Toronto Guerilla Gardeners

Seedy Saturday and Sunday 2012 - Dates Announced

2012-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Seedy Saturday/Sunday has been split into 5 events in 5 Toronto communities this year!

Here are the details:

Scadding Court
Location: 707 Dundas Street West
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 12 - 5 pm
Contact: Krista kristaf@scaddingcourt.org

Evergreen Brick Works
Location: 550 Bayview Ave
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time: TBA
Contact: Aimee acarson@evergreen.ca

Heron Park Community Centre
Location: 292 Manse Rd, Scarborough
Date:Saturday, March 17, 2012
Time: 12 - 4 pm
Contact: Katie k_fullerton@sympatico.ca

West End
Location: Masayrk-Cowan CRC, 220 Cowan Avenue
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time: 11 am - 4 pm
Contact: Emma emma@greenestcity.ca

Lawrence Heights Community Centre
Location: 5 Replin Rd
Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012
Time: 1 - 5 pm
Contact: Will garden@northyorkharvest.com

General Questions about Seedy Saturday or Sunday in the GTA?
Contact: eventstcgn@gmail.com for info or visit http://www.tcgn.ca

THIS SUNDAY - Walking Tour of Our Guerrilla Gardens

2011-10-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Join us this Sunday Oct 16th to see how our guerrilla gardens are holding up.

Thanks to our trusty West-End Coordinator, Eric, a walking tour of our guerilla gardens has been arranged.

We'll meet at 11:00am at 170A Baldwin Street in Kensington Market - look for the black door to the left of Graffities Bar & Grill.

View Larger Map

We'll then cruise the locations, which you can see on our Garden Map. Some of the gardens will still exist, others will not. We'll pick up lunch on the road.

For more details visit Hike the Geek or contact Eric at eric (at) guerillagardening (dot) ca.

Plant Rescue: Join Us MONDAY

2011-09-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

We need your help! We have a great opportunity to rescue abandoned plants that would otherwise be destroyed.

We've recently started approaching condo developers to let us step in and rescue flowers from houses that are scheduled for demolition. We can take these flowers that were lovingly planted by homeowners and save them to be re-planted in neglected patches of urban space.

A developer has come through and we're looking for volunteers to help us dig up plants. Arrangements for storing and over-wintering the plants have already been made, we just need to get them out of the ground.

Here's the plan:

WHEN: Monday, September 26th at 9:00am

WHERE: 22 Churchill Avenue (just west of Yonge, between North York and Finch subways)

View Larger Map

IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE BRING:
- You and your friends!
- Gardening gloves
- Shovels
- Bags
- Plant pots

The summer's over but there's still work to do. Let's kick off the fall GG style!

Space-Saving Succulents

2011-08-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here's an inspiring idea via Living Homegrown Fresh:

San Francisco florist Baylor Chapman makes full use of vertical space with succulents.

More proof that you don't need a lot of space to garden or just add a bit of green to your surroundings.

Garden Update: Queen East & McGee

2011-08-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to The Avro for this update via their Facebook Page. As you can see, the community garden we helped plant back in May is doing great. Go take a peek if you're in the area, and drop by the pub for a cold drink!

Look for us in Canadian Gardening Magazine

2011-08-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Photo by Singne Langford

Another article is hot off the press. There's a story about us in Canadian Gardening Magazine! It contains some links to other GG organizations across the country. Spread the word!

Guerrilla gardeners: Waging war on ugly spaces
by Signe Langford

Look for us in Post City Magazine

2011-08-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Toronto's Guerilla Gardeners have been featured in Post City Magazine! Pick up a copy now or read the article online here:

Guerilla Gardeners are growing a revolution one empty plot at a time
Andrew Mahony, Post City Magazine

Toronto Guerilla Gardeners Featured in Spacing

2011-07-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jessica Lemieux

Jessica Lemieux at Spacing Toronto has published a story about our last gardening meet-up. You may have confused Jessica for a long-time GGer - she jumped right into the trash collection, digging, planting and watering, and was a huge help from start to finish. Thanks Jessica!

Read the full story here.

The Mystery Shanty

2011-06-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of news we LOVE to get.

Someone has constructed a beautiful little shanty house out of discarded objects right next to the garden we planted in Chinatown last week!

Outside

Inside - looks cozy

A mat made of shoes

You can look at the rest of the pictures here. Or go just east of Spadina and Darcy to see for yourself, and bring some water for the garden while you're at it!

Tomorrow: TPSC Naming Rights Protest

2011-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Toronto Public Space Committee Members and Friends,

Like you, I know that our public spaces reflect the vibrant history and civic identity of the City and they should not be for sale.

To send strong message to Mayor Rob Ford and Council that they should keep their hands off our City’s iconic spaces and subway stations, we have organized a rally this coming Tuesday.

Please plan on attending with a few friends. We are asking everyone to wear green in a show of solidarity. We will be heading to the Madison Pub afterwards for drinks for those that want to join us.

Rally: Tuesday June 28th, 5:30 - 6:30pm outside Spadina Subway Station (East Side near Scotia Bank)

· Please wear something green
· Please bring a few friends
· Creative signs are welcome

Thanks,

Jayme Turney
Toronto Public Space Committee

jayme [at] publicspace [dot] ca

RSVP on the Facebook Event Page

Background:

In this week’s Executive Committee meeting, members of council referred the naming and sponsorship issue back to the City Manager for further consideration. The City Manager will report back to the Executive Committee on September 6, 2011, particularly on the policies for street naming and honorifics, and the involvement of Councillors in the process for all the sponsorship and naming rights policies.

Toronto Star Article: Ford allies back off “Spadina McDonald’s” naming rights plan

Eric's GG Experience & More Pics

2011-06-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

More big thanks to Eric for coordinating our final plant, and for going the extra mile by starting the site off with sunflower seeds that are growing nicely. He has posted a great blog about his experience and has shared some fantastic photos of the event:

Before - Spadina/Darcy

Before - Spadina/Sullivan

Getting Started

Making Progress

High Five!

We swear we aren't stealing these!

After - Spadina/Sullivan

You can see the rest of the pics here.

Thanks Everyone!

2011-06-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic turnout last night for our Summer Solstice plant and we had a great time planting a ridiculous number of donated flowers.

Spadina and Darcy

Spadina and Sullivan

The first spot was blessed with a lot of beautiful native plants that we incorporated into the garden. One highlight of the evening was an unexpected visit from a bus full of tourists from China - Toronto's Guerilla Gardeners are now officially a tourist attraction!

Our planting season is winding down now but stay tuned for more updates.

TUESDAY: Last Planting of the Season

2011-06-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce our LAST PLANTING OF THE SEASON.

When: Tuesday June 21 (Summer Solstice), 2011 6:30pm. After we are done (probably around 8:30) we'll have celebratory drinks at a local bar.

Where: This is the super exciting thing - we are going to do TWO spots because they both need a lot of help and are close by.

Spot #1

We'll meet just east of the corner of Spadina and Darcy.

Here is a good picture of why we need to attack this spot: http://tinyurl.com/SpadinaDArcy. Wow that's horrible... so obviously we need as much help as we can get.

What we'll do: First we'll do a bit of "housecleaning." We've been scoping out the spot for a while and there is a lot of garbage to pick up.

Next we will do some weeding and flip some soil. Prep is the hard work, so once that is done, we'll start the fun stuff: PLANTING!

Spot #2

We are going to put some plants in these planters that Terry's dad made [thanks Terry's dad!] at Spadina & Sullivan (http://tinyurl.com/SpadinaSullivan):

We have 4 sets of a tall ones and short ones which we are going to transport and fill for our second installment of the Summer Solstice plant.

Seriously... we are sooooo excited.

What to bring:

Anything on this list --

- soil
- gardening gloves to use or share (a must have for this site)
- a scythe or hedge clippers
- plants (must be sun loving since there isn't much shade)
--- annuals would be great for the planters (something "hangy" that likes sun)
- water, water and more WATER!
- a little garden fence, something like these pics below

Who: We really need you this time since this is a big job.

Come out after work and enjoy the city. Pass this on to friends who might be in the neighbourhood even just to drop by for moral support. WE NEED HELP WITH THIS ONE!! and it's going to be a beautiful afternoon/evening so please join us!

OTHER NEWS & UPDATES

SPACING ARTICLE

We have been approached by Spacing Toronto who would love to write a story about what we do, why we do it and the difference we're making in Toronto. If you're interested in contributing your thoughts on the subject, please let us know asap by emailing katherine [at] guerillagardening [dot] ca. Confidentiality and discretion will be respected and you can remain anonymous if you like.

BUILDERS CAN BE A GUERILLA GARDENER'S BEST FRIEND

Sometimes, when we are lucky, we run into flowers and plants that are being, literally, thrown away. In two cases this summer, we were informed of the demolition of houses with beautiful gardens. We (mostly Laurie) was able to persuade the workers at the site to let us take as much as we could before starting their work. We are in the midst of contacting another contractor for the same reason. If you see anything like this, let us know, or ask yourself if you can reclaim the plants.

GUERILLA GARDENERS AT THE CATALYST CENTRE

As mentioned in our last post, the Catalyst Centre is holding a talk on activism June 23rd and the Guerilla Gardeners are taking part.

GUERILLA GARDENERS AT THE GRANGE FESTIVAL

We were also lucky enough to get a table at the Grange Festival on August 5th.
Come down to Queen and McCaul on the south side of the AGO between noon and 4pm to take part.

CONNECT WITH US

The season is almost over and the best way to keep up to date on what the Guerilla Gardeners are doing in the off season is to connect with us online:

Follow Us on Twitter (@TorontoGG)
Join our Facebook Group
Sign up for our Newsletter (look for the "Join Our Mailing List box" in the upper righthand corner of the blog)

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Next Week: Everyday Activism Event

2011-06-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Join a group discussion about tangible activism in everyday life, hosted by the Catalyst Centre. This event will follow the World Cafe method for sharing ideas, inspiring dialogue and seeing what insights come out of it.

Here are the details again in case anyone has trouble with the graphic:

WHAT: A World Cafe, Keeping It REAL - living our activism every day
WHEN: June 23, 2011 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
WHERE: OISE, 252 Bloor Street West, in the Peace Lounge on the 7th floor (follow the signs)

You can RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Our Summer Solstice plant will also be announced shortly so save the evening of June 21st! Details to follow.

THIS WEEKEND: West End Plant

2011-06-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

It feels like summer is already here and there are only a couple of short weeks left in our 2011 planting season! If you've been thinking of joining us, now's the time to get your hands dirty. Next up is our West End Planting happening this weekend.

[UPDATED with more info!]

WHAT: Our next planting session, on the West side of the city.

WHEN: This Sunday June 12th at 2:00pm sharp.

WHERE: Meet at the northeast corner of Sunnyside and Queensway. Just east of Saint Joseph's Hospital.

View Larger Map

WHAT TO BRING:

The space is big so we'll probably only do a section. We'll need some heavy duty tools. I have lots of shoves but if you have a pick axe or other ground breaking tools please bring them

The soil in this area is probably highly compact soooo we'll also need soil. If you can bring a bag of topsoil or triple mix it will help our plants thrive.

Mulch or wood chips - a couple bags will do.

Finally and, of course, most importantly, we'll need plants. There appears to be some growth here already so we can move some stuff around. We could use some perennials and colourful annuals to fill in the garden.

FREE/CHEAP PLANTS:

By now garden centres are likely getting rid of plants they have that are looking old and can't be sold. Drop in to your local garden centre and ask them if they have anything to donate.

There are also huge discounts right now on plants in many garden centres. Please bring a plant or two to the event and we can put them in the ground.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

Anyone with a HUGE private garden??? We really need your help this time! We are looking for donations that can be dropped off at the planting location on the day of the plant. Email terry@guerillagardening.ca to let me know if you have anything to contribute and THANK YOU for considering us.

Terry is out of town from now until later Saturday night so pick ups can't be arranged, but if you can drop them off at Terry's place or at the planting on Sunday we will plant them in your honour!!

Email terry@guerillagardening.ca to let her know if you have anything to donate!

Thanks and hope to see you Sunday!

2010 Garden Refresh

2011-06-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's time for our next planting date! This time we're going to revisit one of our favourite spots from last year.

When: Saturday June 4th, 3pm

Where: South West corner of Bloor and Parliament, under the billboards
Take a look - http://bit.ly/j4zMGU at the before on Google Maps and in this photo:

This is what the space looked like when we were finished with it last year - there has been a year of perennial growth in the space so we should be able to spruce it up and make it look fantastic again.

Who: YOU!!! and your friends

What to Bring:
We'll need mulch - that's the main thing. And water - if everyone brings a 2L pop bottle of water we should be golden.

Bring your gardening gloves because we'll be weeding.

For plants, we should add a bit of colour so any left over annuals you can get for a deal at the locate garden centre - they should all be on sale by now.

We have some perennials to back fill the spaces.

See you Saturday!!

Outside the Planter Boxes - Guerilla Art

2011-05-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Over this past weekend some like-minded artists and activists did some DIY fixes on neglected and damaged tree planters around Toronto. The project was organized and inspired by Sean Martindale, friend to the Guerilla Gardeners and one of the people behind those Poster Pocket Plants that cropped up around the city in 2009.

Here are a few of the tree planter interventions:

Mini Stonehenge

Overflow

Flowers made from discarded Pabst Blue Ribbon cartons

Lego - is there nothing you can't build with it?!

You can check out some more pics and info at blogTO and torontoist.

Congrats to Sean and all of the participants on a great public art installation!

Before and After - Queen East and McGee

2011-05-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

The corner of Queen and McGee on a rainy Sunday afternoon - Looking sad and neglected.

It was a rough little patch... probably CN Land since it is part of the slope off the rails

Filled with weeds, sticks and garbage. The Avro picked the spot, since they are in the neighbourhood they had been staring at the spot for a long time wishing that it was more beautiful.
So together with supporters of the Avro, the Guerilla Gardeners transformed the space into a pretty serious garden in only two hours.

A is for Avro!!! Do you see it?

And afterward we all went to the Avro for a beer and some sandwiches (Thanks Rachel) and our resident former-graffiti artist, Andy, left a message on the chalk board thanking the community for their support.

One garden down - 3 (or 4) to go... YEAH!!!

SUNDAY: East End Planting!

2011-05-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out for a very successful seed bombing expedition last week! We had a great turnout and made the most of a warm sunny spring evening.

On to our next event taking place this weekend!

East End Planting

When: Sunday May 15th 2pm

Where: Queen Street East and McGee Street. McGee is one street east of Degrassi. We'll be planting on the south side of the street. Here's the street view: http://bit.ly/jrHai7

Who: For this plant, our faithful East End Coordinator, Duncan, has partnered with The Avro, a community meeting place located in Riverside Village. Patrons of The Avro along with the owner Rachel and the Guerilla Gardening gang are going to transform the corner into a beautiful garden

What to Bring: Thanks to a generous donation we have lots of perennials for this planting, but we need some bling! Please bring some annuals if you can to add colour and interest to our garden.

Right now we could also really use mulch, water, soil and garden tools.

Bring your own gardening gloves because the space will need a little cleaning up before we start planting.

We Need Donations

We are always on the lookout for supplies to use at future plantings.

Do you have a garden and need to split your plants - we'll take them off your hands!!

Are you a landscaper and your client is "throwing away" their old plants - Let us know - we'll pick them up!

Are you a community gardener and you have some extra plants that won't fit in the garden - we'll come by and get them any time!

If you would still like to donate, please email terry@guerillagardening.ca and we'll arrange pick up.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Seed Bombing: The True Sign of Spring

2011-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

We hope you can join us on Monday!

Seed Bombing: The True Sign of Spring

May 9th, 2011

6:30pm

Meet at Hula Girl Espresso Boutique - 2473 Dundas Street West (north of Bloor)

On April 17th, 10 souls got together to make about 600 seed bombs. Some were made with soil, wildflowers and compostable plastic bags. Others were made with creeping thyme, soil and parchment paper loose leaf tea bags.

We have so many seed bombs to throw we need your help!

Once we meet up we'll move to the foot bridge which goes over the railway corridor to Wallace Ave where we will follow the bike path south east likely ending around Sterling Road.

DETAILS:

**A documentary filmmaker will be tagging along to film the event. If you don't want to be on camera that's no problem but please let us know!**

What do I bring?

Nothing but your throwing arm and some sort of bag to carry seed bombs in (we'll provide the bombs)

Where do I meet you guys?

2473 Dundas Street West (near the cross roads of Dundas West and Glenlake Ave)

When will you be there?

May 9th, 6:30pm until we run out of bombs

Who should come?

You, your friends, your family, your co-workers... anyone who wants to make the Junction look GOOD!

How long will it take?

About an hour depending on the number of people who show up. Afterward, if the group is interested we'll find a place to have a drink or some munchies together.

Come on out, even if this is your first time!

Also, be sure to check out the garden that the Guerilla Gardeners planted in front of the Freshco a couple of years ago. It's located on the east side of Dundas Street West, close to Chelsea Ave. Take a peek on your way to meet us!

Dates for 2011

2011-04-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

Very productive meeting! Thanks to all who came out for the night and those who went for drinks afterward.

We have 4 new coordinators joining the team this year - Thanks to Duncan, Eric, Mathew and Rachel for volunteering to handle a planting each.

If you have donations or suggestions where we should plant please contact us.

Here are the dates we've selected for the year:

Seed Bomb and Sign Making - April 17th - 2pm - 519 Community Centre (look on the screens inside for the room number)

Seed Bomb Throwing - May 9th evening
East End Plant (Duncan) - May 15 afternoon

Last year Garden Refresh (Terry) - June 4 afternoon

North Plant (Rachel) - June 8th evening
West Plant (Mathew) - June 12th afternoon

Downtown Plant (Eric) - Summer Solstice - June 21 evening

Reminder - Meeting Tonight

2011-03-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

Please come out!!!

Where: The 519 Community Centre
When: Tonight 6pm

See you there

2011 Kick Off Meeting Details

2011-03-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

WHAT? Guerilla Gardening Season Kick off Meeting

WHEN? Thursday March 31, 2011 starting at 6pm

WHERE? 519 Church Street Community Centre located, guess where, at 519 Church Street just north of Wellesley. Ask at the desk which room we are in - it will be listed under the Toronto Public Space Committee

Agenda:

1) Quick Summary of Last Year and the state of GG
2) Description of Seedbombing and Guerilla Gardening
3) Decision on how to run the group this year
4) Set planting dates and other activities for the year
5) Brainstorm how to get donations
6) Assign action items
7) Other issues / ideas / concerns

Everyone welcome. Hope to see you there!

2011 Season Kick Off Meeting

2011-03-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well, even though today doesn't feel like it, spring has sprung.

That means it's time to start planning the 2011 planting season. According to the almanac we could start planting as early as May 9th. http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-canada

The kick off meeting will be around the beginning of April so here's what you can do to prepare:

1) Think about who we can approach for donations

We'll need donations of flowers, seeds, equipment and $$ these things

In past years we've asked small retailers, home depots, growers etc

BIAs might be willing to donate

2) Keep your eyes peeled for places we can plant our 2011 gardens

We'll need one location in each of these four areas:

- North of Bloor between the DVP and Keele (considered North District)

- South of Bloor West of Spadina (considered West District)

- South of Danforth East of the DVP (considered East District)

- South of Bloor/Danforth between Spadina and the DVP (considered Downtown)

3) Find a location for SEED BOMBING!!

It should be some place where we can throw the bombs like a bridge or abandoned lot.

4) Bring your calendar when you come

We'll be scheduling:

- 4 daytime plantings (usually during the afternoons on the weekend between May 9 and June 30)

- seed bomb making day (usually a sunday in April)

- seed bomb throwing night (usually a thursday)

- 1 night planting (usually summer solstice)

Can't wait.

I'll be sending out an announcement to the mailing list once I get a room reserved.

Terry

Toronto Guerilla Gardening Press

2011-01-14T09:59:00.001-08:00

Cool Toronto Art Mag

http://thriftygirl.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/guerrilla-gardeners-toronto.pdf

Canada AM - Web Article and Video (to the right of the article)

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080717/guerilla_gardening_AM_080717/20080718/?hub=TorontoNewHome

Organic Gardening Magazine

http://organicgardening.coverleaf.com/organicgardening/200905/?pg=44#pg44

Goodbye for the Season

2010-11-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

So we are off for the season. The announcement is a little late since the last planting was in July, but to make it official I thought I would add something.

There might be periodic posting in the winter if something interested comes up but if not, watch for announcements in March/April 2011 for the season kick off meeting.

Bike Gardens

2010-08-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Back in June I met someone with what looked like a bandage on their bicycle. Was the bike hurt?! To my amazement, the gauze contained seeds and this person was using their bike as a mobile seed-starting space. WOW. I should put this on the GG blog, I thought, and then never did.

I've just been reminded about it though, and have found a couple of resource pages with instructions on how to start a Bike Garden!

Step 1: Starting seed sprouts on your bike frame
http://ayearfromscratch.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/get-those-sprouts-a-sproutin/

You'll need:
- Cheese Cloth
- Sprouting Seeds
- Safety Pins
- Water
- A bike

Step 2: Making a bike basket planter
http://ayearfromscratch.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/bike-garden-take-2/

You'll need:
- A bike with a front basket on it
- Cheesecloth
- Lots (20-ish) of large safety pins
- 4+ twist ties
- Soil
- Plants or Seeds

The great thing is, you can invite people to help themselves to free edibles or flowers when you leave your bike parked. This could also be a good way to do some guerrilla gardening when you're out and about...transfer a flower here and there, and keep growing more.

2010-07-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'd heard of guerrilla gardening much earlier in my life than I had thought. Dig it! (And thanks everyone for a great season!)

The Grand Finale - Our Final Plant for the Season

2010-07-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

It's our last planting of the season but here is our chance to make a huge impact on a corner that needs it.

Where: The south west corner of Bloor and Parliament
Here is a map of the location: http://tiny.cc/gjusy

When: July 10th 4:00pm

What: A huge spot located until a circle of trees right beside some giant billboards. On the edge of the slope we will build a raised flower bed. I have some large pieces of wood we can use to border the garden and someone is bringing a wheelbarrow and a huge truckload of dirt to fill up our new planter.

What to bring: Plants!!!

If you drop by your neighbourhood garden centre and tell them you are part of a community gardening group, they may donate some plants since it’s the end of the season. This spot has sun and shade so pretty much anything will grow. For those of you who are growing plants for us from the spring, please bring them.

We have dirt, some water and mulch. Can someone bring their watering can?
I have 5 shovels but you can bring your own if you have one – we never have enough.

We need yard waste bags so if you have a spare one bring it along.

Who: We need numbers this time so come out for some fun. It’s a bigger job than the last two we’ve done so we need your help!!

Any questions - email me!! Hope to see you there.

Below are some pictures from the last two gardens we’ve planted. As you can see the one on Dufferin is flourishing. The one on Bathurst at College needs water! Go by and dump some water on it if you have time. It hasn’t rained in a while so the plants are wilting!!

~ Terry

Dufferin & College

Dufferin & Queen Northside

Dufferin & Queen Southside

Summer Solstice Planting - Great Success

2010-06-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Summer Solstice planting. It was a great turn out and the garden is awesome!!

We are trying something new for watering. We have watering spikes on the bottoms of 2 litre pop bottles filled with water. If you are going by the garden on the south west corner of College and Bathurst please bring some 2L pop bottles full of water and swap out the empty ones.... please!!!!

Here are some pictures....

Summer Solstice Plant - June 21st

2010-06-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

We've been really unlucky this year with rain and thunder on our planting dates but Monday the 21st (Summer Solstice) is looking good for a planting to finally happen so lets do the spot we haven't been able to get to...

Where: The south west corner of College and Bathurst

Here's a street view picture of the spot: http://alturl.com/a2pw

When: June 21st at 6:30pm

What: A couple horrible looking tree planters with garbage in them now.

What to bring: This spot will be SUNNY so we need plants that will love full sun. We are going to try something new too, so if you can bring a 2L plastic pop bottle filled with water it would be much appreciated. We'll need garbage bags and a broom to clean up. I'll bring 5 shovels and a couple of trowels and other small tools but you can bring your own too. We'll need some mulch (I'll bring some) and loads of good soil.

Who: Anyone who wants to make this pretty and then go for a drink on a patio close by.

Any questions - email me or comment below!! Hope to see you there.

-- Terry

gardeners [at] publicspace (dot) ca

[ ? ] Mystery Plant Boxes [ ? ]

2010-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I caught a quick glimpse of a couple of these boxes laying around near a busy intersection in my neighborhood. They are each about the size of a milk crate. Someone sent me this picture asking if it was a Guerrilla Gardening project...

Well, it wasn't me. Does anyone know what these are about? Or who left them there?
By the looks of them I'm guessing it was either Mario or Luigi.

PS: Stay tuned for the details on our Summer Solstice Evening Plant this Monday June 21st!!

June 2nd plant - CANCELLED

2010-06-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to report that tonight's planting is canceled. It looks like it's going to thunder.

Please come out to the June 13 planting.

-- Terry

Help - Guerilla Garden in Distress

2010-05-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

There is a guerilla garden that has been planted north-side of Bloor - just east of the Castle Frank Subway station that needs some love. It's beautiful but it's been so sunny and hot over the last couple of days it's wilting fast.

Please drop over with some water!!!

June 2nd - Mark your Calendar!

2010-05-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's still a week away but it's supposed to be nice so come on out for a couple of hours to beautify one of the busiest corners of the hippest neighbourhoods in Toronto!!

Where: The south west corner of College and Bathurst

When: Wednesday June 2nd at 7:00pm

What: A couple horrible looking tree planters with garbage in them now. Here's a street view picture of the spot: http://alturl.com/a2pw

(Please leave a comment if you can definitely bring one of these things.)

Who: Anyone who wants to make this pretty and then go for a drink on a patio close by.

Any questions - post below or email me at gardeners (at) publicspace (dot) ca

Hope to see you there!!

Here are a couple of pictures of the last planting which turned out fantastic!! Come out and make a garden!!

-- Terry

Young Urban Farmers: Around the Watering Can

2010-05-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Young Urban Farmers Community Shared Agriculture (YUF CSA) gave a shout out to guerrilla gardening in their newsletter this week, including some historical info on how it all got started. You can read the newsletter here.

Young Urban Farmers Community Shared Agriculture (YUF CSA) is a non-profit organization that farms land donated by Toronto homeowners. In exchange for providing supplies and water, and (depending on the size of your garden) a fee to participate, the homeowner gets a beautiful vegetable garden - no gardening required - and can keep a portion of the crops. The rest is collected and delivered weekly to local households who have signed up to become shareholders. They invest a flat fee in order to receive fresh veggies all season long.

To learn more about YUF CSA, check out their website.

Seed Bomb Machines

2010-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

What a cool idea! A group in L.A. is working to install repurposed candy machines that sell pre-made seed bombs instead of candy.

From the article:

"Greenaid invites business owners, educators and concerned citizens to purchase a machine—pricing is about USD 400 each, with potential income generation of between USD 1,000 and USD 2,000 per year, Common Studio's Daniel Phillips told Springwise. Greenaid will then develop a seed mix and a strategic neighborhood intervention plan in response to the unique ecologies of the particular area. The purchaser can then simply place the machine at a local bar, business, school, park or wherever it seems likely to have the greatest impact. Greenaid supplies all the seed bombs needed to support the ongoing success of the initiative."

This would certainly encourage more people to get involved, and it's potentially a good fundraising tool. Sounds like the group is willing to partner with communities for the longer-term and not just drop off the machine and leave with their cash.

On the other hand, it kind of strikes me as a commercialization of activism. It's not as grassroots as good old-fashioned getting your hands dirty. And while solitary acts of guerrilla gardening are valuable, the gumball method doesn't really encourage cooperation or a sense of community the same way that gardening in groups does.

Cool idea though. Everybody loves gumball machines! Should we get one of these in Toronto?

Read the full article here.

Read more about the Greenaid project here.

May 16th - First Planting #2!

2010-05-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

So the weather was not very cooperative for our last plant. Let's hope we have better luck with our next scheduled planting. Here are the details:

Where: The south west corner of Queen West and Dufferin

When: May 16^th at 3:30pm sharp.

What: Beautifying a thin, horrible looking patch of dirt between the side walk and the fence.

What to bring: This spot would be a great place to plant shade loving leafy plants like Lilies, Geranium, or Hostas. We don’t need big shovels but if you have some trowels please bring them along. Water is always important for our plants after we finish, so big bottles of water would be much appreciated.

Who: You and all your friends. It’s a long patch so the more people that come out, the bigger our garden can be!

SEED BOMBING - This Thursday 7PM!!

2010-05-03T18:22:00.001-07:00

This Thursday, 7PM
Meeting Place: King and Bathurst, SouthEast Corner

Show up on time, because we will move from the initial spot.

Bring: Nothing. Our arsenal is assembled and ready to chuck

See you there!!

May 8th - First Planting of the Season!

2010-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in the last post, the GG planting kickoff will be this Saturday May 8th. We're going to revisit a spot that we planted previously and restore it to its former glory.

Here are all of the important details:

TIME: 2:30pm sharp
PLACE: Meet at the south east corner of George Street and Dundas East. Click here for a map.
THINGS TO BRING (if you can):

Gardening tools
Soil
Flowers (perennials or annuals)
Yard waste bags
Mulch
Water
All your friends!

If it's a sunny day don't forget to bring water for yourself, sunscreen, and maybe a large and embarrassing sun hat too.

See you Saturday!

Planting Dates for this Season

2010-05-02T19:13:00.001-07:00

The five planting dates have been set for the 2010 season:

May 8

May 16

June 2

June 13

June 21 - Summer Solstice night planting

The plantings will be held in the afternoons probably around 2:30.

Please check back a couple days before to find out the exact meeting location or send me an email at gardeners@publicspace.ca to get added to the GG mailing list.

Reminder: Seed Bomb & Sign Making

2010-04-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season to make seed bombs....

Please come and help us.

We are going to employ a new method this year so come out and see how to create brand new, unique and special Toronto seed bombs.

What will we be doing: Seed bomb and sign making party. We are going to employ a new method this year so come out and see how to create brand new, Toronto Unique seed bombs. There will be music, good conversation, and lots of working with your hands.

Where: The 519 Community Centre (519 Church Street) - Ask at the front desk which room we will be in... It might be under the Toronto Public Space Committee. The website is: http://www.the519.org/

When: April 24th at 2:30 pm (probably until 4:30 pm)

Who: You and all your friends

What should you bring:
Any seeds and soil you would like to donate. Snacks if you want to dazzle us with your culinary skills. An ipod filled with awesome music that you want the Seed Bomb Makers to rock out to. Really you just need to bring yourself - that's all we really want ;-)

Why: Because you want to get out on a beautiful day, meet like minded people of all ages who care about the city and making it a beautiful place to live.

Kamloops senior told to stop gardening

2010-04-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

After working on her community garden for 15 years, 77-year old Francis Bailey was asked to tear it up from the land in front of her housing complex. The building authorities claimed they were concerned that erosion of the land could pose a danger to Bailey and may cause her to fall.

From the Kamloops Daily News:

“I was really heartbroken,” said Bailey, who lives alone. “I love it. I don’t know what I will do without the garden.”

She wrote Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman asking that she be allowed to continue her work. She said she’s even willing to sign a waiver saying she will not sue if she does fall.

The response was a definite no. The plan is to move Bailey’s garden to a community garden planned for Peterson Creek Park. But Bailey doesn’t want to move it there because no one will be able to see it.

It's too bad the housing authorities don't seem to understand the significance of Bailey's garden. Besides the great sentimental value, the enjoyment and sense of community it brings Bailey and her neighbors, Bailey is doing something that's so important for her physical and mental well being - staying active in her senior years!

Good news - the people in charge finally changed their minds and Bailey will get to keep her beloved garden.

Unfortunately I saw the update on TV and haven't been able to find an updated article online.
But you can read the original story here.

rabble: GGs in Montreal

2010-04-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Check out this podcast on Guerrilla Gardening activities in Montreal:
http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/street-cred/2010/04/guerilla-gardeners

PS: Please note that the date of our seed bomb making session has been postponed until April 24th! Details in the previous post.

UPDATE!!! Seed Bomb Prep - NEXT SATURDAY

2010-04-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and that means it's time to get our hands dirty.

First off, we'll do some seed bombing. Not sure what seed bombing is or what it's all about? There's a short but sweet wiki on the subject here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_bombing

Basically, we create little bundles of seeds that will hopefully grow in inhospitable areas. We try to use native plants since they're best adapted to our local climate, require less water, and pretty much take care of themselves. We don't launch anything invasive - the idea is really to beautify and reclaim natural and public space, not cause problems.

Please join us next weekend Saturday April 24th at 2:30pm as we construct our seed bombs! Anyone can do this - it's ridiculously simple. The location is The 519 Community Centre (519 Church Street http://www.the519.org/).

Bring your friends!

From last year's seed bomb making session.

Do you have any artistic talent? Do you just like to play with paint? Come out the the 24th and help us make signs for our garden plots!

Donations of flower seeds or painting supplies are appreciated but not necessary.

See you next weekend!

Guerilla Gardening Kick off Meeting

2010-03-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Kick off the Season with the Guerilla Gardeners

It's the planning meeting! Please come!

We have to:

Assign a coordinator for each district (east, west, downtown, uptown)

Pick the planting dates

Pick a date to make seed bombs and signs

Pick a date for seed bombing

Make suggestions for where to plant

Meeting Details:

Location - Metrohall

Date - April 6th

Address - 55 John St (corner of King Street West)

Room number - 302

Time - 6:30 start

Pass this on to all your friends!! We need GGs for the spring plant.

Awesome GG Website

2010-03-23T06:50:00.001-07:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/23/guerrilla-gardening-givin_n_506566.html

Tis the Season - Guerilla Gardening Starts Soon!!!

2010-02-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

Big Announcement!!! First Guerilla Gardening Meeting of the Year Scheduled for March 5th

Meeting Details

Date: Friday March 5th

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Metro Hall - 55 John St Room 304

Afterward: Go for drinks at Elephant and Castle 212 King Street

Proposed Agenda

1. Explanation of Guerilla Gardening (for newcomers)

2. Solicitation of Donations

- Ideas

- Action Plan

3. Growing Our Own

- Assignment

4. Seed Bombing

- Propose Dates

- Making Process

- Donations

5. Next Meeting

If you have any other agenda items that you want to cover please email me and we can add them to the agenda

Guerilla Gardening Mario

2010-01-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

At 1:04 Guerrilla Gardening is mentioned.

Guerilla Gardening on the CBC

2009-07-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

I just received the very cool interview from the CBC that they recorded with us at the Summer Solstice planting but I can't seem to get it up on the blog soooo, email me if you want a copy.

Cool Torontonian

2009-07-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I will get an email from a really cool Torontonian who has taken it on themselves to make Toronto more beautiful. It warms the cockles of my heart.

This is one such person. Chris has taken initiative and grew a kick-ass guerilla garden without us. http://cambridgegardens.wordpress.com/

This is exactly why we guerilla garden... we want to inspire all residents of Toronto to care about their public space and to prove it by putting time and energy into making it live-able.

Thanks Chris for being so cool.

If you have a story or example of someone guerilla gardening on their own - send me a note and I'll publish it on our blog!

UPDATE!!!! Summer Solstice Night Planting

2009-06-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

So here are the details of the Summer Solstice Night Planting scheduled for Sunday. Originally we were going to plant somewhere in Kensington but we couldn't find a great spot so now we are planting on Yonge St.

Where - Meet at the corner of College and Yonge (on the south west corner in front of the Tim Hortons)

When - 7:30 PM Sunday June 21th

Who - You and anyone that you can mobilize!

What - This is a garden we did last year early in the season and could use some sprucing up.

Bring trowels, weeders, shovels, gardening gloves, water, soil and annuals... we have perennials that were donated to the downtown planting and we weren't able to use them all, but we could use some beautiful annuals to add colour to the perennials.

If you want to join us late, walk south on Yonge Street on the west side and you will see us on the sidewalk before you get to Gerrard.

By the way, we have been approached by a documentary-maker who will be joining our planting. There will be cameras filming our work but they will be respectful of your privacy if you wish to not be on camera. They are looking to interview a few people so if you are passionate about Guerilla Gardening and reclaiming Public Space email me at gardeners@publicspace.ca so I can introduce you to them.

Here are some pictures from previous night plantings....

Downtown Planting - Awesome Success

2009-06-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a success it was.

We arrived around 10:45am and there was already a huge pile of mulch, 5+ bags of dirt and enough plants to finish the downtown garden (and some leftovers for next week). The donation was accompanied by a note from some secret donor signed "The Guerilla Nursery". We aren't sure who this is but we want to send out a HUGE thank you for dropping off the goods. We took you up on your offer and left some "garbage" for you to pick up again. THANK YOU!!!

Another huge thank you to the garden centre at Queen and Greenwood that donated a bunch of bushes and some annuals and perennials, as well Susan from the Perth Dupont Community Garden who gave us some wonderful plants as well.

The area is a little rough around the edges but the residents love their neighbourhood and I bet, of all the gardens we planted this year, this one get adopted by the community.

The residents have been lobbying the city to do some landscaping on the corner so if anyone sees the city working there, please email jayme@publicspace.ca or gardeners@publicspace.ca and let us know so we can go by and encourage them to transplant the plants we've already put there.

Downtown Planting - June 14 @ 11am!!

2009-06-09T09:29:00.001-07:00

The next planting is coming up fast so please get together your friends, your family and your neighbours and come out to help us make a very dreary corner something beautiful.

The spot we have selected is at the corner of Dundas East and George. This spot needs our help in a big way but it has a lot of potential. It is on the corner of a school and currently contains a couple of sad looking trees and bushes and a lot of neglected grass. We can totally make this a mini-park for the kids at the school.

Here are the details:

Where - The south east corner of Dundas east and George street. George Street is one street east of Jarvis.

When - June 14th at 11am

What - Bring your shovels, trowels, dirt, water, and PLANTS!! we don't have any big donations for this event so we can use every little plant you can donate... annuals, perennials, bushes, trees... herbs anything!

Who - Bring yourselves, your friends, your family and your neighbours.

Here are some pictures of the spot - you can tell it needs help!

Uptown Planting - Coming Up Soon - June 7th

2009-06-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

For this planting we are going to attack some planters on the sidewalk as they seem to be neglected and could use our help.

Where - Meet at the south west corner of Bathurst and St. Clair

When - 11am Sunday June 7th

Who - You and anyone that you can mobilize!

What - Bring your trowels to this one... no big shovels are necessary since we are planting in planters.

We can also use some bright and beautiful annuals but it doesn't hurt to plant perennials as well so we don't have to come back next year. For the planters we will need smaller and lower growing plants so save your large bushes and trees for the next planting.

For those who join us late the planting location is the marker (on this map) that is south on Bathurst.

View Uptown GG Plant, June 7th @ 11am in a larger map

East End Planting - HUGE SUCCESS!!!

2009-05-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness... just when I thought it couldn't get better than the west end planting the east end planting kicked some nasty public spaces butt.

Huge thanks to Saskia and Aaron who brought all the stuff we needed... including plants, tools and manure too. We even were able to paint the construction hording a much nicer solid colour which makes the garden stand out even more.

We started out by flipping all the grass between the side walk and the hording and then a little garden planning from our two landscape engineers!

A couple of us started painting and then the fun began... digging, planting, watering, mulching... we even went as far as strategically placing some large rocks and edging the garden with left over pieces of concrete.

Everyone got into it - there were grass separators, and diggers and planters.... Everyone pitched in.

And even some kids and their parents showed up - Guerilla Gardeners of all ages.

In the end it looked absolutely fabulous... I walked by with my dog this morning and someone had come by and propped up the hording which was falling down. Whoever that was - THANK YOU!!!

Huge thanks as well to the Toronto Outdoor Club participants who have come by on the last few occasions... we are happy to have you helping out.

Visit to Alberta - Guerilla Gardeners live here too

2009-05-28T07:39:00.001-07:00

This week I was in Edmonton and Calgary for work and I was able to get in touch with the Guerilla Gardening coordinators from both cities.

Seems like there is a fairly strong GG community within both cities and I was super excited to hear that the Calgary group was planting one of the nights I was going to be in town. They plant at night so I was supposed to meet them at 8:30pm at one of the C-train stops.

Unfortunately beer and good conversation with some of my co-workers got in the way of my joining the planting but it was really good to be in touch with both coordinators.

Remember, if you are travelling out of town you can always contact the GG coordinator to find out if there are any events planned while you are visiting. I found their groups on Facebook.

Also a reminder about the east end planting...

EAST END PLANTING
When: May 31st at 11AM

What: Between the sidewalk and the construction hoarding patches of weeds and grass will be removed, soil added, and plants planted.

How you can help: Be a guerrilla. Bring plants, yard waste bags, garbage bags, trowels, shovels, garden forks, and work gloves. Water (for the plants), mulch and compost will be provided. We love it when people take photos so please bring your cameras too!

Who - You and your friends, relatives, family... anyone who wants to help!

Where: Eastern Ave. at the foot of Caroline Ave.
Come in on the 501 Queen St car, get off at Caroline Ave., walk south to Eastern Ave. OR take the 72 Pape bus, North bus - get off at Carlaw and Eastern Ave., OR South bus - get off at Pape and Eastern Ave., walk east to Caroline Ave.

West End Planting - May 16th

2009-05-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! What a fantastic planting! The rain held out for us and we ended up having a great day.

First off thank you to Ian (the west end coordinator) for picking such a fantastic spot. You can see from this picture that it was a horrible medium sized patch of long, neglected grass on a busy street corner.
Thanks to Bruce for chronicling our work with his camera... these photos are great so thanks!!
Thanks to each and every one of you who came out and worked hard on this spot. The transformation was amazing (although some of the little old Italian men from the 'hood thought it looked better as grass, I disagree)!

Thanks also to Nick for bringing 10 volunteers and Jeff for bringing 5? volunteers! Thanks Guys! We couldn't have done it without you.

Last but not least, thanks to Andy from bringing water for the volunteers, water for the plants, extra tools and helping me transport all the garbage and leftovers home at the end of the day.

25 people!!! plus two canine friends. Everyone brought what they could (plants, gloves, tools) and thanks to a close-by flower store we were able to almost completely change the grass to garden!

For those of you in the neighbourhood - please go by and water the garden whenever you can, especially in July and August when it's really hot... there isn't alot of shade on that corner so the plants will need lots of water.

Hope to see you all again on May 31st for the east end planting - we'll be Eastern Ave. at the foot of Caroline Ave. More details will be posted next week.

Seed Bombing Success!!!

2009-05-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a good turn out for an nice Thursday evening.

Seed bombing was a great time. We all met at the corner of Queen and King in the east end and readied our bombs.
We bombed some vacant areas under the bridge at Queen and King and even saw a super-chubby gopher who squirmed under the construction hoarding.

We moved west along King and south on St.Lawrence where we attacked some grassy hills behind a film company's parking lot - with the help, of course, of a friendly film-company employee.
Then east on Eastern and south on Cherry where there was a horrible little abandoned lot - we attacked it!! You should have seen all the bombs flying over the fence... it was fantastic!

A little further south on Cherry, we threw some more on the slope of the railway tracks and then finally east on the bike path where the final bombs were "burst" on the GO transit storage lot and the slopes of the rail tracks.

Thanks to everyone who came out!!!

Pictures coming soon!

Seed Bombing and West End Planting

2009-05-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

SEED BOMBING

When - Thursday May 14 at 7pm

Where - Meet at the corner of King E and Queen E right at the bridge over the Don River. We'll attack the empty lots there and then head south to the Port Lands to bomb! If you are late, head West on King and South on St.Lawrence, West on Eastern and south on Cherry to hook up with us.

Who - Just bring yourselves & all your friends

What - Bring warm gloves, your camera, and your bike if you have one - if not there will be walkers.

Look at this... it needs our help!!!

WEST END PLANTING

When - May 16th at 11am

Where - Meet at Dufferin Station at 11am to head over to the location together. Ian and I will be holding plants to identify ourselves. If you can't come until later please join us at the planting location at Bloor and Russett (one block West of Dufferin Station) where we will be digging up a storm.

First we'll have to get rid of some of the long grass that's taken over the place.... then we'll plant.

What - Bring plants (preferably perennials but annuals are lovely too), garbage bags, your trowels, shovels, picks, diggers and grass clippers, work gloves if you need them. Water (for the plants), mulch and compost will be provided. We love it when people take photos so please bring your cameras too!

Who - You and your friends, relatives, family... anyone who wants to plant!

Seed Bombing Success

2009-05-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wow!! We had a great turn out for seed bombing on Sunday and we were quick about it too so everyone got to get out and enjoy the lovely afternoon.

Big thanks to Andy B for bringing all the supplies and seeds, the gang from the junction who were first timers, Doug for cutting all the bags, the coordinators for helping to keep it going, Ania for taking fab pictures and everyone else who lent a helping hand.

Also big thanks to the 519 Community Centre for lending us the room

So now we have to decide where we are going to seed bomb. Unfortunately this Thursday looks like rain - 80% chance - so we'll delay the bombing by a week. I'll send out a note to the mailing list and also ask for suggestions again.

The best seed bomb location:
- would be somewhere fairly central - remember we are getting together at 7pm
- would be reachable by transit
- might be a couple of crappy looking spaces close by so we could hit more than one if we have time
- might be a railway corridor or abandoned lot or both

email me if you have any suggestions - pictures would make it even easier to pick.

gardeners(at)publicspace.ca

May Issue of Organic Gardening Magazine

2009-04-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Dates for 2009 Planting Season

2009-04-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to the planning meeting last night. We had a great turn out and have all the dates planned for the year.

Seed Bomb Making and Sign Painting

May 3rd @ 2pm - 519 Community Centre, second floor

Seed Bombing

May 14th @ 7pm - Location TBD (DATE CHANGED)

West End Planting

May 16th @ 11am - Location TBD

East End Planting

May 31st @ 11am - Location TBD

Uptown Planting

June 7th @ 11am - Location TBD

Downtown Planting

June 14th @ 11am - Location TBD

Summer Solstice Night Planting

June 21st @ 7:30pm - Location Kensington Market

Possible Additional Planting

June 27 @ 11am - Location TBD

NEW!!! Seed Collecting

Sept/Oct 2009 - Details forthcoming

NEW!!! Fall Bulb Planting

September - Location TBD

If you have any suggestions where we can seed bomb next week please send them to gardeners(at)publicspace.ca

Check back often - we'll be updating the locations soon.