Seriously, just do it!

You don’t need me to tell you we’re living through dark and increasingly dystopian times. Hubristic warmongers are carrying out actions which will impact across the globe. I wrote about these threats in this recent piece, one that will rapidly date as ‘events’ unfold: Strange days... 3.4.26.

Then there’s the oil derivative products that like it or not, we all have to depend upon. These range from fertilisers all the way through to plastics. It’s now planting time in the Northern Hemisphere. A shortage of fertilisers will result in lower crop yields. Lower crop yields will result in food shortages and significantly higher prices. For those whose incomes are already stretched, things are going to get grim.

On this blog, and on previous ones going all the way back to Alternative Estuary when we were living back in Essex, I’ve been constantly banging on about the need to decentralise and localise the way we grow and distribute food. Never has this been more important than now, as I explained in this post: The role of localised food production as s**t gets real 4.3.26.

This is why we’ve always banged on about the importance of decentralised and localised food growing, production and distribution. Simply because it’s a lot less vulnerable to geo-political events. Also, as whoever controls the food supply controls the population, given the trajectory towards techno-fascism, wresting control of this from the government and the corporations and bringing it down to the grassroots is now vital.

Part of that involves turning a portion of your garden (if you have one) over to growing at least some of the vegetables and fruit that you need. Another part could involve getting an allotment but, there’s the inevitable waiting list which could be a good few years before a suitable plot becomes available. Yet another option is getting involved in your local community fruit and vegetable plot, which is what we’ve done with this project – Keynsham Community Veg Plot in the Park. If you live in Bristol, Bath or any of the surrounding settlements, you can find a list of community food growing projects here hat you could get involved with: The Directory.

If none of the above options are viable, then there’s always guerrilla gardening. This is something I’ve already written about and I make no apologies for quoting at length from this old piece: Guerrilla gardening… Just do it! 28.10.24.

Starting a project to make a change in your neighbourhood can seem to be a daunting prospect. Yes, there are grassroots community projects that are complex and there are probably good reasons for that – changing the world is not an easy business and a degree of organisation is required. However, there are things you can do which don’t require a lot of organisation or hours writing funding applications. Guerrilla vegetable and fruit gardening is one of those things you can do…

If there’s an awkward shaped smallish plot of land in your neighbourhood that’s been neglected and no one’s sure who owns or has responsibility for it, why not cultivate it for the benefit of the community? Canvas opinion in the immediate neighbourhood to see how much support there is for the idea of transforming the plot from an eyesore into a vegetable and fruit garden that will become a vital community asset. Find out who’s willing to help you work on it and then work out a plan for what you want to do.

You could ask for permission if you want but if the land has been neglected for years, then whoever is responsible for it obviously doesn’t care about the impact of their neglect on your neighbourhood so…just get on with it! There’s a welcome, non-violent anti-authoritarian aspect to guerilla gardening that should be embraced.

While at one level, it’s about making your neighbourhood a better place to live, at a more fundamental level, it’s asking questions about land ownership and control. It also offers a more sustainable method of securing genuinely fresh vegetables and fruit than that offered by large scale farming and the massive corporations that control the sourcing, supply and distribution of our food.

The other benefits are building a feeling of solidarity and cohesion in your neighbourhood as people get together to work on a common project. A project that as it matures will give people a sense of pride in and responsibility towards their neighbourhood and boost community morale. A confidence booster that can inspire people to take on bigger and more complex projects that will start to lead to real, meaningful change.

Start small, gain confidence, start to think bigger but above all…just do it!

I don’t want to give too much away at the moment but, we’re discussing systematically identifying plots of land in Keynsham that we think would be suitable for guerrilla gardening. Then we’ll be doing what we can to encourage nearby residents to start setting up gardens. One part of this will involve the strategic placement of stickers, using the design at the top of this piece, by areas we think are suitable. It’s spring and most of the planting season is still ahead of us. Now is the ideal time to start guerrilla gardening...