OPINION - Earthed’s Guerrilla Gardening Challenge: Rewilding London’s urban spaces

In a city as bustling and fast-paced as London, it’s easy to overlook the lack of greenery among the concrete. But what if the power to transform these grey spaces into vibrant pockets of nature lay in the hands of everyday Londoners? That’s precisely what Earthed, the nature education charity, is aiming to do with its latest initiative: the Guerrilla Gardening Challenge.

This 28-day online challenge, which kicks off on September 4, is more than just a gardening learn-along. It’s a movement — an invitation for city dwellers across London and beyond to reclaim their streets and regreen their communities. Taught by east London’s own renegade rewilder, Ellen Miles, this live course promises to equip participants with the knowledge, tools and confidence needed to convert urban wastelands into thriving green spaces.

What is guerrilla gardening? It’s an act of reclaiming unused or neglected urban spaces and transforming them into biodiverse havens, benefitting both people and planet. What started as a form of peaceful protest against urban decay and the encroachment of industrialisation has evolved into a global movement aimed at bringing nature back into cities. The practice involves planting flowers, vegetables or shrubs in nature-depleted pockets. This could be an abandoned flower bed, the base of trees along your road or a depleted area outside a library or bus stop.

Urban areas are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature, leading to numerous environmental and social issues. Poor air quality, a lack of green spaces and diminished community interaction are just a few of the problems exacerbated by this disconnection. The Guerrilla Gardening Challenge seeks to address these issues head-on by empowering individuals to take direct action in their local environments.

The movement focuses on community-building, environmental stewardship and urban rewilding — Earthed’s Guerrilla Gardening Challenge provides a structured, supportive framework for participants to engage in this revolutionary act.

Anyone can get involved and become a bonafide guerilla gardener for free. Interested participants can sign up through Earthed’s website, where they’ll be enrolled in the 28-day course. The challenge is designed to be accessible to all, and better yet, you’ll be taught by Ellen.

Throughout the challenge, participants will receive weekly video modules to watch on-demand. These are packed with practical advice and complemented by weekly live Q&A sessions with Ellen, giving participants the chance to ask questions, share their progress and connect with fellow urban rewilders.

The challenge’s structure is flexible enough to accommodate busy schedules, yet rigorous enough to ensure that by the end of the 28 days, you’ll have a tangible, beautiful result — a guerrilla garden that you can be proud of.

By participating in the challenge, you’ll not only improve your neighbourhood aesthetically, but you’ll also be contributing to a larger movement that promotes environmental sustainability, biodiversity and community cohesion. As Christabel Reed, one of Earthed’s leading voices, puts it: “We believe in the power of community and collective action. Cities desperately need more green spaces, and the Guerrilla Gardening Challenge puts the power back into the hands of everyday people, whilst teaching essential nature skills.”

A Community Effort

Earthed is also excited to announce its collaboration with the Evening Standard, which will see a number of guerrilla gardening sites pop up across London. This partnership aims to create new micro-gardens throughout the city. With a collective effort, the streets of London could be transformed into a network of green, vibrant spaces, breathing new life into neighbourhoods and bringing communities closer together.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re ready to make a difference in your neighbourhood, sign up for the Guerrilla Gardening Challenge today. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a complete beginner, Earthed and Ellen Miles will support you every step of the way. Let’s reclaim our urban spaces, one plant at a time.

Let’s make London greener, together. For more information and to sign up, click here.

Kiran Sumra Dhall is Head of Marketing at Earthed