We are planning on taking on the construction and distribution of our own Seed Bombs. Basically these are homemade clay balls that are easy to throw over a fence or out of a car(be careful of traffic!) to distribute seeds. We are going to use the "classic" recipe. This involves using dry powered clay which was a bit of a challenge to find. The only place that seemed to have it was Pottery Supply House in Oakville. I thought for sure Curry's would have it, but no.
We were lucky enough to have Heritage seeds donated by Dundurn Castle. Let's hope we can help spread their genetic material around. If you would like to get involved we us or have an area/project that you would like to see done feel free to email us at kgggrow@gmail.com.
Bulb Planting - Fall 2009
We all love instant gratification. But sometimes the things we have to wait for are sweeter. Those first flowers pushing out of the ground after the long grey winter are a prime example. We plant them in the fall and just hope that they will be fine over the months until spring. And amazingly some of them do come up, the really early ones even pushing past the last bit of snow on the ground. Our group was lucky enough to have a beautiful sunny fall day to go out and plant hundreds of bulbs.We started with the Pearl Street garden. The perennials we had planted a few months earlier were doing great. The honeysuckle was actually still blooming! A tiny bit of graffiti had to be cleaned up, but really much less than we expected. 
One of our group had dug up some periwinkle and various perennials from her yard. We used the periwinkle in the wall across from the garden and planted tons of bulbs in both spots.
Our next planting location was Aberdeen and Longwood. I shake my head whenever I see this little confused area of the city. The plots of land that seem to serve no purpose, the buildings that may or may not have businesses in them. Elaborate crosswalks at the intersection, but no sidewalks on the one side. A bus stop for who exactly? All of this graced by the railway yard. 
One of our group had dug up some periwinkle and various perennials from her yard. We used the periwinkle in the wall across from the garden and planted tons of bulbs in both spots.
Our next planting location was Aberdeen and Longwood. I shake my head whenever I see this little confused area of the city. The plots of land that seem to serve no purpose, the buildings that may or may not have businesses in them. Elaborate crosswalks at the intersection, but no sidewalks on the one side. A bus stop for who exactly? All of this graced by the railway yard. 
What happens when the bike lane ends?
Apparently we were not the first people to feel a need to improve this area. We found the work of someone else who had decided to try Guerrilla gardening. They had a little fence make out of sticks and a variety of plants still in bloom. We extended the fence, added some of the perennials we had brought and planted bulbs for spring.
More bulbs were planted across the street, along with a young forsythia bush. I think it had one branch so it will take awhile to be that breath taking yellow shrub we see in first thing in the spring. We even planted some bulbs in the grass of the street island, for who ever may be walking along this stretch.
220 Dundurn. Anyone who lives in Kirkendall knows this building, maybe not the address but they know this ugly empty eyesore that I'm pretty sure is the reason I wanted to start improving the neighbourhood regardless of permission.
Hundreds of bulbs went into this property. Let's hope it can distract from the rest of the building a tiny bit. Look closely in the garden, those white things in it are all tulip bulbs. It's funny how you can be doing something that I suppose would be considering illegal(trespassing) in broad daylight with tons of people around and no one will say anything.
Just an example of the difference between legal and moral. If you're doing a good thing chances are you will be left alone.
We made two curved beds at the front where the sidewalk met the pathway and put some other bulbs on the other side of the door. Naturalizing bulbs were planted in the grass as well.
All of this took less than 2 hours and was a great way to spend an autumn day. We improved where we lived, went on a walk, got some exercise, met some great new people - the bulbs in the spring are just an extra bonus I think.A week or so after hundreds more bulbs were donated by a local garden centre. There were all planted by the bus stop over on Queen Street. They should be an impressive display. I personally can't wait for spring!
Pearl Street Garden - Summer 2009
This was our first project and actually got pulled together very quickly. The Pearl Street garden is directly on Pearl Street in between the HAAA park and the pedestrian bridge in between two apartment buildings. It is a tiny pie shaped piece of land that was filled with weeds, broken glass and most unfortunately lots of gifts from the neighbourhood dogs.
To our surprise the clean up only took one evening's work - heavy dirty work with 6 adults and 2 children but still it was accomplished very fast. By the weekend new soil could be added, while the rain came and went on us. Some cool rocks and branches were added and it started to feel like an actual garden.
Plants were added the week after. Most are meant to attract butterflies to the area. Two vines are planted, a honeysuckle that will bloom all summer and a Virginia creeper to help cover the concrete wall, eventually protecting it from graffiti - we hope.
Our crew also painted over the existing graffiti and added a mural on the wall. Space was left for budding artists to contribute their own art work in a positive way - which did actually start shortly after.
Some of the residents who saw us at work commented on what an improvement it was for the small area. Others even "guerrillaed" our guerrilla garden and added plants of their own.
I was surprised how quickly a group of strangers could pull together a project to accomplish something. And also how it makes you feel like you part of a community by making those strangers part of your community.
Gardening Event: Straight from the Garden, September 27th 2009
Molly MacDonald, the Historic Garden Demonstrator at Dundurn Castle has send kindly sent this notice of their upcoming event:
Straight from the Garden
September 27th, 2009
12:00 - 4:00pm
Come to the fair! Dundurn Castle invites you and your family to join us in celebrating Hamilton's agricultural communities, past and present. Activities include a farmers' market, an agricultural exhibition, garden demonstrations and workshops, garden tours, cooking workshops, live music, and activities for the children. Bring your backyard produce for the community horticulural exhibition!
Some of the presenters and workshops:
Straight from the Garden
September 27th, 2009
12:00 - 4:00pm
Come to the fair! Dundurn Castle invites you and your family to join us in celebrating Hamilton's agricultural communities, past and present. Activities include a farmers' market, an agricultural exhibition, garden demonstrations and workshops, garden tours, cooking workshops, live music, and activities for the children. Bring your backyard produce for the community horticulural exhibition!
Some of the presenters and workshops:
- Russ Ohrt from Backyard Harvest
- Sapphire Singh, on starting community gardens
- Simon Taylor and Molly MacDonald on building hot frames and cold frames
KGG's Fall Neighbourhood Planting Initiative: BYOBulbs!
Kirkendall Guerrilla Gardeners invite you to join our Fall Neighbourhood Planting Initiative, Bring Your Own Bulbs. On October 17th, we'll be planting bulbs around the neighbourhood in neglected spots, and you can help in the following ways:
- Meet us on October 17th, at noon in front of the Locke Street Bakery, and bring your own supply of spring-blooming bulbs, a trowel and some gloves for planting;
- Suggest some spots in the neighbourhood that could use a bit of spring colour by pinning a location on our map, either at the Locke Street Festival on September 12th, or on the Google map here;
- Donate bulbs, garden tools or gloves that you don't need any more; or
- Donate cash to help us buy bulbs for all of us to enjoy!
Contact us through our email address at kgggrow@gmail.com.
Some Inspiration: Guerrilla Gardening is a Worldwide Movement
The response to our first project on Pearl Street in Hamilton has been remarkable and inspiring. Over the past two weeks of working on the garden and the cement wall in behind it, lots of community members walking, cycling and driving past have stopped to inquire, comment, express their excitement and thanks, and volunteer to help. Who knew that changing this small corner would have such an immediate effect on how people feel about their street, and would start so many conversations between strangers? Stay tuned: a post with the full range of before, during, and after pictures is coming soon!
In the meantime, for folks curious about what guerrilla gardening is all about, here are a few links that highlight both global and local groups that are using gardening to improve their communities and also challenge assumptions about what our cities should be like and who they should serve.
In the meantime, for folks curious about what guerrilla gardening is all about, here are a few links that highlight both global and local groups that are using gardening to improve their communities and also challenge assumptions about what our cities should be like and who they should serve.
- Richard Reynolds' blog, The Guerrilla Gardening Homepage: Richard Reynolds lives London, UK, and started guerrilla gardening by planting the empty planters in front of his highrise. He's also written a book, On Guerrilla Gardening.
- The Toronto Public Space Committee: This group emerged to protect streets and public spaces from commercialization and privatization, particularly as large billboards began to occupy so much of the visual space in Toronto. Guerrilla Gardening is one of their major areas of activism.
- The Green Guerillas: A New York-based community group that helps people develop and sustain community gardens and public art projects. The network of community gardens that they have helped to found and sustain numbers in the hundreds.
This is the tip of the iceberg in this diverse and global movement, but there's a lot to be inspired by in these three websites.
Calling all Neighbours: Let's Beautify and Transform our 'Hood Together
Kirkendall Guerrilla Gardeners is a group dedicated to transforming neglected spaces in our neighbourhood into beautiful oases for everyone to enjoy. We're inspired by the thousands of people in cities around the world who, individually and collectively, are:
- reclaiming unused, misused and abandoned urban spaces to grow flowers, trees or food for public benefit;
- empowering themselves and each other to transform their own communities and cities into the places they need and want, rather than waiting for others to do it for them; and
- creating and strengthening relationships in the community by acting together to make positive change
We recognize that the economic and environmental challenges of our era will require large scale changes, but also small and local changes too, in the way we organize our cities, get and share our resources, and relate to each other as a community. The KGG aims to make a contribution to that change, through the simple act of neighbours gardening together.
We've got one project nearly completed, and some exciting plans for the coming months. Check back soon for pictures of the KGG's first garden, on Pearl Street. In the meantime, if you're interested in getting involved, please send us an email at kgggrow@gmail.com.