Front yard vegetable patches make food, but some gardens rile the neighbors

[RamboLiberal]

Remember the DU thread recently about someone famous (I can't find thread) who is battling his HOA because he's growing veggies in his front yard. Well he's on the cutting edge.

Members of a dedicated group of vegetable gardeners are ripping out their front lawns and planting dinner.

Their front-yard kitchen gardens -- with everything from vegetables to herbs and salad greens -- are a source of food, a topic of conversation with the neighbors and a political statement.

Leigh Anders, who tore up about half her front lawn four years ago and planted vegetables, said her garden sent a message that anyone can grow at least some of their food. That task should shift from agribusiness back to individuals and their communities, said Ms. Anders, of Viroqua, Wis.

"This movement can start with simply one tomato plant growing in one's yard," she said.

-----

The topic has been getting more buzz nationally as bloggers chronicle their experiences and environmentalists scrutinize the effects of chemicals and water used to grow lawns. A book called "Food Not Lawns," published last year, inspired several offshoot groups.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07206/804080-47.stm

I say good for those with the courage to battle the lock-step HOA's and neighbors. Another book is due out next year "Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn". With the questionability of our food supply and nothing tasting better than home-grown fresh, good for those with the gumption to do this.

[slowry]

1. pomme de terre-orists n/t

[The Doctor.]

11. There are always a few bad pommes. nt

[DemBones DemBones]

16. I love it! These front-yard gardeners should call themselves that.

Lawns are a waste of resources. To have a beautiful one requires lots of labor, water, fertilizer. We live out in the boonies so all we ever do is mow the grass but that's a waste of time and gasoline.

[puebloknot]

22. TOO FUNNY. NT

[Vanje]

2. Vegtable gardens look nice too

What is more handsome than a wellgrown cabbage plant?

2 or 3 hens will provide fertilizer,eggs,and charm, all for some kitchen waste.
http://www.citychickens.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Tractor-Permaculture-Guide-Healthy/dp/0962464864

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. I've never understood the obsession with green lawns as well as the fact that houses must be exposed

Personally, I would prefer to put in an 8 foot high wall around my house as they do in Europe, plant some trees on the land, and have dirt or pebbles on the ground. Some vegetables sounds like a good idea, but I would prefer thick trees.

[TahitiNut]

4. My neighbor across the street has a vegetable garden on 1/3rd of his front lawn.

It's really quite amusing how upset many of the other neighbors are ... even when he offers them fresh vegetables.

:rofl:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. I have seen this,

I don't have a problem with it, but some people seem sincerely concerned that this couple growing fruit in their yard is going to attract homeless people. Although I know of some much more interesting "crops" growing in my area.

[Bluestar]

6. I live in a "planned" community that's about 32 years old

It has tons of HOA rules. So, the HOA took about 7 acres of land that lies in a big drainage ravine and designated it for home garden plots. Any resident can plant their garden there for about a $10 per year fee. The plots stay full most years.

[RamboLiberal]

9. That's a great idea instead of squabbling about who to hire

or who's responsibility to take care of.

[WHAT]

42. Urban planning needs to be 'tweaked'...

for suburban and rural living. I mean consideration should be given for the way people can live comfortably in their environment.

I've watched a metamorphosis in the rural area where I live such that the aesthetics of suburbia is transposed on an area ten times (or more) to the detriment of all. I think it's a case of people doing what they're used to without examining the underlying basis of organizing in such a way (I was really attracted to urban planning some 40 years ago, but now, the majority of people living in urbia have resources as well as cab fare, limos, or mercedezs that entails a lifestyle that can afford coziness without hardship. I wish the urban planners would examine suburbia and rural living with the same objectivity toward quality of life...the urban people don't need it so much now, where income eases social transactions. I live in a wonderful area that is increasingly populated by people who can't afford to live close to the city but who work in the city. They bring the aesthetics of suburbia and the city with them and unknowingly, in the process , degrade rural qualities.)

I've been reading different posts along these lines for a while, now, and yearn for the contemplation of urban planners about these problems. I know there is a degradation of wild life and fauna that would be a lot easier to prevent than to redo. Where I am, there is approximately 80 acres platted into 12ths with easement, etc. Everyone exists on their own fiefdom. If they would have clustered the houses, there could have been a satisfying 'gossip' area with an expansive periphery of wildlife contemplation, prize tomatoes, favorite tree and natural sanctuaries. Ahem. There could have been a communal well and even waste water system that would have been a lot more efficient than everyone having their own septic, etc...besides the inconvenience of limits necessitated by those considerations. Ahem. I guess I'm advocating for thoughtfulness in design of population expansion. I do wish the universities would take this up. Then, talk about commuting for people living outside the city but who work in the city. Lightrail, anybody? or something...hubs of transportation for city commuters. Who knows? here might be a renaissance of vitality.

Ahem. an aesthetic sensibility with an expansive perspective...

something

[cynatnite]

7. I personally like my plain front yard. Has a nice tree out front...

but if someone wants to plant a veggie garden...go for it, I say.

[WCGreen]

8. Victory Gardens

[Usrename]

12. Zip

[ClayZ]

10. Get your heirloom seeds right here:

http://www.heirloomseeds.com/

No space to garden? Find a farmers market anywhere in the country:
http://www.localharvest.org/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. That is a terrific idea!

We didn't put any grass in our yard when we designed our garden...

But I do have a raised bed, a small one, in the sunniest place in the back.......

Home-grown produce is the best!

[BrightKnight]

14. Were their names Tom and Barbara Good?

I had to ask.

The place where I live is making a lot of changes. I asked them about replacing an unused beach volleyball area with garden plots. It would strengthen the community and encourage people to stay. It is a great marketing bullet and They could also make a few bucks renting the plots. I hope that they will give it a shot.

I would also like to see support for CSA's in the next farm bill.

[eleny]

33. Good Neighbors!

How I loved that program.

[Triana]

15. Was Stan Goff, wasn't it?

I say the freakin HOAs and snooty neighbors need to get over themselves. With our food becoming increasingly unsafe by the day, and without any standards or inspections from where it comes from or when it gets here, and without our knowing where it even comes from most of the time, it makes sense to grow/make your own - at least that way you KNOW what's in it and how it was handled.

Besides, LOCAL and organic is a damn lot more earth and environment-friendly than eating stuff that had to be shipped halfway across the damn globe or the country.


Safer, more economically friendly - and if it messes up the yards in the little Stepford Wives communities, well then, I think SOMEBODY needs to get their damn priorities in order - and I'm NOT referring the people growing the gardens in the front yard.

[MagickMuffin]

17. ding ding ding, you are correct

It would seem to me if you can plant food to feed your family then by all means you should be able to do so.

Lawns are an environmental disaster. Waste of water, and the fact you have to fertilize and mow them should be enough to outlaw yards altogether. Just kidding about outlawing. But wouldn't it be nice to have the FREEDOMS to do what you want on your own PROPERTY.

I grew up on 12 acres which we had a vegetable garden, pear trees, pecan trees, blackberry bushes, cows, chickens, pigs. All within suburbia. A little bit of country within city limits. I hated it when we first moved there. It was the summer before I entered 5th grade. Hated having to get up early to hoe, but after the first harvest of sun riped tomatoes, I loved it....

[RamboLiberal]

18. That's who I thought it was - couldn't find it at first

This winter, I prepared the soil carefully, adding great mounds of organic compost, lime, and bone meal. When Spring rolled in, I planted spinach, radishes, turnips, carrots, sugar snaps, bush beans, and kale. I also interspersed flowers in the ground and in pots, and the parsley, oregano, rosemary, and thyme had all survived winter on their own (and flowered this year). it looked very good, and people who walked past commented to that effect.

Another aside: I drive a very beat up old Chevy Prism, on which - aside from rust - I also have bumper stickers suggesting the impeachment of the president and calling for an end to the war in Iraq. These are mixed in with a bunch of military crap (master parachutist badge, combat infantry badge, combat medical badge, Special Forces crest, Ranger tab, a “Vietnam Veteran” sticker, a “US Army Retired” sticker, and my MSG chevron) to create cognitvie dissonance. Finally, there is a sticker of Crazy Horse, withe the text: Homeland Security, Fighting Terrorism Since 1492. Oh year, also an American flag that is overwritten with One Nation, Under Surveillance.

Anyway, today I received a two letters in one envelope, dated June 14 and June 29, from Charleston Management Corporation, who handles the dirty work for the HOA. the June 29 letter told me I’d been warned in the June 14 letter (which I first received in the same envelope today) that vegetable gardens are not allowed in front yards here.

My garden is just starting to produce tomatoes, and my okra, cucumbers, squash (and all that summery stuff) is just beginning. Also cantaloupes, and I’m still getting turnips, carrots, and kale like mad.

I have until July 14th to remove my vegetable garden. I checked the architectural and landscaping standards, and sure enough, no veggies allowed… also no herbs. But I have a legal question. Does that mean that nothing edible can be grown? I mean, rosemary is used all over here as a hedge. How does one legally determine what is decorative and what is edible, and that ne’er the twain shall meet?

http://stangoff.com/?p=515

[China_cat]

44. SC or WV?

I had people here accusing me of making it up when I told them that I couldn't have veggies anywhere that could be seen by code enforcement. We don't even have a HOA here in N. Chas. (SC) It's a city law. I managed to keep my tomatoes hidden until they ran out, the peppers are still producing and the herbs are doing fine. The lemongrass is in no danger because very few people know what it is but I'm going to have to keep an eye on the eggplant.

[FloridaJudy]

19. Not surprising

For years folks in my old neighborhood feuded about whether residents should be allowed to have clothes-lines in their back yards. I was one of the "solar clothes-dryer" supporters. Another neighbor got a citation from the city for not having her house painted. She had it done - in flamingo-pink with violet trim. I admired her gumption - she was over 80 years old and believed life is too short to put up with nonsense.

I always thought front lawns were a weird American mental aberration - why would anyone spend all that time, water and chemicals on something you can't actually enjoy? I suspect it's an attempt to emulate the English upper classes, with their manicured grounds. Unfortunately, I never had a staff of gardeners tugging their forelocks, so for me lawn care was an onerous chore (I got my own citation from the Lawn Police for not cutting it frequently enough).

I think it would be great to see people uprooting their lawns and putting in broccoli, but then I also think flamingo-pink houses with violet trim are amusing.

[Raine]

20. I can imagine what my neighbors would do

if I tried something like that, they are always complaining to the city about me now cause they claim I have too many trees. :eyes: :mad:

[DarkTirade]

21. Back during the World Wars it was considered patriotic to do something like that.

Now we get called damn dirty hippies for it. :)

[NuttyFluffers]

23. i want to plant garlic and durian... but no! HOA won't like it

i'd share my harvest if they wanted some. bastids!

[sandnsea]

24. It's ornamental, done correctly

No need for there to be complaints at all, really.

[RainDog]

34. Yes!

Is that your yard? very nice.

nasturium flowers are good in salads (like cukes) and are also ornamental. same with borage, which is also good for the soil because it has a long tap root that helps to break up soil. Strawberries make a wonderful border plant (tho invasive) and marigolds help to keep pests off your plants.

companion planting is something good to do too... roses love garlic and carrots love tomatoes are two good books that deal with this.

http://www.amazon.com/Roses-Love-Garlic-Companion-Planting/dp/1580170285

http://www.amazon.com/Carrots-Love-Tomatoes-Companion-Successful/dp/1580170277/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_1_img/103-6178484-0159856

and square foot gardening (raised beds) is another good way to go because you can also save a lot of water that way.

Or, to go another way, you can plant fruit trees in your front yard. Even if you are planning to move, you'll leave something good for the next person who lives where you are, and maybe inspire them to grow something other than grass.

[formercia]

25. You should see my Winter Squash

they're already in the right of way and headed for the street. My front yard is where the Sun is.

Here's a trick that I found works well: We have about an acre bit maybe 30% can support a garden, the rest is trees and grassy area with poor soil.
I used to leave the leaves, mostly ash,elm and maple to rot over the Winter and by Spring, they had broken down and returned to the soil. Last Fall I decided to rake them up and bag them to use as insulation next to the foundation, so this Spring, I had a couple of tons of leaves. Rather than composting them as usual, I planted potatoes on soil which would not normally grow a good crop but I used the leaves as mulch on the sides of the plants. The leaves get composted and the potato plants have gone crazy.
The grass clippings from the other unused area, I use as mulch around the squashes, cukes and onions. They love it.

This way I get maximum utilization out of every square foot of land.

[knitter4democracy]

26. I'm reclaiming the landscaping out front.

I've got herbs out front, and then I put in a small plot for the kids' veggies and another small one in the middle of our back deck (odd hole there no one knows why is there) for tomatoes and beans.

No one's complained, and our backyard neighbor actually said he's jealous of our backyard plots. I've had lots of compliments on the front herbs. They're pretty.

Next year, the side that gets the most sun will get more tomatoes, I think.

[LWolf]

27. I prefer gardens full of a variety of growing things.

Lawns are expensive, environmentally costly, and, frankly, in this gardener's opinion, way too "high maintenance."

I don't have a garden yet in the rural plot I moved to a couple of years ago. Too much work to do to clean the place up, no time to expend undoing and creating anew.

The last yard I had in town, though, was one continuous expanse, on all 4 sides of the house, of trees, fruit, herbs, vegetables, and flowers, all growing together.

Grass too; it was bermuda grass, and the nastiest stuff I've ever dealt with. There was no getting rid of it. Keeping the bermuda contained to the walkways took more time and energy than the whole rest of the garden.

Edited to add:

I didn't live in a high-toned enough area for people to complain about my yard, lol, but for those that do:

Put your herbs and fruit out front, along with smaller veggies like radishes, onions, carrots, and greens. These are all things that can grow just like trees, ornamental vines, and small shrubs would. Put your bigger veggies in back.

[Joanne98]

28. I got tomatoes and squash in my front yard. I think it looks cool!

[formercia]

29. Me too

and peppers, flowers. A few peonies are the only 'shrubs'. Starting last year, I ran cords down from the eaves of the porch and now have pole beans growing to act as shade and provide the tastiest beans in town. Passers by often wave or honk and everywhere I go, people make favorable comments. Only my Mother in-law has called it unkempt, but she's coming around, especially since I grow some of her favorite veggie treats.

[Lisa]

30. edible landscaping ...

There are a lot of food plant varieties that look nice in the garden, and can be eaten besides. Like scarlet runner beans, or colored Swiss Chard or winter kale (the kind that is used as a garnish in fancy restaurants), or ornamental basil. My boss was invited to view the garden at Prince Charles's place in England, and that's what he's done in one of the gardens.

[cgrindley]

31. That's the last thing I want to see

keep your stupid vegetable garden in your backyard behind a fence where I don't have to look at it. And mow that damn lawn. Your place is a disgrace and you should be ashamed of yourself.

[Karenina]

38. Whoooaaaa!!!

Edible plants are visually OFFENSIVE!!! I DO HOPE you forgot the sarcasm tag. :shrug:

[cgrindley]

41. I own this house

and if I see you dirty hippies making your own compost, I'm going to get my buddy Bill to arrest the lot of you.

[pitohui]

32. i used to live in a neighborhood where a man did this

years ago i lived in a foofy neighborhood now destroyed (because it was in new orleans) and one of the retired neighbors did this

it looked SPECTACULAR because of his choice of heirloom and colorful vegetables, it set many people's flower gardens in the area to shame

i wish i had taken photographs, that man must have been a landscaper or dreamed of being a gentleman farmer or something when he was young, because he had the most amazing eye for color, size, and shape with his vegetables

never heard anything but admiration for him, but it may be because of his amazing color choices

the most i've ever had in the front yard that's edible is nasturtium (a flower for salads) and petite bell peppers or tiny bright red and orange hot peppers


i think there is a way to do this that looks just as good as any flower garden, now, if you have unreasonably fuckwits in the homeowner's assoc. who only allow golf course type lawn, i don't know what you can do, but if flowers are allowed, there is a way to sneak in at least some food in your front garden

[MissB]

35. I can only have a backyard garden.

But not because of any HOA issues. I only get a reasonable amount of sunlight in the back yard. Unless someone goes on a firewood chopping spree, my front yard will remain mostly shaded.

[pitohui]

37. you can grow lettuce in the shade

why not a small unobtrusive variety like buttercrunch?

too hot for it now, but it would be okay in spring or fall

[MissB]

39. I have a small flat roof out back

I grow lettuce up there as well as basil. I keep the lettuce in the shade and the basil in the sunny part of the roof (which is accessible through a window on the same floor). I do that because we're cursed with slugs. If they're up on the second floor, the slugs keep their slimy trails off my plants.

It was over 100 degrees just a few weeks ago, with some mid-80s in between and rain last week. The slugs are still here.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. I've a large veggie garden in my front lawn.

I think everybody should.

I can't believe people are proud of their big patches of grass.

[SmokingJacket]

40. Neighborhood associations are unamerican, in the finest sense

of that word.

Everyone should have the freedom to grow their own food in their own yard. Any neighborhood association that bans vegetable gardening or the drying of laundry on a line should be fined and disbanded.

[LWolf]

43. I saw this downtown today,

and I thought of this thread.

My little town is going through some terrible growing pains. Our "downtown" commercial area has a highway running straight down the middle. Until the bypass goes in, traffic is terrible. So I wandered through the little neighborhood of charming old houses adjacent to the shopping area to come in to my destination the back way.

Lots of grass; it grows easily and abundantly here. Many beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers, etc.. It's a nice little neighborhood.

Passing one house, I saw a small lawn, a shade tree, and, on the other side of the driveway, a block of sweet corn growing. Everything from the sidewalk to the side-yard, the driveway to the property line, covered in corn. The neighbors next door had sunflowers and pumpkins on their side of the property line from the corn.

It was lovely. :)

[DawgHouse]

45. I'm terrible at growing a nice lawn, but I'm fantastic at vegetable

gardening. Maybe this is the solution to my weedy front yard!