Holy Garden Crack!
Do you know they are fining people for having a garden in their FRONT yard?
What do you think?
Live dangerously, plant a garden! The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden
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Mavis Garden Blog – Woman Fined For Growing Food In Her Front Yard
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Jenn says
Oh that is just STUPID! Wow… Do you know how many crappy front yards we have in my neighborhood? Time to fine them for not taking care of their yard and not this woman who’s growing vege’s. Wow…
Elizabeth says
Boooo….
I live in Long Beach, CA and the city offers to pay people to convert their front yards to naturally growing plants. Thankfully, quite a few plants are edible. It makes for some awesome yards. I wish more cities went green and creative friendly!
Mavis says
Now that you mention that, blueberries, strawberries, artichoke… are all very attractive plants.
Sarah says
The writing of the ordinance is so subjective, and the official’s explanation of the definition wasn’t very strong. I hope the city’s case falls in court due to that, and due to the general opinion of the neighbors loving the garden where it is. I wonder if she could say that she’s donated that area as a community/neighborhood garden? That might go against some other city ordinance though.
This reminds me of some funny laws we found when we were in middle school. Many states have really old laws from back around 1800-1850 that have never been redacted…In Kansas, did you know it is illegal to take a bath indoors? hahaha That was a law from before indoor plumbing, and it was forgotten and never removed from the laws.
LaurelB says
Glad this city is so rich that it can spend money on something stupid. That is just ridiculous.
Dawn says
Hmm…what a waste of time and taxpayer resources. While Webster’s first definition of “suitable” is indeed ‘similiar’. The official should read the second option – adapted to a use or purpose. By his own admission based on Webster’s definition of the word, then her front yard garden is suitable. What is more useful than food?
Mavis says
I agree!
Saralie says
Makes me want to grow my garden in my front lawn…but I live in the `’boonies’ no one would care or notice.
Jules says
Makes me wonder who brought it to the attention of the city in the first place. Perhaps some neighbor who isn’t happy about the garden, or has a problem with the people.
Mavis says
Hmmm. I’m going with the Grandma sitting on her front porch LOL
Ginger says
This is starting to happen more often. I saw an article yesterday of not only was the code enforcer after a person they actually went to her house and chopped her vegetable garden down. http://www.newson6.com/story/18802728/woman-sues-city-of-tulsa-for-cutting-down-her-edible-garden
Lisa says
Oddly enough, the Town of Fircrest won’t allow front yard vegetable gardens either. I had a woman shop at a neighbor’s garage sale and stop to ask me why the city hasn’t nicked me for my front yard garden. Because I live in University Place.
Jodie says
I think this nation’s communities need to get back to the Victory Gardens. We also need to get back to community with our neighbors, which is exactly what this garden is fostering. I think it’s a great example in our materialistic, fast paced, disposable age. Also, we are again in a war afterall.
Holly says
It would be interesting to see how they define “unacceptable”. Is it a vegetable garden? a raised bed? any vegetable plant (most veg are botanically fruit)? would they then not have to outlaw fruit and nuts? Many flowering plants also produce small fruit (flowering cherries/pears) would they have to go too? This is a slippery slope embraced by the kind of people that form neighborhood committees to approve their neighbors paint choices. Don’t we all have better things to worry about than if someone is hiding a beet under their rose bush?
Sorry for the rant – I live in the sticks and we worry more about who owns the cow thats wondering down the road and blocking the bridge.
Katie H says
YIKES!! My husband just made me a new planter bed this spring and I planted it full of veggies!!! It more then doubled my veg garden.
Kathy in Chicago says
In our front yard, we incorporated edible plants into the landscape. We have gooseberries & a fig tree in a planter next to the front door, thyme & sage in the planters mixed with some flowers, and around the front tree we put oregano. We made sure we told the neighbors, and invited them to pick whatever they want from the front yard.
I wonder if she had placed the beds along side the house (as landscaping) if she would have received the same complaints.
CathyB says
Boo! Hiss! The city should be encouraging more people to do this instead of discouraging her. Perhaps a bunch of other people could plant vege. gardens before the trial and then she WOULD have a similar front yard to others. Also, does this mean that the city is going to prosecute the person who has an old-fashioned flower garden front yard instead of grass? Or a xeriscaped yard? Or a contemporary landscaped yard? Sooooo stupid.
For the last two years we planted tons of veges in our front yard. We didn’t have raised beds, but instead planted vegetables along with flowers in the flowerbeds around the outside of the yard. All of our neighbors loved our yard and most thought it was very attractive. Many did not even know that the lush foliage was vegetables until we showed them.
Stories like this really make me wonder about our country sometimes.
Dawn says
I agree with you Mavis. Holy Garden Crack! I would love to see her neighbors do as CathyB says and make that similar or the norm. In this day and age where every third house is a foreclosure and the bank is not taking care of the property you would think the last thing the government would have to worry about is the veggies in a front yard…
Maybe that Granny in that is so sour about the veggies has a black thumb and just needs someone to share their veggies with her 😉 Some people. Glad I live in the NW where you can mix just about anything into your plants and no one is the wiser nor cares one bit. My Grandmother lived in North Portland when I was younger and she grew, of all things, the beautiful Mary Jane in her yard. She told us she thought it was pretty. Hahahaha. Maybe that is what this sour puss grandma needs. No I’m not a partaker just think it is funny the differences between peoples reality!
Natalie says
I have all kinds of food growing in my front yard. So far, it’s mostly fruit bushes, so unless you are paying close attention, it just looks like shrubs. I have just recently however planted some corn that will come up and “look like food” eventually. We’ll see if anyone comments then.
http://plain-jane-remembrances.blogspot.ca/2012/06/eat-what-you-growgrow-what-you-eat-june.html
RAS says
I think thats the dumbest thing Ive ever heard and it blows my mind that the gov. cities or states even care. If they spent as much time trying to learn how to manage money as they do on caring about stupid shit, our economy might be in better shape, but what do I know. The ignorance just makes me shake my head
RAS says
can we still get a copy of the book?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. Just click on the link and it will take you to the book on Amazon. 🙂