A guerrilla grow is an outdoor planting on land the grower does not own, lease or have permission to use, such as woodland, field margins or public land. The term comes from the unofficial, hidden nature of the plot. Historically it was common where any cultivation was prohibited.
In practice
Even where home growing is legal, planting on someone else's land usually is not: it can involve trespass, damage to protected land, and breaches of rules that require plants to be grown at the grower's own residence. Guerrilla plots also cause real environmental harm in some regions, from water diversion, rodenticides, fertiliser run-off and litter. GenetixBay does not advise on guerrilla growing; grow legally where you have permission, and check local rules.
The word turns up in older grow literature and in forum discussions about hardy, mould-resistant outdoor cultivars.
Don't confuse with
- Outdoor growing: planting in your own garden or land, legal in some places.
- Guerrilla gardening: unrelated activism planting flowers or vegetables in neglected public spaces.
