Rebel Gardening: Unusual Gardens & Will to Grow Food
- Madhukar Dama
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
Here’s an exhaustive list of unusual ways, containers, situations, and places where people have grown vegetables, along with examples of people defying government restrictions to grow food.
1. Unusual Ways People Have Grown Vegetables
Hydroponics in Saltwater – Growing plants in floating systems on seawater.
Aeroponics in Air – Roots are suspended in the air and sprayed with nutrients.
Using Fish Waste (Aquaponics) – Fish waste fertilizes the plants, and plants clean the water.
Vertical Farming on Walls – Vegetables growing on building exteriors.
Underground Farming – Using old mines, tunnels, or bomb shelters for farming.
Growing in Bags of Compost – Instead of soil beds, vegetables are planted directly into compost bags.
Growing Inside Hollowed Tree Trunks – Using dead tree trunks as natural planters.
Submerged Farming – Growing vegetables like rice or water spinach underwater.
Mushroom Farming in Coffins – Some experimental farmers have used biodegradable coffins.
Growing Food on Rafts – Floating vegetable gardens on rivers and lakes.
2. Unusual Containers for Growing Vegetables
Old Toilets & Bathtubs – Repurposed as mini gardens.
Shoes & Boots – Small root vegetables like radishes grown inside old footwear.
Car Tires – Stacked to create deep soil beds.
Bookshelves & Desks – Office furniture turned into vegetable-growing units.
Car Trunks & Bonnets – Cars converted into mobile gardens.
Coffins & Sarcophagi – Some people have used discarded coffins.
TV & Computer Monitors – Hollowed-out screens filled with soil.
Old Suitcases – Travel bags turned into portable gardens.
Mattresses – Soil and seeds spread inside the cushioning.
Discarded Washing Machines – The drum works as a rotating vegetable garden.
3. Unusual Situations Where People Have Grown Vegetables
During Space Missions – NASA astronauts have grown lettuce and radishes on the ISS.
In a War Zone – Syrian refugees in bombed-out buildings have grown food using rubble as planters.
Inside Prisons – Inmates have secretly grown vegetables in their cells.
On Moving Trains – People in India have planted vegetables on abandoned train carriages.
Inside Abandoned Buildings – Urban farmers have turned old factories into food-growing spaces.
During Famine Using Wastewater – In North Korea, people have used sewage water to cultivate food.
Under Snow & Ice – Some Siberian communities grow root vegetables buried in frozen ground.
Inside Churches & Mosques – Hidden rooftop gardens providing fresh produce.
Underwater in Domes – Projects like Nemo’s Garden in Italy grow food underwater.
During a Pandemic Lockdown – People in apartments grew food on windowsills when stores were empty.
4. Unusual Places Where People Have Grown Vegetables
Inside Cemeteries – People in some rural areas grow food on graves.
On the Roof of Moving Vehicles – Modified trucks with rooftop gardens.
On Public Benches – Some activists plant lettuce and herbs in city seating areas.
In Old Missile Silos – Decommissioned Cold War silos turned into underground farms.
Inside Skyscrapers – High-rise urban farms growing vertically.
Inside a Volcano Crater – Farmers in Hawaii have utilized old craters for fertile soil.
On Highways & Road Medians – Green activists plant vegetables between traffic lanes.
Inside Zoos & Animal Enclosures – Some zoos grow food for both humans and animals.
On Floating Trash Islands – Waste-based artificial islands used for vegetable farming.
Inside Libraries – Bookshelves converted into small hydroponic units.
5. Examples of People Defying Government Restrictions to Grow Vegetables
Food Rationing & War-Era Restrictions
Victory Gardens (WWII, UK & USA) – Citizens secretly grew vegetables when food was rationed.
Soviet Union (USSR) – Citizens secretly grew potatoes in hidden plots despite collective farming rules.
Modern Government Bans & Restrictions
Cuba’s Urban Farming Revolution – After the Soviet collapse, Cubans illegally converted city spaces into farms.
North Korea – Citizens grow food secretly on rooftops and forest clearings despite government restrictions.
China’s Urban Farming Crackdowns – Some people plant vegetables in hidden corners of cities despite local bans.
Singapore’s High-Rise Farming – Some residents secretly grow food on high-rise rooftops despite zoning laws.
Zimbabwe’s Guerrilla Gardening – Activists plant crops in public parks to protest land policies.
Bans on Public Space Farming
USA (HOA Restrictions) – Homeowners fight legal battles to grow vegetables in front yards.
France (Illegal Rooftop Farms) – Some Parisians defy urban laws to grow food on rooftops.
Australia (Community Garden Shutdowns) – Local councils have fined people for planting vegetables on sidewalks.
This list showcases the creativity, resilience, and defiance of people growing food under unusual circumstances—whether due to necessity, innovation, or activism.