In midtown, there's a man with a cannon, some grenades and a big plan.

The man is Tommy Wilson, and he's taking aim at blighted areas around midtown with bombs filled with seeds and biodegradable paint.

This fall, he's shooting the bombs at some of Memphis' 1000 acres of abandoned land in hopes that the seeds (which are protected from the elements by the paint) will bloom into native wildflowers in the spring. In the mean time, the lots will be colorful, Pollack-like works of art.

Last Saturday, a sizable crowd gathered to take turns lobbing bombs over the fence at the site of the failed Washington Bottoms development near Poplar and Watkins. The group wasn't allowed onto the property (which is owned by Lehman Brothers), but it didn't hinder the attack. "I love that we're going to beautify the area without ever stepping foot on it," Tommy told me prior to the event.

While his tactics are a little guerilla, Tommy's got permission (support, even) to do this. He won a $1500 grant from Crosstown Arts that funded the construction of the pressure cannon and the purchase of seeds and paint making supplies (the paint is made of jello, flour, Kool-Aid).

The next bombing is going to be on Sunday, November 14th at 1 p.m. at the empty lot where Anderton's restaurant used to be on Madison. After that, the group will move down Madison to the field next to the P&H Cafe for a larger detonation. Anyone is invited to throw grenades and shoot the cannon.

For more information about Tommy and his campaign, check out the Bomb the Blight blog, or watch his presentation from IgniteMemphis: