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Editor's note: This post was written by Bonnie Alter, a writer for Planet Green's sibling site, TreeHugger.com. Thanks Bonnie!
At a time when most gardeners are happy to sit back and read seed catalogues, others are gearing up for the spring time offensive. Vanessa Harden is a guerrilla gardener and she is creating weapons of mass production.
Guerrilla gardening is a secret movement that has been growing and growing. People see abandoned and overgrown plots of land: in the middle of roadways, empty lots, next to empty houses and they plant seeds and make the plots beautiful. But how to do it without being caught?
At night is one answer. Guerrilla gardeners usually come out at night in small groups. Having identified their target, they bring shovels, flashlights and little seedlings. Sunflowers are popular because they grow big and tall and look great. Lavender is another popular one because it is hardy and smells so nice and has pretty purple flowers.
WATCH VIDEO: G Word: Seed Bombs Away
The traditionalists use seed bombs. These are balls made of a mixture of seeds, clay and compost. They are moulded in a ball with water and then dried . Then you just walk along the street and toss them into the nasty urban blights in your area.
Vanessa Harden goes at it differently. She is a daylight planter and a sole practitioner. She has created some covert instruments that allow her to garden alone and still look chic
Taking her inspiration from spy gadgets, her creations are rather tongue-in-cheek. Some of the tools are hidden in secret pouches and carrier bags and her most complex one, the "precision bombing device' looks like a camera.
This one allows the gardener to shoot seeds at a distance into places that it is hard to reach, like the side of railway tracks or over fences. Pellets are "fed" into the camera and it is aimed at the desired location.
The "Round Tactical Gravity Planter" is a good looking red over the should bag. But inside it lurks a conveyor belt and flaps which open and deposit the little plants into a hole. THe hole was made by the corner of the bag. Very secretive.
The "Mark II Agent Deployed Field Augur" actually makes sense. It is an auger (a hand-held device used to drill holes in the ground) hidden in a very serious and masculine looking brief case. When the case is rested on the ground the auger twists and makes a hole for the plant. This could be quite useful! Learn more about Vanessa (and her subversive methods) at designboom and at her website.
