Bitter Mellon Homeopathy for Urban Renewal: Bitter is Better

Bitter Melon Homeopathy for Urban Renewal: Bitter is Better was a public intervention project that invited interested growers to cultivate Bitter Melon plants in neglected urban spaces. The project was inspired by homeopathic healing philosophy where illness is treated with low-level doses of the toxifying agent.  The idea, joined with guerrilla gardening methodology, generated the Bitter Melon seed bomb event.

The event invited community members to create a homeopathic remedy by writing what makes them feel bitter on a wrapper, wrapping Bitter Melon seeds and soil into a “seed bomb”, and then throwing or planting this remedy on land that they feel bitter about, e.g. in traffic medians, cracks in the sidewalk, or abandoned lots. Our goal was that cultivating these spontaneous Bitter Melon gardens and gardeners would reclaim these sites and “cure” the bitter sentiments they evoke.

The “Seed Bomb” booth locations included: Chinatown (Boston, MA), Central Square Farmers Market (Cambridge, MA), Stonybrook Train Station (Jamaica Plain, MA), Somerville ArtBeat (Somerville, MA), Dudley Square (Roxbury, MA), and Union Square Farmer’s Market Alternative Health Day (Somerville/Medford, MA)