Subversive Gardener

CHANNEL

The Subversive Gardener is a non-profit platform dedicated to educating individuals of all ages to develop creative design solutions to agricultural challenges created by climate change. This channel is dedicated to highlighting some of the exceptional people we have met on our travels who have inspired us through their innovative approaches and impact driven environmental initiatives — all in the effort of making our world a better place.

(PILOT) Episode 1: Richard Reynolds

When Richard Reynolds began planting flowers secretly at night outside his tower block in South London he had no idea he was part of a growing global movement committed to combating the forces of neglect, land shortage and apathy towards public spaces. But his blog GuerrillaGardening.org attracted other guerrillas from around the world including the Subversive Gardener. We had the privilege of catching up with Richard to hear more about his guerrilla gardening initiatives and the various ways he is transforming his urban environment.

Episode 2: Alix Kivlin

Alix Kivlin is a Williamsburg based resident and garden manager of The Heckscher Foundation Children’s Garden. In this episode we see how Alix and her fellow community members have turned this neglected space into a thriving communal area that brings together children, college students and long time neighborhood residents alike. Through concerts, gardening workshops and member workdays, each person that visits contributes a little something to this garden that makes this magical space come alive.

EPISODE 3: Shannon Mccabe

Shannon McCabe is a writer and farmer for BakerCreek Heirloom Seeds, an heirloom seed company based in Missouri USA. Shannon is passionate about sharing the stories of heirlooms seeds and preserving that history for future generations. Join us to hear how this knowledge has been shared in an effort to preserve special varieties of seeds from across the globe.

Episode 4: Heatonist

Meet Noah Chamberg, the founder of Heatonist, a specialty hot sauce shop in North Brooklyn. Heatonist grows a wide variety of chilli peppers in their test garden in order to sample different species prior to creating a hot sauce. Join us as we learn more about Heatonist and how this hot sauce company approaches the many agricultural challenges of growing in urban environments.

Episode 5: Cropswap

This segment celebrates the marriage of technology with community agriculture. Citing the enormous waste of unsold produce in our grocery stores, Dan McCollister, founder of the app Cropswap, decided to combat this issue while creating closer, more resilient communities. Cropswap makes it possible to buy, sell, or simply share produce -- from seeds and baby plants to ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables -- with your local community via your phone.

EPISODE 6: OKO FARMS

Meet Yemi, founder and director of OKO Farms, New York City’s only outdoor aquaponic farm. In this episode, see some of the challenges and the real magic that aquaponic gardening provides. Explore Yemi’s curated collection of floating plants, featuring okra, sorghum, black eyed peas, spilanthes and more, all grown locally in this sustainable system nourished by fish waste!

EPISODE 7: PRITI BHOSALE

Join Priti for a sunny day in Mumbai. As car horns sound, it is almost impossible to forget you are in the city until you look around at the oasis garden on the rooftop of Our Lady Of Hope Orphanage. This plant filled haven aims to replicate a forest ecosystem; with tall banana trees, herbs, veggies, and earthworms you feel like you have been transported to another world. See how Priti works through the challenges of urban farming, including monsoons and extreme heat, as she grows beautiful produce for a paediatric care facility nearby.

Episode 8: Julius Rego

Meet Julius, co founder of Green Souls, as we join him at the Cheshire Disability Center, one of the locations in Mumbai where he and his team are building edible gardens. He aims to feed the 20 people who live and work there by concentrating on the basics of gardening - good sunlight, a special mix of soil, and the right amount of watering. Watch as the centre uses urban challenges to their advantage by turning wildlife waste and other organic matter into healthy soil, all while helping to conserve water with their auto watering system.

Episode 9: Urban Food Lab

In this episode, tune in for a call with Omar, the former director of the NYU Urban Food Lab. The urban food lab provides a place for students to try out mini farm projects in a hands on fun environment. Omar himself was inspired to turn an old fridge into a vertical farm, which ended up springboarding another team member to start a vertical farming business. Tune in to see what other projects are coming out of this exciting space.

Episode 10: Agritecture

Meet Ricky, a digital strategist from Agritecture. As a global urban agriculture consulting firm, Agritecture focuses on helping people who want to engage with their community and solve food related problems but don’t know how. Join us this episode, as we ask questions about how technology can help provide alternative solutions to challenges within urban food production.

Episode 11: Mia Vaughnes

This is Mia Vaughnes, founder of Good Neighbor Gardens, a San Diego based organization whose goal is to create a community of neighbors sharing their resources to ensure that everyone has access to the healthiest, freshest food at an affordable price. Join us as we hear how Mia and her team want to teach the benefits of eating seasonally, promote an alternative way of feeding our families and expose people to new and beautiful vegetables.

Episode 12: Dr. Smita Hemant Samel

Dr. Smita Hemant Samel is a paediatric doctor who founded a children's hospital with her husband in Navi-Mumbai, India. After an interest in gardening lead her to take workshops in growing food, Dr. Smita decided to take her hobby one step further and created a beautiful edible garden on the roof of the hospital. Join us as we meet with Dr. Samel as she tours us around her garden and explains the benefits of growing food.

Episode 13: Edward Bush Public School

Meet Mr. Michael Lee, the principal at Edward Bush Public School located in Brooklyn New York, who with the help from the Subversive Gardener has transformed parts of the school yard into edible gardens. In addition to providing food for the students, the gardens also act as educational tools, teaching children about the importance of food sovereignty.

Episode 14: Earthoholics

In this episode we join Earthoholics as they visit one of their clients. Their vision in building edible gardens is to sensitize people towards healthy green practices and provide earth-friendly products and services. In addition to building organic kitchen gardens, Earthoholics is also involved in workshops that teach residents of Mumbai how to create their own kitchen gardens in order to become self sustainable.

Episode 15 Pt 1: JESUS CASTILLO

In this episode we follow Jesus Castillo as he show us the Los Sures farm in Brooklyn NY that helps feed residents of the community center.

Episode 15 Pt 2: Jesus Castillo

Following on from Part 1, this episode continues to follow Jesus Castillo as he show us the Los Sures farm in Brooklyn, NY that helps feed residents of the community center.

Episode 16: Kelly Blue

Join us this episode as we visit Kelly Blue, a volunteer at the Los Sures as she shows us the community garden where local residents are growing vegetables.

Episode 17 Pt 1: Zach Williams

In this episode we visit Zach Williams, a Program Director at the Los Sures Community Center located in Brooklyn NY, where he oversees the community food pantry as well as the numerous garden programs.

Episode 17 Pt 2: Zach Williams

Episode 18 - Los Sures Hydroponics Cafe with Roberto Rodriguez

This episode features Roberto Rodriguez, a volunteer at the Los Sures Hydroponic Cafe - an operation that is located in a former bodega which is now growing food for the community. Join us as we find out about the work Roberto does at the cafe!