Guerrilla Grafters
The mantra repeated in the horticultural trade businesses at this time is, if we don’t start a national campaign to promote gardening people will spend time doing something else. But, why go through all the expense and time of that when we have a younger generation that is very interested in horticulture already? The concern for us in the gardening business is they’re just not shopping at the garden center like mom and dad use too.
Don’t think the younger generations are interested in gardening? Your not looking in the right places. The newest expression of urban gardening is “Guerrilla Grafters”. Talk about taking matters into your own hands, literally. According to SFBay.com “Guerrilla Grafters bring fruit to the masses”. According to the article, Tara Hui is one of the founders of “Guerrilla Grafters, a renegade agricultural group that fruit-bearing branches onto public trees in the Bay Area for locals to enjoy for free.”
According to SFBay, “Volunteers in the Bay Area collect branches from the California Rare Fruit Growers association or pick up donated branches from backyard gardeners and regional orchards.” This bud stock is then grafted onto existing non-bearing trees like flowering pears. In the short video above you can learn what they are trying to accomplish.
There are a host of unanswered questions we could think up about this. That’s not the point, however. This crazy interest in grafting and gardening is what catches my attention. Grafting is not always an easy process, yet this 100 member volunteer group has learned how to do it, and are doing it. It is even spreading to other cities and countries. Call it “Guerrilla Grafting” if you like, but it’s still a form of gardening. If we in the trade are going to capture these peoples interest and enthusiasm it’s not through large campaigns, or media blitzes. It will be by providing the tools they need, and helping them spread the word of how cool gardening is via social media.
Wow, I had no idea…what an amazing group of people! Seems like just the kind of thing that would be catching on here in Portland.
Could be headed your way Loree, or maybe already there just getting a foothold.
Thanks Trey! Now I get what was going on, on Heinz Street in Berkeley! I was distracted a couple of weeks ago by people grafting to the ornamental plum and pear street trees… I had to get to the nursery so I couldn’t stop and ask… I am so going to play with this too! Though most of my guerrilla gardening activities tend to be with asclepias, sunflowers and prickly pears….
I can’t believe this never occurred to me. Planting some seeds is one thing from grafting is taking it to a whole other level. I’m doing this.
Phil,
Have fun! It seems like such a cool idea. By the way, I really enjoyed your post at North Coast Gardening the other week!
Great idea — I’d love to hear more about this!
I first saw mention of this group last year in the SF Chronicle, but they hadn’t identified themselves yet. It was merely a report that someone was grafting fruit varieties onto non-fruit bearing trees. The world must be turning upside down. This staunch Republican, heirloom tomato grower and fruit tree fanatic thinks this is a great idea he can really sink his teeth into!
Bill,
There is something in it that calls to me, too. It’s a great prank, that at the very least means people are watching out for the street trees. Vested interest in success means less vandalism, and possible delicious results.
Bill,
If we start reading about fruit showing up mysteriously on ornamental’s at the capitol grounds, I’ll play Sargent Shultz, “I know nothing!”
Trey,
Maria Shriver actually started the effort of planting fruit trees on State Capitol Grounds as part of the “WeGarden” effort created when Michelle Obama planted a vegetable garden (and also started to keep bees) on White House grounds. Unfortunately, it never got beyond a donation of three fruit trees before the effort was discontinued (elections change everything). I have often believed that the vast tracts of land currently holding ornamental trees at freeway interchanges and offramps, for example, would make for great orchards that would attract all sorts of wildlife. Grafting works well with newer trees that are less than five years old…