Identity of mystery '˜guerrilla gardener' cultivating soil in Northampton street revealed

The identity of the '˜guerrilla gardener' who has been planting flowers and vegetables in a Northampton street has been revealed.

Councillor Zoe Smith (Lab, Abington) contacted the Chronicle & Echo after the paper ran a story about the mysterious person cultivating patches of soil around the trees in Stimpson Avenue.

Councillor Smith said she had started the guerrilla gardening project about a year ago as a way of brightening up the area and giving people access to some free food.

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She said: “I’ve had some really lovely feedback from people. I overheard one boy saying he was wondering where the next guerrilla gardening project would be.

“I was worried abut how long the vegetables may last but people have been really positive.”

Councillor Smith said she was amused her identity had become a mystery and said people may have missed her cultivating the soil because she does it at the weekends.

She said: “I’ve not been trying to keep an especially low profile. I water the plants on the way to work in the mornings and mainly do all the other work at weekends.”

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A number of people on the Chron’s Facebook page highlighted the fact the vegetables, including tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans may be affected by car fumes or dogs urinating on them.

Flowers planted in the street include honeysucklesFlowers planted in the street include honeysuckles
Flowers planted in the street include honeysuckles

In response, Councillor Smith said she would recommend “thoroughly washing’ all the vegetables before eating them but said the food was grow without any pesticides and would receive no more air pollution than most gardens.

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