I don't know much about it, I've seen this mentioned in a couple of newspaper articles, but it seems like putting stuff on someone else's property (even nice things like plants) is sort of asking for trouble. Also, do you know what runs under that lot? Sewer lines, gas lines, water lines, etc? If you really just want to grow sth, there are plenty of other options, like a p-patch or renting some space from someone. If you don't like having a nasty empty lot in your neighborhood, contact the owners and tell them you are willing to grow stuff there with the understanding that they can still dispose with the property as they see fit, and your stuff might get dug up at short notice.

I don't know... the whole prospect seems kind of risky and discourteous. Just my not so informed opinion.

What if the owner likes "wildflower/weeds" like I do. Maybe they like it as the only spot of vacant property where the insects and other critters find undisturbed shelter?

If you have time on your hands and the itch to garden more volunteer to fix up an abandoned rose garden at a senior center or something. There are plenty of such projects waiting for your energy.

If you just want to feel naughty, there is plenty of room for other, non-invasive "projects" for anyone with imagination. Sex, drugs and rock and roll always got me by...

I was just reading last night about an approach to making small urban gardens with profit in mind. Perhaps someone with a house but no strength to garden, like a senior, would welcome someone to take care of their yard and grow a garden for a share of the produce.

Here is a link that might be useful: spingardening

Jeepers, seems like everybody wants to talk about everything except Guerrilla Gardening.

I say; go for it. Include flowers around the edges. Grow potatoes because people don't know what a potato plant is and don't know there's potatoes underneath. Grow corn because people will steal that and it will be good for them. Peas are easy. Tomatoes, too. Lots of straw mulch to keep the weeds down.

Start a mongo compost pile. Scrounge some pallets to make the compost bins and start stockpiling grass clippings. When the leaves arrive, mix them with the grass clippings. You might try Interbay Mulch because you get enough rain to ensure that the mulch stays damp enough to decompose.

Controlling weeds will be the major challenge. If you keep the garden neat, the lot owner might not object when he discovers the garden.

My concern is people fostering nuisance plants like the butterfly bush being discussed on another thread because they don't see what the big deal is themselves. If a fully informed party accurately assesses a particular situation and succeeds in getting a non-threatening but interesting plant going on a site where it will not disrupt native vegetation then that can be worthwhile. An example is the snow gum that was guerilla gardened into the otherwise boring WSDOT landscaping at the intersection of 45th and I-5 in Seattle. Several seedlings were planted, one survived to become a quite harmonious feature appearing to enjoy the sunny slope - yet not growing rankly and becoming trashy, weedy or out-of-scale.

Realizing I didn't really know what Guerilla gardening was, I googled it and found some interesting information on wikipedia, etc. If it were a movement to revitalize some unused land, or add edibles to park landscapes, where watering and landscaping were already in place, it sounds good, I always thought public parks should be a place for some practical plants as well as ornamentals. However, trying to garden on a vacant or abandoned lot, especially here with the long dry summer, it would not work well without access to water, unless only the kind of plants were grown than can make it with the wet/dry seasons, like the biennials and bulbs, and xerophytic plants. What kind of garden did you intend to grow?

I for one never advocated butterfly bushes, just sterile varieties that could not reseed. But I don't know if the sterile ones are also a good nectar source for butterflies, perhaps they are not. Bummer.

I'm not aware of any sterile Buddleja davidii forms or hybrids. B. x weyeriana, perhaps? I've seen this mentioned here twice now. What varieties are supposed to be sterile?

The ODA site only mentions one-

Approved Sterile Variety List
Varieties must be approved by the ODA and noted on the list of approved Buddleja. One variety of Buddleia davidii var. nonhoensis X B. asiatica ÂAsian Moon', is on the approved list, as the species produces little or no seeds and offers a non-invasive habit. Varieties will be added to the list only if:

They have been tested by independent researcher(s), results have been published in a referred journal, and the variety meets the criteria for sterility,
They have been evaluated by Oregon State University (OSU) and meet the criteria for sterility. Contact: Jim Owen or Ryan Contreras, OSU

I found one nursery carrying it, but currently out of stock-

http://www.pineridgegardens.com/2003Tree.htm

Buddelia 'Asian Moon' Butterfly bush 'Asian Moon'
$sold out
Not Native Sun Zone 6b-9 Family: Loganiaceae
"'Asian Moon' is the first release from the University of Arkansas' breeding program on butterfly bushes. it is a symmetrical, rounded shrub with light purple flowers. A significant advantage for Asian Moon is that it is sterile. Because it doesn't set seeds, it will not escape cultivation and become invasive, as the species is known to become in some areas of the country. Also, because it doesn't set seed, the flowering stage is extended, resulting in longer-lasting blooms. Thanks to Dr. Jon Lindstrom, who was instrumental in breed it, we have the opportunity to offer these plants to you."

There is another one supposed to be sterile, Lo and Behold series, Blue Chip, just 18-24" tall and constantly in bloom, from Proven Winners. I don't know if it has been submitted to ODA for approval.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oregon Dept. of Agriculture

Guerrilla gardening example in downtown Portland

well written article! there is also a book out 'On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries' by Richard Reynolds that got me interested in the topic. it gives some amazing examples of guerrilla gardening and also makes you realize exactly how important the idea of gardening actually is to a community...
give it a look :)

see also: "The Harvard Ave Collective Brings Fresh Produce to The Shores", Capitol Hill Seattle blog, June 23, 2009

it seems as if a lot of guerrilla gardening is vegetables...does the pollution from passing motor vehicles alter the plants?

I haven't seen much systematic data on roadside pollution in gardens; then again, I haven't done a thorough lit search yet. But yes, pollution from passing cars can potentially be absorbed by plants. It's a judgment call - depends on how busy the road is, and how much food you plan to eat from your roadside garden.

For abandoned lots, I would be more concerned about contamination from former uses - leaking underground petroleum tanks, dry cleaners, Ye Olde Lead Paint and Solvent Shoppe, etc. It's fairly common for these kinds of sites to be abandoned for long periods of time because no one wants to pay for environmental assessment and cleanup (though usually people will at least put up a fence). Perhaps I am biased because my job involves cleaning up polluted sites, so I don't see the clean ones; still, I wouldn't grow *any* food on an abandoned property unless I was familiar with its history.

That is an excellent point that i never would have ever thought of...i am surprised that no one has brought that up in any reading i have done in the topic so far. thanks for the insight!

Isn't B. x 'Lochinch' supposed to be sterile? I grew it for years, and it never set seed.

I second yami's comment and concern regarding hazardous material issues. As an M&A attorney, I often see deals fall apart due to haz mat problems -- and my clients have never even thought of growing food on such soil!

There are certain plants that allegedly help to "pull" poisons out of the soil, a process known as phytoremediation, but the process is slow, not necessarily effective and then you have to deal with the disposal of the poisoned (and now poisonous) plants, themselves. Sunflowers are being tested in some areas of the country for phytoremediation purposes. It sounds appealing -- an empty lot full of the many hues and sizes of sunflowers, a sort of urban Arles -- but I would worry about people and wildlife eating the seeds and suffering the effects of the same.

Cautiously,

Rain

WSU used to say to locate food gardens 100' back from highways - and perhaps still does. In addition to lead from fuel there will be asbestos from brake linings and probably all manner of other noxious products of the frequent passage of many vehicles over a long period of time along all such routes. One year I helped a bit at a street corner plant lot that was a little below the lanes where cars idled while waiting for the light. Even though the big buildup of traffic was across two lanes, on the other side the exhaust generated was palpable, the chips and soil covering the lot discernibly filthy.

The plant lot was being operated on this urban site in a built-up area because the spot was still zoned agricultural.

I've seen vegetables planted in parking strips outside of Asian restaurants here. Dichlobenil herbicide granules could be seen sprinkled over the bark mulch around them, left no doubt by maintenance contractors before the vegetables were planted.

Last year I saw vegetables planted along the edge of a parking lot at a shoe store, downhill from the lot, where the rain collected by the parking stalls would be received. Creosoted railroad ties formed stops for the cars, with the vegetables right behind.

Then there is all the gathering of Himalayan blackberries from local roadsides. I believe I have at least once even seen berries being picked from plants that had visible herbicide injury to the foliage at the time.

I woman I worked with at a local production nursery came to work one time with a shirt that proclaimed "Up Your Chemical Awareness!".

In the Portland case I linked to above, the parking strip was on property occupied by a religious organization who had contracted with a parking lot operator and that operator did send out a person to pull out all the vegetable plants.

I would think every square foot of downtown Portland is under occasional monitoring by some business or company and any guerrilla garden is unlikely to survive.

If you need water for your guerrilla garden here is an idea. I found it and will use it for some apple trees (guerrilla planted for sure)

DL

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree watering system no hose needed

There is also a gorilla garden at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Oh wait, that's something else.

wow the things they come up with these days...thats an excellent idea for watering guerrilla gardens. i know a lot of people experience that problem...this is my favorite solution thus far

Here is a link that might be useful: get everyone involved :)

cute little article i found on the subject today :)
the one thing i like about guerrilla gardening is that it gets everyone involved in gardening

Here is a link that might be useful: good for her

bboy--

Woodland park gorilla garden---heh heh heh!

Treegators are in use by the Portland Public Parks, unless someone is guerilla watering with gators.

This is an example of 'gator gardening, rather than gorilla gardening.

Although I don't know why they are called treegator, they appear more like a gaiter when applied to the tree.

I've been Gator gardening on Camano Island for years.

Here is a link that might be useful: John Deere Utility Vehicles

victoriannoire, your linked garden reminds me of the movie, Joe's Apartment, a classic if you haven't seen it, related to guerrilla gardening.

I have never seen that one before...i will make sure to search it out next time i am downloading though :)