Spring is Happening... Apparently

Let's get out there and guerilla!

It's spring. 
I mean, it's summer. 

I mean, I have no idea what season it is out there.

But this Saturday, April 13, we'll be celebrating the sun, guerilla-style. Let's put some pretty in the city by weeding, sowing, and transplanting on a little spot of abandoned land.

Where: The corner of 14th and D Streets NE
When: Saturday, April 13, 9:00AM-11:00AM

What to bring: Gardening gloves; a few vegetable seedlings or flower starts; water for drinking; and friends.

Leave a comment if you have any questions. 
Hope to see you there!  

Written by Jenelle Eli

Doing: Seed Bombs and Bicyclists!

On April 16th, the D.C. Guerilla Gardeners will be teaching the messy art of seed bomb-making to the masses of bicyclists pedaling through D.C. for the Greenhorns' URBAN FARM BIKE TOUR!

Join us at 1pm at the Mamie D. Lee Community Garden (100 Gallatin Street NE) in Ft. Totten. Tour the garden, pet the bicyclists, and get your hands dirty making your very own seed bombs!

Then follow the bicyclists on their route through D.C.: From Ft. Totten to the Washington Youth Garden to the Common Good Community Farm to the Letelier Theater in Georgetown, where the Greenhorns will screen their film "The Greenhorns." Workshops on bees, rain gardens, urban farming, city blossoms and seed bombs occur throughout the day at each of their stops.

If following bikers and learning super cool stuff aren't your cup of tea, then do what I'd do and beat them to the final destination. While those kooky cyclists sweat atop bikes, you and a few dozen cupakes can chillax in Baked and Wired.

And if cupcakes aren't your thing... Well, you're crazy. How can you not like cupcakes?! But if you're crazy and don't like cupcakes, know that Baked and Wired has other stuff, including something called "Hippie Crack," which appears to be granola.

Post-bike/workshops/cupcakes/granola, down some beer, eat some food, watch "The Greenhorns," and mix with awesome people at the Letelier Theater.

Here. Look at this neato flyer. It tells you about the event so much better than I am. (I blame the thought of cupcakes. CUPCAKES! They mess with your mind.)

So! To sum up: Get your butts to Ft. Totten on Saturday the 16th at 1pm to encourage the Greenhorns' intrepid bikers and to make seed bombs! Then either follow them on their bike-y tour-y path to Georgetown, or follow my direct-to-site path to Georgetown's Baked and Wired.

Third choice is to do whatever you want, but we have an impending government shutdown, people. Government shutdown = eat cupcakes.)

See y'all there!

P.S.! Any guerillas interested in helping out at the DCGG's DIY Seed Bomb Stand at Ft. Totten? Please let me know!

P.P.S.! Don't forget to sign up for the DCGG listserv!

REMINDER: We're A-Meetin', Yo!

Hear ye, hear ye! The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners will be getting together tomorrow evening, 6:30pm, at Tynan Coffee in Columbia Heights to plan our 2011 season o' guerilla-y fun!

Come prepared to drink some coffee - Let's make sure we give Tynan lots of props for letting us use their space! - and hash out ideas to transform D.C.'s concrete jungle into a green, uh... actual jungle.

I'll also be soliciting (read: begging) y'all for some help with some of the administrative and leadership roles within the DCGG. If there's a project you'd like to oversee, by all means, oversee! If you're a guerilla with an interest in writing, we have an entire blog for you to write for! And if you're a Facebook whiz, please take over our Facebook page! Because I don't understand Facebook! At all! For reals! There's lots of fun for everyone, and I love to share the love.

The first-ever DCGG Planning Meeting is sure to be memorable, so be there!

Event: DCGG Planning Meeting

Good morning, guerillas! Spring is in the air and I am READY TO PLAY IN THE DIRT!

The DCGG will hold its first-ever MEETING OF THE MINDS on Tuesday, March 8th at Tynan Coffee & Tea in Columbia Heights. Over wonderful, wonderful caffeine, we will brainstorm ways to overtake D.C. with our guerilla-y ways, and then? AND THEN! We will schedule our events for the season! Look at us, being all organized and such... We're gardeners, guerillas, AND organizational gurus! Woo!

2010 was an amazing year for the DCGG. The press we got was overwhelming, and though being so out-in-the-open isn't guerilla-y per se, it brought us lots and lots of recruits. With a bigger team than ever, we can sneak attack D.C. in even bigger ways!

I'd love to hear your ideas, my friends. Let's pow wow on the 8th and make 2011 the Year of The Guerilla Gardener!

What: DCGG Meeting of the Minds
Where: Tynan Coffee & Tea - 1400 Irving Street NW, Washington D.C. - Right at the Columbia Heights Metro stop on the Green/Yellow line.
When: Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 6:30PM
Why: Because we want to turn all of D.C.'s forgotten spots into green ones!
RSVP: If you plan to come, please let me know so that we can commandeer enough tables.

Happy almost-Spring, my awesome guerillas! I look forward to seeing your green thumbs on the 8th!

Working The System

I shall confess something, mon amies: I am new to the whole gardening gig. There. Now you know. But what I lack in know-how, I make up for in enthusiasm and BOY! I am enthused. Want to know why?

Because there are so many projects that the DCGG is looking into that my noggin' is a-swirlin' with the possibilities. For I have a dream, people! I want our fair city to be the greenest in the country, and I want D.C. residents to love what they see when they look out their windows.

It's that last one - the loving what you see when you look out the window - that has my heart so wrapped around one project in particular. A NE neighborhood contacted the D.C. Guerilla Gardeners and asked for help in turning an ugly abandoned lot into a community garden. They want a place where they can sit and play chess. A place where neighbors can meet and talk and pass time in that special way that only happens in a garden.

My fellow guerilla gardeners, we are SO ON IT.

Only this project isn't very guerilla-esque. I'm doing my best to keep the sneakiness and illegality out of this one. "But why, Theresa?" you may ask. "You're a guerilla gardener!" you may exclaim. "GUER-I-LLA," you may emphasize. And you're right. Absolutely positutely correct. I am a guerilla gardener.

But that doesn't mean that I can't garden on the up-and-up from time-to-time, does it?

Because I really hate to see plants die. Really really. And I'd like to make sure that our green, leafy friends at this project location get to live as long as they possibly can. So if I can prevent them from going towards the light by asking permission first, then I'm a-gonna.

But y'all, the asking-of-permission is tedious and pretty much fruitless. Negligent property owners that don't return calls, a local government that doesn't respond to letters... It's all very As The World Turns. When all is said and done, this may end up being a guerilla garden after all, simply because people wouldn't call me back *grumbling*

That being said, the DCGG needs many, many volunteers to help with this community garden project. There will be some clean-up and clear out work before we get to the actual planting. There's even a dead tree that needs to get cut down. Also? This project will span seasons. SEASONS, people. We're starting in the Fall and will finish up next Spring.

Prepare yourself for some hardcore gardening, folks. Start working out those green thumbs! I need y'all in shape for this one.

Interested in helping out? Email me and I'll give you the scoop.

Seed Bomb-aranza!

Howdy-ho! 'Tis time to announce the D.C. Guerilla Gardeners' very first butcertainlynotthelast SEED BOMB-ARANZA!

When: Saturday, July 24, 2010

Where: National Mall, near the Smithsonian Metro stop on the Blue/Orange lines

Time: 11am to 12:30pm

What is a Seed Bomb-aranza? Seed Bomb-aranza (see-duh bahm-bah-rahn-zah) n. An event in which the DCGG and friends make seed bombs on the National Mall: I want to make D.C. a greener place, so let's have a Seed Bomb-aranza and seed bomb some empty lots!

What is a seed bomb? Think of a Dunkin' Donuts donut hole, but instead of being made of cakey goodness, it's made of clay and dirt. And instead of having dough inside, it has flower seeds. And instead of getting powdered sugar on your hands when you hold it, you get mud. And instead of digesting it, you throw it in an empty lot. Fun, right?!

What happens after the Bomb-aranza? We send you, our loveable gardening minions, off into the concrete jungle to seed bomb the naked areas of our fair District. A tossin' good time for one and all!

I love the idea, now tell me more! We're mixing it up and will be bombin' it picnic-style! Meaning al fresco and on blankets. And also with food and drinks! But it's strictly BYOF and BYOBSLATBAABYCHAOTNM - which translates to Bring Your Own Beverages So Long As Those Beverages Aren't Alcoholic Because You Can't Have Alcohol On The National Mall - because I once brought Oreos to a guerilla gardening event and no one ate them. Scarred me for life, the non-Oreo eating. For reals. So if you want to make seed bombs and eat, then bring yourself some food. (But no one will complain if you bring me some Oreos. I'm just sayin'.)

What to bring: Besides Oreos? Something to sit on, some food and beverages if you want to snack and sip, the willingness to get your hands dirty, and most importantly, some seeds! Bring a packet (or two... or fifty) of seeds to add to the muddy mix. Native flowers are great! If you want to win major points on my "I Love You More Than Oreos" scale, you can bring some clay. Email me if you're up for clayin' it.

So there you have it, you sneaky gardeners, you. The Seed Bomb-aranza. Be there, or (a vacant lot will) be bare.

The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners THIRD-EVER Event!

Hear ye! Hear ye! The DCGG is mixing it up this month to deliver a TKO (or Technical Knock-Out to you non-boxing types) to the Champorama Garden in Adams Morgan.

One of our "contenders" (guerillas) is taking over the care of Champorama since its "fall through the ropes" and needs our assistance to get it in back in fighting shape. We'll go "ten rounds" with the "glass jawed" lot, but in the end it will be the "heavyweight" DCGG that takes home the "belt."

C'mon. Admit you're impressed by my boxing lingo. I'm no "Marquess of Queensbury" but my Google-fu (from which I found all of these terms) is a real "barnburner."

-What: The THIRD-EVER D.C. Guerilla Gardeners Event! Woo Woo Woo!

-When: Sunday, June 27, 2010

-Time: 11am - Noon-ish

-Where: Champorama Garden at Champlain Street NW and Kalorama Road NW in Adams Morgan

-Bring: Boxing Gardening gloves, garden tools (spade, trowel, shovel, etc.), and one plant to add to the existing garden (drought-resistant natives are recommended)

For more information, check out the flyer. (How cute is our "champ" gorilla?! I'd squeeze his cheeks if he wasn't so ferocious. Or illustrated.)

Doing It (Competitively) - Cultivate Your Cut-Out!

Hidey-ho there, guerillas! So I thought I'd shake things up a bit by enticing you subversive gardeners with a contest. With a make-believe drumroll and much fanfare (at least from this side of my monitor), I present to you the first-ever D.C. Guerilla Gardeners CONTEST! Wooo! Fanfare!
Here's how the Cultivate Your Cut-Out contest goes: Choose a tree pit (aka: sidewalk cut-out) and go rip-roarin' crazy with the planting, yo. Once you're done, either send me some pictures or tell me to get my butt over to the spot and check it out in person. The gardener with the most impressive cut-out WINS! (Before and After pics work GREAT for this. Hint hint.)

"And what does that gardener win?" you ask. The answer? I have no stinkin' idea! I'm thinking $50 and a fancy ribbon that says, "You kicked that cut-out's ass." For those of you who don't use such foul language, I can make the ribbon say "heinie." (Or "gluteus maximus" if you want to get technical. And anatomical.)

That's really all there is to it, but in the spirit of being a responsible person, I'll offer some suggestions.

1. Choose a spot convenient to your home or work, or some place you pass frequently so that you can keep an eye on your handywork.
2. Choose plants that require little to no maintenance (ie: drought resistant), unless you're prepared to lovingly tend that little bit of Earth.
3. If there is an established tree in the cut-out, remember ROOTS! Plants with extensive root systems likely won't make it if you plant them there.
4. AZALEAS ARE THE DEVIL. I know that you'll want to plant them because they're oh-so-pretty and super cheap, but take it from someone that has experienced the horror that is the INSTANTANEOUS BRITTLE YELLOW DEATH of an azalea... Just don't do it. Refrain, y'all. Refrain.
5. People will get out of their cars and walk in your cut-out, and others will let their doggies make on your plants. Remember this so that you don't cry, and also so that you'll plant accordingly (ie: put shorter, hardier plants closest to the curb).
6. If you desire those pretty iron fences that the District puts around some of the cut-outs, DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP. For reals. I solicited the city for some of those and it was a fruitless endeavor. FRUITLESS! So if you need a fence around your cut-out, get creative and make one yourself. I suggest bricks, as these seem to be everywhere. You'll probably find a bunch IN the cut-out if you start digging around. (NOTE: Fences are not required for the contest.)
7. Pay attention to how much sunlight the spot gets. If you put shady plants in a sunny spot, you get some wicked dead plants. (Believe me, I know.)
8. I don't recommend planting fruits or vegetables in your cut-out, unless you test the soil first. There can be some super nasty things lurking in our city's dirt and you don't want to ingest that crap. If you don't plan on eating those edibles (instead letting the butterflies and bees and, uh... rats do it), then plant on. But if you do plan on eating the stuff in your cut-out, test the soil and for the love of God, PLEASE wash your fruits and veggies before you eat them. Dogs have likely peed on your squash. I kid you not.

Deadline for planting and photo submission is July 4th. Independence Day! Judging will occur that week, with a winner announced on Monday, July 12th.

Go at it, my friends! You know you're itching for that ribbon. YOU KNOW YOU ARE! Best of luck to you all, my beloved subversives. Best of luck.

P.S. If you plan on participating, drop me a note to let me know, por favor. It would be a cryin' shame if I continue to blog about this contest and there's no one out there participating. I'd be all embarrassed and my fragile fragile ego would go up in BRITTLE YELLOW DEATH... like my azaleas.

The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners SECOND-EVER Event!

The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners are at it again, but this time we're taking our sneaky guerilla green thumbs to the SE corner of the District. Grab your shovel and join us on Sunday, May 9, 2010, at the intersection of K Street SE at New Jersey Avenue SE. We're turning a mucky overgrown corner into, well... an unmucky, undergrown corner. Also, it will be pretty. And healthy. And generally nicer all around.

Sunday is Mother's Day, which means I could technically pull the Mother Earth card - see how I did that? - but I won't. Instead I shall suggest that you bring your mom to the event! Guerilla gardening is a great way to bond with your mum. There's no better way to say, "I love you, mom," than by pulling up weeds and sifting through urban detritus.

1. What: The SECOND-EVER D.C. Guerilla Gardeners Event! Woo-to-the-2!
2. When: Sunday, May 9, 2010
3. Time: 10am to Noon-ish
4. Where: K Street SE at New Jersey Avenue SE
5. Metro: Location is two blocks north of the Navy Yard Metro stop on the Green Line.
6. Bring: Your preferred garden tools, gloves (gardening and/or plastic to avoid the ick), a 1-quart plant (preferably Mid-Atlantic native perennial) or seeds to include in the project. Plants should resist drought, tolerate partial shade to full sun, and thrive in poor soil with inadequate drainage. If you are unable to bring a plant but still want to participate, no problem! Enthusiasm is the DCGG's only requirement.
7. RSVP: If you're so inclined, let D.C. Guerilla Gardeners know you're coming so that we can be sure to bring enough snacks. But this time? NO OREOS. For reals.

The Site - K Street SE at New Jersey Avenue SE

Event Flyer - PDF version available by request.
Want to join in the guerilla fun? SURE YOU DO! Don't be shy, just come on by. Gardening experience is not required.

The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners SECOND-EVER Event!

Let me tell y'all that the DCGG is ON FIRE! Our FIRST-EVER Event was wildly successful and oodles of fun, so we are moving on to Event Numero Dos tout de suite.

SAVE THE DATE, you gardenin' fools! Save it.

• What: The SECOND-EVER D.C. Guerilla Gardeners Event! Woo-to-the-2!
• When: Sunday, May 9, 2010
• Time: 10am - Noon
• Where: TO BE DETERMINED. (Got a location idea? Email me!)
• Bring: Bottled water (for yourself to drink), gardening gloves, your preferred garden tools (spade, trowel, shovel, etc.), seeds or plants if you have 'em and want to share 'em
• RSVP: Let D.C. Guerilla Gardeners know you're coming so that I can be sure to bring enough snacks, though I have to tell you that the last group didn't eat any of the snacks I brought and I was forced - FORCED - to eat the entire package of Oreos ALL BY MYSELF.*

Stay tuned as more information is announced.

Join the mailing list to get all of DCGG dirt! Pun intended.

*I will say for the record that I asked, no, BEGGED my lovely guerillas to PLEASE take the Oreos when they went home so as to save me from the mass Oreo consumption, but did they? No. They did not. And I? I ate all of the Oreos. JUST AS I WARNED THEM I WOULD. My ever-enlarging posterior blames you.

The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners FIRST-EVER Event!

D.C. Guerilla Gardeners is getting to ready to attack, er... garden a neighborhood spot near you! Want to get involved? Your chance could literally be right around the corner.

• What: The FIRST-EVER D.C. Guerilla Gardeners Event! Woo!
• When: Sunday, April 18, 2010
• Time: 10am - Completion
• Where: T Street NW at Vermont Avenue NW
• More Where: Location is one block from the U Street/African American Civil War Memorial Metro stop on the Green Line.
• Bring: Bottled water (for yourself to drink), sunscreen (we like to make things green, not red), gardening gloves, your preferred garden tools (spade, trowel, shovel, etc.)*
• RSVP: If you're so inclined, let D.C. Guerilla Gardeners know you're coming so that we can be sure to bring enough snacks. Did I say, "Snacks?" I SURE DID! There will be snacks, oh yes indeedio.

The Site - T Street NW at Vermont Avenue NW

*For more information on what you can bring, contact D.C. Guerilla Gardeners.

Download the event flyer here.

We hope to see you on April 18!