streak Clipper caravan.

The place opened to the public in May and by all accounts is fantastic.

It's also a labour of love: only a hundred people are allowed in at a time and it's only open three days a week. The couple behind it have admitted they'll never come close to making their money back.

It's open 10 - 4 Friday to Saturday until the end of August. Admission is five pounds each and it's essential to let them know you're coming.

The garden is easily found by car, or by taking the First Bus 27 to Wilkieston and walking the last half a mile.

Well, we should go! Who else fancies taking a day off the gardening to have a nosey?

Sun 28th June - A hard day's work well done!!

2009-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

We had another fantastic if exhausting day's work yesterday at Porty Town Hall and more new faces than you could shake a large tree stump at!! (Though we did try) 5 new faces! We carried on from all the hard graft from previous weekends of digging up more tree stumps.

Please welcome new faces Caroline, Michelle (Mickey) and Ansley (Ans). Caroline hails from Leith and whilst by her own admission, a total novice, certainly isn't afraid of hard work! Michelle and Ans hail from Port Seton and have quite a bit of gardening experience. Most folk will recognise Tom in the background (couldn't miss a photo opportunity eh Tom?) who is a regular guerrilla gardener.

The 3 of them took on a pretty mammoth task of digging up one of the biggest stumps on the plot. They were certainly pleased when the beast was tamed! They were helped out by another new member who arrived, Cathy who lives at Mountcastle nr Porty High School.

Me, Tom and another new face, Dawn, took on a slightly smaller beast to tame, but were just as pleased when we finally got the thing uprooted! Dawn also hails from Leith and is another novice but really got stuck in - I think she was joking about using semtex in future!

I think the photos show just how much clearing we managed to do in a few hours yesterday and it was fantastic to have so many new folk turn up to help out.

Our next work days are as follows:

Sat 4th July, 2-5pm

Wed 8th July, 12.30 - 3.30pm (along with volunteers from the Rock Trust)

Sat 11th July, 2-5pm

Sun 12th July, 2-5pm

Sun 19th July, 2-5pm

Sun 26th July, 2-5pm

Tom is currently busy looking into different funding sources and it looks very hopeful that we will be able to secure some money for this project. I'm busy drafting up a design for the garden which I'll e-mail round to everyone soon as I want as much creative input from folk into this as possible! Work is progressing well, so a big thank you to everyone who has been helping out.

Thea's Elderflower Cordial

2009-06-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the recipe for Thea's Elderflower Cordial (inspired by Self Sufficientish):

Ingredients:

20 of the most fragrant elderflower heads from the Water of Leith Walkway
1 sliced lemon
2 tsp of citric acid (Edina Home Brew will sort you out)
1.5 kg (3.5 lbs) of sugar
1.2 ltr (2.5 pints) boiling water

Method:

Boil a kettle for the water.
Fill a bowl or small bucket with all the other ingredients.
Pour the water over the other ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Skin the surface of the water to get rid of the scum that can arise. Cover with a pillow case.
Stir twice a day for five days.
Strain though a pillowcloth and decant into sterile screw topped bottles. Refrigerate.
Dilute with 5 parts water to serve to guerrilla gardeners.

Portobello: Summer Solstice Spectactular!

2009-06-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

We had a really exhilarating day at the Portobello Town Hall site. If you weren't there, here's what you missed:

After weeks of clearing vegetation, today we started uprooting some of the weeds from what will be the growing space.

We were delighted to be joined by Emma who had heard about us on the Guerrilla Gardening website and came along to join in the fun.

As the sun shone, we all stopped for a well-deserved break and a cup of Thea's elderflower cordial (recipe here); humous and breadsticks, wunderbar seedy biscuits, scrummy chocolate cake and of course our beloved Nakd bars. We chatted about 'greenwashing', apron strings, ladybirds and greenhouses. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

It was just as well we had an energy boost as it took all of us to remove the remains of an old root system which did not want to be dug up. (Think of The Enormous Turnip story and you have an idea of what we were battling.)

Davy, from Pedal, the local climate change group, also stopped by and loaned us a saw. (If you haven't joined Pedal yet, you can download the 'Ordinary'/Portobello residents form here; or Associate membership form here. Membership is only £1 and is necessary to work at the Porty site.

Finally, we filled a dumped loo with soil and planted it up with some of the wild strawberries which grow in abundance on the site.

A tiring but fun day, fab food and new friends. Please join us for the next work-in on Sunday 28th June from 2.00 p.m. You will be most welcome!

Stop Press: Rebel Tomatoes Hit Porty!!

2009-06-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a 1950's B-movie... but if you fancy becoming a rebel tomato for a few hours, days or months, these are the next work days for our community growing space at Porty Town Hall.

Wed 17th June 2009 at 12noon till 3pm Joining us will be some volunteers from the Rock Trust who work with vulnerable young people.

Sun 21st June 2009 from 2pm. We will be gardening hard as normal but as this is the summer solstice please bring

along some food and drink to share and let's party like

pagans!

Sun 28th June 2009 from 2pm

Please wear sensible old clothing, gardening gloves and bring tools such as forks, spades, loppers, rakes etc if you have 'em!

All aspiring rebel tomatoes very welcome!

2009-06-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

Porty: Four Days of Hard Labour

2009-06-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

On the last Saturday in May, while sensible people had gone to the beach, our chain gang were starting the first of four clearing weekends at the Porty site.

As previously reported, the site at the rear of Portobello Town Hall is as large as it is overgrown - i.e. very.

We set to work clearing the site to see exactly what we are working with. We removed a lot of ivy but left the patches of honesty and feverfew in situ for the time being. The buddleia provides some welcome shade and is enjoyed by birds and butterflies so survived the cull (although will need to be cut back at some point).

It was really nice to have some new faces join us, some as a result of signing up with Landshare. (Lots of people were very keen to have a wee 'allotment' - but are a bit overwhelmed at the amount of work required before that is possible!)

As the Town Hall is a working building, we soon made friends with Council workers, caterers, wedding guests and of course residents in the neighbour houses.

Highlights of the week included:

Discovering a wasps nest (you should have seen us run)
Getting support from the locals
Being given drinks by wedding guests
Recruiting new volunteers ('Join us and get Nakd in the long grass' is a very effective slogan).

It has been hard work but seeing the results of our efforts has been great. It's been pleasant too with a real social vibe about the place as volunteers were rewarded with yummy Nakd bars to keep their strength up. The odd apple pie bar certainly helped smooth relations with the security staff to the point that we can now fill our watering can in the building. A fight broke out between Sarah and Jason over the last coco loco but they calmed down on being threatened with the naughty nettle step. Thank you to Natural Balance Foods for their continued support.

As work progressed, we could begin to see the possibilities. We toiled away with thoughts of wildflower meadows, treehouses, raised herb beds, picnic tables, al fresco film screenings, outdoor art exhibitions, orchards, community cooking, clay bread ovens, wedding receptions, sensory gardens, Nakd gardening...

With such a good-sized site, once cleared, there is scope for a multitude of uses - we would love to hear your ideas....but we would especially like your HELP!!!!!!

We want to have a really big push at this site on Sunday 21st June - Summer Solstice/Father's Day/Nakd Appreciation Day. Please join us.
Bring food to share,
bring tools (if you have them),
bring a friend (if you don't have one, we can supply these).
JOIN US IN CREATING PORTOBELLO COMMUNITY GROWING SPACE.

Porty: the challenge, in pictures

2009-06-05T01:20:00.000-07:00

Nature gone wild, wasps nests, dumped material.

Tree-mendous potential....

But where to begin?

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!

Sunflowers - One month later...

2009-06-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

It is one month since we planted Russian Giant seeds around Prestonpans. I'm pleased to report that the seeds are now flourishing seedlings.

We paid the Preston Road site a visit today and did battle with the weeds, got stung by nettles and extracted lots of crisp packets from the tree cages.

A woman walking her boxer dog remarked on their progress and some passengers on the X5 looked on encouragingly - children are a great decoy when guerrilla gardening!

On the way home we spotted an 'accidental sunflower' growing at the edge of the road. The householder gave us some funny looks when we stopped to take photographs of it!

p.s. Any Panners reading this - help watering and weeding Prestonpans sunflower sites would be most welcome!

Porty Town Hall Site - HELP!

2009-05-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

As there are a couple of large trees in the centre of the garden we agreed that this part of the site should be kept grassed/planted with flowers as a social space, with growing plots either side.

We've decided to get cracking in terms of starting to clear the site. To that end we hope that as many volunteers as possible can make themselves free for a couple of hours over the next 2 weekends:

Sat 30th May, 2 - 4pm
Sun 31st May, 2 - 4pm

Sat 6th June, 2 - 4pm
Sun 7th June, 2 - 4pm

You will need gloves and please bring loppers/secateurs if you have them. Entrance to the site is via the Sir Harry Lauder memorial garden at Portobello Town Hall.

World Nakd Gardening Day

2009-05-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

No, we are not making it up...there really is a 'World Naked Gardening Day'. However, Guerrilla Gardening is quite exciting (and chilly) enough without taking off layers of clothing so we decided to celebrated World Nakd Gardening Day/Week/Month, with the help of our friends at Natural Balance Foods.

While we were mixing clay, wildflower seeds, sunflowers and compost to make seedbombs, little gnomes were working through the night smooshing raw fruit, nuts and oats into these uber-healthy yum-bombs.

They were very well received by the troops, junior guerrillas and members of the public alike with cries of "Ooh, give me more, More, MORE" and "Das war köstlich!" and "How often do you guys meet? I'd really like to join you".

The Trek Bars were large enough for two hungry guerrillas to share (a perfect breakfast for early morning starts), while the Banana Bread was a handy size to shove in back pockets as a quick snack on the run.

The raisins were a huge hit with the young gardeners with the cherry infused variety being the most popular.

And, the entire Nakd range is suitable for vegans.

The Nakd bars were all branded with a little bee which was quite appropriate as we were meeting to put together packets of 'Burning Bee' - our bee attracting seed mix.

Those of us on seed packet duty discovered that the Wildly Different bars went great with a glass of wine (those of us on digging duty discovered that if you have a glass of wine you have trouble balancing on your fork).

Thank you Nakd for the best fun a gardener can have with their clothes on! To get hold of your own Prezzie box, packed full of things that make you say 'Yum!', visit the Nakd shop.

International Guerrilla Sunflower Day - Prestonpans Posse

2009-05-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

As all good guerrillas know, May 1st is International Guerrilla Sunflower Day. You can read about other people's activities on this Guerrilla Gardening forum thread. We couldn't join the rest of the troop in Edinburgh so carried out a series of missions in our home town of Prestonpans.
This morning, I took my two youngest children to a tiny patch of land off Wilson Avenue to plant sunflower seeds. It is my favourite type of guerrilla gardening site - lots of pedestrian traffic, largely unnoticed... and with the potential to be stunning. Ironically, it backs on to the formal and very well maintained Tower Gardens, notable for its beautiful laburnham archway.
We removed some weeds and broken glass then planted gladioli and the front and sunflower seeds all along the back wall. For a bit of instant colour we transplanted some grape hyacinth taken from our back garden.

After a good water (we took a milk bottle and take an extra, punctured lid to act as sprinkler) we paid a visit to our second site in the Conservation Village - the 'Caged Sunflowers' on Preston Road, (they were planted in a tree cage). We removed some of the choking weeds and were pleased to see the seedlings are coming on fine. A police patrol car gave no more than a passing glance at our 'Little Princess' and 'Barbie' gardening trugs.
Back home we grabbed the seedbombs we had made a couple of days ago (wildflower seeds, sunflower seeds, compost and fuller's earth) and flung them over the parking lot in Preston Court.

You can see all the Prestonpans sunflower sites plotted on this map (switch to 'Bird's Eye View' for a glimpse of the beautiful gardens).

Food for Thought: Fri 24/04/09 19:00hrs

2009-04-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Start Time:	Friday, April 24, 2009 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 1:00am
Location:	The Meadow Bar
Street:	42-44 Buccleuch St

The Transition Edinburgh South's Food, Gardening and Tree group are proud to present a night of food, film and fine music.

For your gastric happiness there will be a buffet provided by all the wonderful members of the FGT group.

And......for your entertainment there will be live music performed by local artists, food related film shorts discussing the future of food and the Guerrilla gardening movement, poetry recitals with distinctly fruity themes and a raffle with lots of food and gardening related prizes on offer.

So if you like all things foody, enjoy good music, are interested in the transition movement and the future of food in this growing peak oil crisis, or just want to have a good night.......please come along and join us, chat with us listen to music and eat good food.

£3 entry (All proceeds will go to TES Community Gardening inititatives, primarily to provide tools and seeds for various Guerrilla Gardening projects and aid in building a raised bed garden and plastic bottle green house for a local primary school)

Book launch by AK Press for Nowtopia by Chris Carlsson

2009-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Alexis from AK Press had contacted Edinburgh Guerrilla Gardeners to see if we would like to participate in this book launch, held yesterday (Wed 15th April) at WordPower books, West Nicolson Street and also at an event to be held later on the same evening at Forest Cafe. Nowtopia by Chris Carlsson, an American activist of many years standing, brings together a number of topics where people are beginning to challenge how they live and redefining modern life. It includes a section on guerrilla gardening. Andrea and I attended the book launch at WordPower and took flyers and seed packets to give to everyone there. Chris showed a number of quite inspiring images of community gardens from America and other parts of the globe - gardens which have become not just places to grow food and flowers: but also meeting/social spaces which have helped bring the local community together. Andrea, Tom, Beinta and I then all attended the book launch at Forest Cafe. The Bike Station as well as Edinburgh GG had been invited to this to give a talk on things happening locally. Beinta had prepared a lovely wee talk to let folk know what guerrilla gardening was all about and I gave a bit of spiel on some of the activities we are doing or have in the pipeline. The event was well attended and we had some interesting chats with folk afterwards including a guy who already has established his own permaculture garden and a guerrilla gardener from Glasgow who has now moved back to Edinburgh. We are hopeful that we will have some more volunteers soon! The seed packets and flyers went down extremely well so 3 cheers to everyone for all the work put in to getting these done! Sorry there are no photos but the couple taken were a bit distorted so had to discard them!

Portobello Town Hall garden space, EH15

2009-04-16T11:56:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

Andrea and I today met with Scott Thomson who is a local (East Edinburgh) Parks Manager with Edinburgh Council to discuss possible gardening projects we could get involved with. One area suggested is the very neglected and overgrown garden space at the back of Portobello town hall. Porty town hall is much beloved by the local community who raised money for the Sir Harry Lauder memorial garden which is on the town hall site and one of the projects we are going to help with. However the back area requires a lot of work but Scott would be happy for us to take this on as a project to turn into a community growing space: food and flowers!! There is a lot of potential here and it would be great to get the local community involved as much as possible. Scott will contact the appropriate person within the council to get the go ahead and can help out in terms of rubbish removal once clearing starts. I think this is all very exciting!! Needs more thought on just what we'd like to do with this site. Perhaps we could do a site visit on May 1st before making seedbombs? Would be great to get cracking with this site asap! It is also possible that Porty Community Council may be able to give us a small grant, say £200 towards stuff such as compost bins, seeds etc.

West Richmond Street site, EH8

2009-04-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

This is the site at West Richmond Street that my work colleagues and I have started working on just recently. Our office is just across the road from this site. This particular garden and public path has been neglected and overlooked for a long time! Usually it gets left until the weeds are 3 ft high and then it gets completely butchered and then ignored until the weeds grow back again!! It was once a rather pretty rose garden but neglect had turned it into rather a sad and sorry looking site. So far we have dug over and weeded a couple of sections but there is still a lot to be done. We've planted a variety of bulbs for some summer colour. We've also seeded all the areas we've done so far and planted sunflowers along the wall. Whilst we think the local pigeons did have a bit of an all-you-can-eat buffet after we'd finished, things are starting to sprout up!! We've done a couple of sessions so far but looking to do a few hours one weekend soon - will post on blog site once a date/time has been set. The ground is quite compacted so digging will be required! Everything we've sown is all very bee-friendly and we are hopeful that by the summer there will be a beautiful little oasis in West Richmond Street! Local residents have been extremely supportive and appreciative of our efforts.

Know of a neglected site? Tell us and win seeds!

2009-04-14T07:17:00.001-07:00

You know how it is, you are walking along a street, minding your own business, when you spot it...a potential guerrilla gardening project.

You start picturing carrots and courgettes where there are currently cans and carrier bags, pansies and pots instead of pizza packaging, nesting boxes instead of nettles... (you get the picture).

If there is just such an area that you know about in the Lothians/EH postcode area, please tell us about it by leaving a comment.

We can't guarantee we will take it on but we would love to hear from you.

At midnight on Wednesday 22nd April (Earth Day), four names will be drawn at random from all comments published. We will then get in touch with the winners to send a packet of our very own Burning Bee mix.

Seedier Side of Life

2009-04-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Four of our troop met up in Prestonpans to make up packets of 'Burning Bee' see mix.

The seed packets, which were designed by Lucy-Ann, contained a bee-attracting mix of Yarrow, Corn Cockle, Bishop's Weed, Snapdragon, Granny's Bonnet, Pot Marigold, Safflower, Cornflower, Siberian Wallflower, Painted Daisy, Chicory, Clarkia, Chinese Houses, Tick Seed, Cosmos, Hound's Tongue, Wild Carrot, Larkspur, Sweet William, African Daisy, Coneflower, California Poppy, Indian Blanket, Bird's Eye, Summer Azalea, Gypsophila, Sweet Rocket, Candytuft, Flax, Germany Catchfly, Mallow, Alpine Forget-Me-Not, Five Spot, Love-In-A-Mist, Evening Primrose, Flanders Poppy, Californian Bluebell, Scorpian Weed, Blackeyed Susan, Sage, Soapwort, Campion, Sweet Alyssum, Prince's Feather, Love-Lies-Bleeding, Golden Marguerite, China Aster, Knapweed, Painted Daisy, Chrysanthemum, Ox-eye Daisy, Corn Marigold, Viper's Bugloss, Summer Azalea, Sunflower, Morning Glory, Marvel of Peru, Pincushion Flower, Campion, Honesty and Zinnia.

Beinta, Carrots, Jan and Thea, assisted by junior Guerrillas, made up over 60 packets which will be given out at forthcoming guerrilla gardening events (including the launch of Nowtopia at The Forest Cafe, 3 Bristo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 on Wednesday 15th April - details to follow).

The reverse of each packet gives instructions on making seed bombs - great for lobbing into inaccessible areas.

We will be making seed bombs on Friday 1st May. It will be messy...it will be fun. It will be so much better if you could join us....

Cambridge Street Concrete Garden

2009-03-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Andrea and Jan met up with Erlend & Hélène Clouston at their beautiful Cambridge Street home to hear about their battles to restore the area to its former glory.

Cambridge Street is bounded on one side by bustling Lothian Road and by Castle Terrace on the other and has spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle. Its other famous neighbour, the Usher Hall which is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment to the tune of £25 million.

One might imagine that in such a setting, a Georgian terrace might feature some formal gardens. Sadly, this is not the case. Numbers 5-7, owned by Edinburgh City Council, leased by the NHS and used as a day hospital, are giving the residential owners a bit of a headache. Over a cuppa, Hélène told us about her perennial fight against litter, mostly originating from the numerous takeaway establishments in Lothian Road.

(Any classically-educated passers-by will have a chuckle at Erlend's wry plaque about the nobility of picking up other people's fag ends.)

Fed up with the gardens being used as a public convenience and takeway food dump, CRAG (Cambridge St Residents Action Group) turned to Edinburgh World Heritage for help. They were awarded a grant of £23,970 under their Conservation Funding Programme to replace the missing spear-headed cast iron railings at the category B listed building. So far, so good, but the ‘gardens’ outside numbers 5 and 7 comprise a few concrete slabs and nothing else.

Paving slabs weren't a problem for the Cloustons in their own garden - they simply covered them with a layer of gravel and, with the addition of water features, planters and a couple of Philippe Starck ghost chairs, created a 'philosopher's garden'. Ideally, CRAG would like a similarly low-maintenance approach featuring box and lavender.

Various agencies and residents have indicated a willingness to undertake some gardening but after a year of talking, no action has been taken. The obvious stumbling block being the paving slabs which need to be removed.

We are hopeful that a solution is just around the corner.

If you want to be part of a prestigious planting party, let us know!

Spring forward...Leap into action in Leith!

2009-03-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

The clocks may have gone forward but that doesn't stop a guerrilla gardener...

In the early hours of Sunday morning, two of our sleep-deprived crew set about transforming a neglected 8' x 2' strip of land beside Leith Athletic F.C.

View Larger Map

It didn't take long as the soil wasn't as compacted as we'd feared. After clearing the site of leaves, rubbish and weeds we sowed some bee-attracting flower seeds (including sunflowers) along the back wall.

The daffodils that were planted on a previous mission are beginning to surface and these were supplemented with dahlia pompon, liatris spicata and some mixed oriental lilies.

It will be a good few months before we see the results but the site is already looking better, not least because of the addition of ecga mascot percy the gnome.

After an hour's hard labour the guerillas had an all day breakfast at The Leith Walk Cafe. Want to join us next time??

Made from Girders...by Guerrillas???

2009-03-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

We can't take any credit for this whatsoever but thought it was so inspirational we wanted to share it:

kingfisher project, Kelvinbridge, Glasgow, 2006 - More DIY How To Projects

Guerrilla Gardening for Clowns

2009-03-20T01:42:00.000-07:00

Guerrilla Gardening for Clowns

The world of permaculture meets rebel clowning.

This is a two-day workshop where people can learn the ancient
art of clowning and methods of direct action in the context of
permaculture design.

Where and When
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 March
TePooka, The Big Red Door, Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh EH1
10am to 6pm

The intention is threefold.
1. Exploring ways to reclaim a sense of community and openness
with each other, fostering group intelligence.
2. Reclaiming our bodies, spontaneity and natural creativity
through clowning.
3. Reclaiming land on a local scale and beginning a community
garden somewhere in Edinburgh.

We will be working with games and exercises involving rebel
clowning as well as permaculture design and guerilla gardening.

Who is facilitating the workshop
I have facilitated some 30 or so workshops in clowning and
taken part in numerous workshops in fooling (which has given me
a wealth of experience working with people creatively in
groups). I have also taken part in a permaculture design
course.

The workshop is run on a donations basis. Please donate what
you feel the cost of such a workshop would normally be -
obviously within the limits of what you feel you can afford.

If you are coming to the workshop, please email me on
kugi[AT]rebelclown.net to let me know so I have some idea of the
number of people who will be turning up.

Also, please bring food to share for lunch.

Also, please invite your friends!

Looking forward to playing together.

Sir Harry Lauder Memorial Garden, Portobello

2009-03-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Andrea, Jan & Lucy met up at Portobello Town Hall today to tidy up the Sir Harry Lauder Memorial Garden. Although sited at the Town Hall, the garden was actually funded by the local community and Portobello Community Council asked us if we would like to look after it.

It is a nicely laid out garden - low maintenance but high interest. Lucy pointed out a beautiful Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana) which was specially chosen as a nod to Sir Harry's own crooked walking stick.

One of the security men came out and gave us some primula that were left over from the window box planting. We planted these in the memorial garden, picked up some litter and did some weeding. There isn't too much to do at the moment but we will need to consider watering in a long hot summer (we can dream!).

Behind the Town Hall is a very overgrown patch of land which could be just the project we are looking for. It's long rectangular stepped area running East/West, overlooked by housing. At the moment the buddleia has run wild and there's a fair bit of rubbish but it certainly has the potential to be a very special community space. And, right in the heart of Porty!

After a couple of hours, we decided to go for a coffee at nearby Kitcheners where we drew up a plan of action - okay, we just blethered really, why not join us next time?

The Battle to find a name

2009-03-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

So we have a blog. But who are 'we'? Are we Edinburgh Guerrilla Gardeners? Community Gardeners of the Lothians? Scottish Seedbombers?

It occurred to me the other day that the initials of the six people I've been corresponding spell 'battle'.

Hmmm...we certainly plan to do battle with weeds but it doesn't really sum up the aspirations of the group. So...until we come up with something better, we are the Edinburgh Community Gardening Activists - JOIN US!

Edinburgh Community Gardening Activists

Cuthill Park Community Garden, Prestonpans, East Lothian

Before and After

A Guerrilla Gardening Poem

Pimms and Permaculture in Prestonpans

Velveteen Screen's 'Guerilla Gardeners'

Caught on Camera (and it's not CCTV)

Guerrilla Gardening - better than sex?!

Guerrilla Gardening

The Outdoors

Concerts

Urban Foraging

Sex

Picnic

Trade Entertainment

Stargazing

Podcasts

Volunteer

Craigslist (and more)

Clothing Swap

Garage Sale

The Library

Potluck

Get Creative

Nature Knowledge

Send a Note

Get Fit

Write

HINT HINT - A Guerrilla Gardener's Christmas Wishlist

#1 SEEDBOM

Available from Etsy by clicking here

#2 Outdoor Trompe L'eoil

#3,4 5, 6,7 ....

gloves, trowels, forks, automatic planters, hoe, dandelion spade, saws, secateurs, trugs, spades, rakes, water storage canisters and cordless tools... We always need sundries such as plant markers, rubbish bags, twine etc.

Site specific wants include habitat boxes, ladybird towers, birdbaths, feeders, pump, pond, pondliners. In the 'social' space at Porty we are aiming to have seating, benches, tables, solar lighting, firepit, screening and decorative items.

For growing spaces we need rotavator/tiller, barrow/cart, planters, netting and climber frames.

We are always trying to spread the word by taking stalls at fairs so are on the lookout for display boards and tables. Because we are often up very early or in the middle of nowhere and with no access to electricity, we could do with flasks, camping gear/shelter, waterproofs etc.

Please Santa, we've been very good this year and anything from a trowel to a totem pole would be most gratefully received.

Action Aid's Hunger Free plant tags

A Gaggle of Guerrillas

Unprepossessing in Porty or... Bath Street Bombsite... (Portobello)

Get your kicks on route 26!

A constitution for ECGA

Big gardening plans, small budget

Save the Honeybee

Triumph and Tragedy: West Richmond Street

Rock Trust Volunteers - Wed 8th July 2009

Jupiter Artland

Sun 28th June - A hard day's work well done!!

Thea's Elderflower Cordial

Portobello: Summer Solstice Spectactular!

Stop Press: Rebel Tomatoes Hit Porty!!

Porty: Four Days of Hard Labour

Porty: the challenge, in pictures

Sunflowers - One month later...

Porty Town Hall Site - HELP!

World Nakd Gardening Day

International Guerrilla Sunflower Day - Prestonpans Posse

Food for Thought: Fri 24/04/09 19:00hrs

Book launch by AK Press for Nowtopia by Chris Carlsson

Portobello Town Hall garden space, EH15

West Richmond Street site, EH8

Know of a neglected site? Tell us and win seeds!

Seedier Side of Life

Cambridge Street Concrete Garden

Spring forward...Leap into action in Leith!

Made from Girders...by Guerrillas???

Guerrilla Gardening for Clowns

Sir Harry Lauder Memorial Garden, Portobello

The Battle to find a name

We are always trying to spread the word by taking stalls at fairs so are on the lookout for display boards and tables.

Because we are often up very early or in the middle of nowhere and with no access to electricity, we could do with flasks, camping gear/shelter, waterproofs etc.