On this day, 7 June 1954, British mathematician and pioneering thinker in the field of artificial intelligence Alan Turing died of cyanide poisoning at the age of 41. Turing had also helped the Allies win World War II by decoding encrypting Nazi communications, and after the war helped develop some of the earliest digital computers.
In 1952, he was convicted of “gross indecency” for homosexuality and sentenced to chemical castration by the state as punishment. His death was officially ruled a suicide, in response to the persecution he had been suffering.
However, the police investigation of his death was entirely inadequate. And while they concluded he deliberately ingested cyanide from an apple, they failed to test the apple for the presence of cyanide. Alternative explanations for his death were that he could have accidentally inhaled cyanide from an experiment, or that British security services killed him to prevent state secrets being passed on to the Soviet Union, which was a common fear held about LGBT+ people whom they typically considered a security risk.
Years of campaigning against the legacy of UK state homophobia eventually resulted in Turing receiving a posthumous pardon in 2013, as well as the passing of the so-called Turing’s Law, which granted posthumous pardons to nearly 50,000 other men convicted of “gross indecency” for same-sex relations.
This Pride month, learn more LGBT+ history in our podcast series: https://workingclasshistory.com/tag/lgbtq/https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1444922225692923/?type=3
The Third Amendment states that “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law” meaning that the national guard or any other military force can’t just force themselves into private establishments for housing without permission, like how they forced hotels to accommodate them. And, thanks to the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) case, Justice Robert H. Jackson is quoted saying that “seizure of needed military housing must be authorized by Congress.”
Super simple work outfit: thrifted Sailor Moon Luna oversized tank top over black tank top, rose print leggings, cross strap ballet flats from the kids’ section. #ootd #fafafafafashionbeepbeep #everydayfashion #cheapasschic #thriftscore #clearancefinds #allmyclothesfromthekidssection #sailormoon #luna #tanktop #leggings #roses #balletflats #iwearblackontheoutsidebecauseblackishowifeelontheinside #casualpunk #casualgoth #summerpunk #punkrockgirl #comicshopgirl #over45style #almost50 #agingdisgracefully #mystyle https://www.instagram.com/p/CBEUdrZDQXZ/?igshid=sp58ufn0ife1
Growing your own food is a great way to become more independent from capitalist infrastructure, but if you’re spending hundreds of dollars just to get started it can almost feel counterproductive. There are plenty of great tutorials for making your own pots, garden boxes, rainwater collectors, composters, etc. from reclaimed materials, which can bring the cost down significantly, but the cost of the plants alone can really start to add up if bought from a nursery or garden store.
So I’ve compiled a few ideas for getting your garden started for free. If you know of any other tricks, please feel free to add them in reblogs!
From food
Set aside the seeds from your produce bought from the grocery store. Just make sure the brand you’re buying from doesn’t contain terminator genes first. Organic or non-GMO is preferred.
Almost all dry beans can simply be planted in the ground and will most often sprout. They’re easy to grow in warmer climates and very hardy.
You can grow many potato plants from a single potato with eyes. Cut the potato into chunks with each chunk having an eye sprout, and place the chunks in the ground.
Numerous varieties of onions, brassica oleracea vegetables, and celery can be regrown from the base, after re-sprouting the plant in a dish of water for days.
Many root vegetables can be regrown from their leafy tops (which are also edible and tasty in salad). Carrots, radishes, beets, rutabagas, and more can be regrown from tops.
Pineapples can be regrown from their tops, if you live in the right climate or have a greenhouse/cold frame.
If you can, shop at your local farmer’s market and support local farmers, instead of big-name grocery stores!
From the wild
Look up edible plants that grow wild in your area and how to replant them. You can take seeds from any plant, obviously, but some can also be regrown from cuttings, suckers, scraps, etc.
Transplanting is also an option, but not preferable since it removes a plant from the environment.
Native plants are guaranteed to be a good fit for your environment, so this is a great lesser-care option.
From neighbors
Of course, the same methods that work for food/wild plants (planting seeds, growing from scraps or cuttings, etc) will also work for food and plants from friends’ gardens. If you know anyone already into gardening, ask them to help you get started! If you see someone gardening in your neighborhood, say hi!
Many fruit trees can be cloned from cuttings. Cut off a branch at a 45-degree angle, then soak the cut end in water for ~5 minutes before applying rooting hormone and placing it into potting soil. Caring for the clone and other specifics can vary by species, so do a quick search beforehand.
Grafting fruit trees is a millenia-old technique, wherein a cutting from a fruit tree is inserted into a hardier rootstock tree and bonded with a special wax. The tissues intermingle to form a single tree. Look online for tutorials, and be sure to take the proper precautions.
Organize a seed swap or seed bank in your area.
Found or join a chapter of Food Not Lawns, or a similar organization.
Stolen
Seed packets are small and easy to slip into your pocket when nobody is looking.
Some places (especially hardware stores) keep a lot of their gardening supplies outside, making it easy to liberate a few plants and even some soil or mulch. Wait at least 2 hours after close to make sure no employees are staying late, always mask up in case of cameras, and try to leave things relatively tidy (everything pulled to the front of the shelf) so there’s no suspicion in the morning.
Never steal from locally owned nurseries, farms, or your working-class neighbors!
For free soil, there’s the regular route of starting a compost heap, but with the amount of food/garden waste produced by a single household it might not be enough so here’s some more tips for free soil:
Find a local riding stables or petting farm. Nearly all will let you have free manure. Try and get the best rotted stuff you can.
Clean out your gutters- those rotted leaves are a great soil booster!
Don’t just sweep up leaves from your garden- sweep up the ones that fall on the street/verges too (but not if you live somewhere with heavy traffic).
Ask your neighbours if they need garden help and boost your compost heap with their grass clippings and leaves.
Research your local council. They may have a municipal compost program with free or very cheap compost available.
Just a few things I thought I could add. I grew up in a very rural area around a garden. My family has worked together on at least an acre of garden together every year since way before I was born. Here are some things I know:
A lot of times you can find people who will give you manure for free if you live in a rural area.
If you are planting potatoes from an old plant it is much better to put a cutting with three eyes to ensure that you get a plant.
If you grow sweet corn you can save some ears from your previous year and replant them. (Be careful if you are planting in an area with field corn though, as the plants may cross breed.)
Ask people at farmer’s markets for advice about how to grow things in your area. A lot of times the people there are happy to talk to you about the plants that grow in your area and it’s better to know information about what to grow from people who actually grow things there.
