While doing some research on urban gardening, I came across an article from last summer concerning a woman living in the suburb of Oak Park, Michigan and her decision to use her front lawn to grow a raised bed vegetable garden. The front lawn vegetable garden did not fly with her neighbors or the local city government, who charged her with violating city ordinances.
In this specific case, a homeowner decided to turn her front yard into a vegetable garden after the existing lawn was destroyed during sewer pipe repair work. While there was nothing illegal about what the homeowner was growing, such as raised beds of zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers, she was charged with violating city ordinances and faced up to 90 days in prison (the charges were later dropped); the gist being that a vegetable garden in the front of one's home is a neighborhood eyesore, as only "decorative materials" are acceptable for front lawns.
Arguments against the front lawn vegetable garden include the contention that its appearance reduces neighboring property values, the garden attracts vermin and pests that could destroy surrounding flowers and lawns, and that it detracts from a specific neighborhood aesthetic. The homeowner challenged the notion that her vegetable garden is an eyesore, stating that there is nothing "ostentatious" about raised bed vegetable gardens. She also stated that she was simply trying to find a more useful purpose for front lawn space.
So, what do you think about the idea of front lawn vegetable gardens in an urban or suburban setting? Is it a smart use of space or an eyesore? How would you feel if your neighbor began a front yard garden?
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Well I have no idea how her's looks but we have two raised bed gardens in our front yard
and we love it! Never had a complaint and the neighbors have said how nice it looks. Our house sits up on top of a sloped yard, not overly so, but from the street the yard looks very nice. Can't really even tell that they are raised beds! We also have lots of other nice cottage-y landscaping so I think it has all been integrated well. To me that is the key. If it looks like a stark allotment then I can see how neighbors would be angry. As regards animals and the like, we haven't had a problem. I guess we live in a more tolerant hood!
yes, I am not only ok with that I am a bit jealous and want to make friends with whoever has raised beds in their front yard. I have a serious beef with those uptight people who think the neighborhood needs to look pretty manicured, if possible everyone the same house color and the same curtains. In my neighborhood, every house is different, some people have a pretty front yard, others have gravel and others are growing vegetables and fruits.Everything but garbage works for me. whatever floats your boat, we're not living next to the Stepford Wives.
I have one raised bed near the house. I am renting so I can't go tearing out grass, but I checked the city code where I am (Arlington, VA) and I didn't see anything against it. My neighbors haven't commented.
I have a 'neighbor' like that. Interestingly, he seems to have immunity when it comes to abiding by outdoor watering ordinances. I may or may not have planted some voraciously self-seeding perennials at the stop sign across the narrow street from his perfectly manicured, very green lawn. A practice which the city encourages, btw.
After owning a tall male dog, there are some definite disadvantages to having a food garden near public spaces. But if you put it back a little bit, so only adventurous dogs could get to it and mark it as there own, I don't see a problem with it.
I've seen people use their flower gardens in their front yards to house all sorts of veggies. Mixed with the flowers, it creates a lovely display. Not sure about the bug/vermin issue...uhhh the earth has bugs and vermin regardless of the location of a domestic garden (whether in the front or backyard). I would honestly just worry about animals eating the produce and thus would put the garden in gated area like the backyard.
Ridiculous. They target these responsible people while our neighbors (and local campus!) leave the lawn sprinklers on all day after a month long drought and the water is simply flooding the sidewalk. The American lawn is a pesticide-ridden ecologically void plague on our society. If one thing will save the environment it's home growing. Time for a revolt.
Anybody know what happened to the Michigan lady's court case?
Seriously, the neighbors need to get a life! Home gardening, either front or back, is a primary "green" value. Produce plants attract honeybees, discourage predatory wasps, offset your carbon footprint, and create sustainable local food. I'll bet those lawn snobs drive electric hybrid cars, and don't even see the irony of it all.
I'm lucky to live in a city that allows front yard gardening, and in some areas you can even garden the parking strip in front of your sidewalk (and many of my neighbors do). My house only gets full sun in the front yard, the back yard is all ivy and moss, with evergreens towering over it. Where else CAN I garden?
this was an issue before the city council in kansas city a year or two ago, and in the end, they decided that it is perfectly legal for people to grow vegetables in their front yards. they placed some limitations on growing row crops, like corn (involving placement in the yard and how much there was), and there's still some language about it needing to be tidy and subject to grass being reasonably mowed... but you're still left quite a lot of room for planting. i also learned around that time that the city has an ordinance on the books that allows for farming/gardening on unused vacant lots - so if there is, say, a vacant lot that the owner is not actively using (or perhaps maintaining?), the public has the right to plant there - for some length of time, at least.
I am also lucky enough to live in a city that not only accepts front yard gardening but also encourages it. For the last three years we've had a "front yard food garden" contest and winners get gift certificates to our local farmer's market. I've never had anyone complain about my front yard food garden, but I've had lots of people admire it and say positive things about it. I've even spotted people in the yard taking pictures of it :)
I love it. Admittedly, I'm a bit biased as I have a small front yard veggie garden myself. My neighbors love it and often come to talk to me when I'm gardening. I think it's attractive and a better use of the space (it was weeds before I moved in). I also like walking around and seeing what's in season and how other people are growing their vegetables. That said, I live in a city with small front yards. The vegetable gardens are a welcome change from the scrubby, abandoned perennials that most of the rental properties have. I think it might look a little odd to see a sprawling suburban front yard fully planted. Of course, they should be well maintained and it's nice when people try to to make them decorative.
This sort of thing infuriates me. Of course people should be able to do what they want with their front yard, as long as it's sanitary and well-maintained. Also, do the city ordinances prohibit vegetable gardens in the back yard as well? Becuase it seems to me the problem of attracting vermin and pests is as much of a concern if the garden is out back. Um, Riddles, I have a dog too. It's pretty rude to let your dog urinate on someone else's garden, no matter what they are growing. That's your responsibility, not the gardener's.
my goodness gracious! It's not only okay, it's awesome. That is the best use of a lawn there could be. Can't believe people would complain. I have a friend, however, who lives in a place where she is not allowed to have clothesline- in the BACK yard! Sheesh.
The issue is not that there is a vegetable garden in the front yard. The issue is what the neighobors and the rest of the citizens want their community to look like. If you live in a city where it's OK to have a couch on your front lawn, oh well - OK then. And if you live in a city where residents like to maintain their lawns - then that's what the majority wants. Obviously the neighbors and residents in the city felt a planter bed in the middle of the front lawn was something that didn't look right in Oak Park. Many people from all over the country commented on this from afar when it happened. But no one really listened to the residents in that City and asked them how they felt. Julie Bass, a resident in the community decided to do something that did not sit well with her neighbors and quite a number of residents. If the residents really felt she was in the right, then many could have shown up at a Council meeting to voice their support - that's the whole idea behind local rule. But none did - instead people all over the country chimed in and decided for the residents how their city should look. I'm not suggesting a community is always right, but in this instance, Julie Bass played to the media, was not willing to compromise or listen to her neighbors and stirred everyone into a frenzy. No one told Ms. Bass she could not plant a vegetable bed - all the neigbors wanted was - could it not be in the middle of the front lawn. Oak Park is an urban community right outside of Detroit - with hardworking families who take pride in how their small 1950s ranch home looks. You will find fathers, grandfathers and sons brushing off the sweat on a hot summer weekend - mowing the lawns, trimming the edges and working side by side with grandmothers, mothers and daughters planting flowers - beaming with pride that their small ranch homes are just as beautiful as the million dollar bungalows a mile away. Julie Bass planting her bed in the middle of the front lawn took that pride away - it gave this urban community that "look" - reinforcing all the stereo types of an urban city. It was not about whether vegetables can be planted in the front yard - it was all about being able to shout out to the world that you are a proud owner of a great looking home in a wonderful neighborhood.
@Mr. Columbo I think you identified the problem perfectly when you mentioned the 1950s. Back then Americans had no idea how a sad invasive grass lawn, pesticides and CO2-spewing lawn mowers affected the environment. Now we do, and we have no excuse. The climate is going to heck but the food revolution is our one opportunity to turn it around. Maybe your community is not behind it, but this online community is. I hope we are more unstoppable than a bunch of people who cannot see the value in home growing.
It's wonderful that someone would plant a home garden, period. I wouldn't care if someone planted their entire front yard a garden as long as they maintained it. Less mowing I would have to hear! I would plant vegetables in my front yard, but it doesn't get the sun. I always wanted my whole yard to be garden plants so I wouldn't have to mow. Right now I'm in the process of making the area between the road and sidewalk plants because I can't mow easily there.
Front-yard gardening is becoming a neighborhood past-time here in Oakland, CA. Most of the homes here have small yards (front and back) so folks grow veggies wherever they have sun. Two "city issues" with this: 1) Oakland is pretty progressive about urban agriculture and food security concerns, so few people mind and 2) Oakland doesn't have much extra $$ for city services, so unless you shoot someone in that raised bed, there's little chance of code enforcement. BTW, I've seen quite a few front-yard veg gardens that looked a lot better than some scraggly, overgrown lawns. No matter what you grow there, I only request that folks keep it picked up and tidy.
I'm so confused. What is there about a vegetable garden that could possibly be an eyesore?
@ Riddles, I planted mine in the front yard solely to keep my own dog from peeing on my tomatos haha. He gets the fenced in back yard, I'll take a front yard veggie patch (since its the only sunny spot too) My neighbors haven't mentioned it yet as a problem.
I love the idea of growing your own garden! If it's your property then why would anyone else have say in it? It's wonderful that she did it, and It's absolutely ridiculous that she had to spend 90 days in prison. What has the world come to? If I had the space out front I would certainly do the same. I love this woman. I hope she raised hell. :)
I just think it's become extremely sad that everyone in this country feels they have not only the right but the responsibility to FORCE everyone to live the way they live. When we bought our house 17 years ago, I made absolutely certain that I was buying into an area where there were no HOA's or covenants. I pay the mortgage on my house every month, not the nosy next door neighbor. I have the perfect spot on my front lawn to build a raised bed garden and have thought about it for some time. I have driven through neighborhoods where the HOA is in charge and cannot believe how incredibly boring they are. No individuality, nothing that tells you anything about the family living there. Just block after block of the same boring houses, lawns, etc. Besides, with everyone's property values taking a nosedive these days anyway, what does it matter if your neighbor has the couch on the front porch- heck, take over some drinks and join him/her on it one warm evening! This constantly worrying about "keeping up with the Jones'" is the reason this country is circling the drain!
A while back I thought it was a bit crazy to start a front yard garden. This was before I became a home owner. I've decided to slowly rip out the front grass because I simply did not want to cut or have to water a lawn. Right now, it looks like a eyesore with mostly dirt a few patches of grass alongside a few green plants. I decided to attempt a mini vegetable garden with 2 tomato plants, a pepper, and strawberry plant. I think vegetables, flowers and green plants can be more beautiful and productive than a boring lawn. The beauty of owning your own property should also include being able to plant your own food. My wonderful neighbor told me, "Rome was not built in one day," as I explained to her that I was trying to turn my front lawn into a beautiful garden. And I think my idea is catching on because I saw another house on my block starting to do something similar. I like to think I might have started the trend on my block :)
I am not a fan of the perfect lawn aesthetic, so yes! Vegetable gardens! I can see how it rattles the velvet-lawn set, but then again--that's HER property, not THEIRS. The "depresses values" argument always raises my hackles a bit because it was long used to discriminate racially. Now the law says you can't refuse to sell to a minorities, but apparently you can force everyone to have the same lawn. Odd odd odd.
First of all, I do think that the front yard should look nice, but that being said, it is pretty easy to make it look nice and have it be filled with edibles. I am not particularly attracted to raised beds (straight rows of plants and strictly vegetables and super square and tidy). But that is just because I'm more of a semi-rogue/naturalist gardener and I do like to see a little "artistic" flair in people's landscaping approach. That said, edibles do surprisingly well, even when not perfectly spaced and lined up in rows and it is really easy to integrate edibles into (or in place of) standard landscaping. I just planted a hedge of blueberries that will get about 5' tall, be lush and green while providing a ton of fruit and getting a beautiful fire-red in fall. Kale, cabbages, rhubarb and beets have interesting, colorful foliage and are generally easy/durable to grow. A good substitute in areas where people may plant annuals for a splash of color. Melon and squash vines can be pretty if you have a little trellis or fence to have them along. Onion, chives, garlic and shallots can be ok in a pot or, again, along the edge of a bed or planting that needs something spikey. Sweet potato vines are lovely and can yield tubers even in a pot if they are kept warm and watered.... the possibilities are endless - really!
I just love gardening and its so wonderful to see people growing their own food in whatever form works for them. It does make me especially happy when ornamental gardeners open their mind to using/substituting edibles among/in place of the traditional flowers. You can still get a great landscaped effect that might keep the neighbors happier AND have a good yield.
Years ago, I had a fairly large Side yard, which was just grass. It burned in certain areas under the full sun, and I removed all the sod from an area of perhaps 30'x30' and planted tomatoes and peppers- the only one in the neighborhood to do this. I Did hear from the surrounding neighbors that 'This isn't normal'.. (But neither could I be called Normal!)
A year later, I did much the same, and bought pumpkin seeds, inviting the same neighbors to bring their kids over to plant their own seeds. My garden area soon became everyone's garden.. the kids coming over to water 'their' pumpkins, while their parents enjoyed the (free babysitting) and the occasional "I'm bringing this home to Mom/Dad" pepper or tomato or cuke..
I am SHOCKED that anyone could be fined, or even viewed with the slightest bit of hostility, for having a garden of any kind! Wow. By the way, I heard a woman on NPR's "The Story" who wisely advised people to learn how to grow their own food, especially with overpopulation becoming such a problem. Maybe people without gardens should be fined!
This is a great idea! I've been a front yard veggie gardener for 2 years and I've had no complaints. In fact, it's a growing trend in my community. Two of my neighbors have started their veggies in pots this year. Look at the First family, do they not have a garden on the White House south lawn. It's unreasonable to fine anyone who's trying to provide healthy food for their family and do something beneficial for the environment.
Outrageous! What could be more innocuous - and, indeed, BETTER - than a front-yard garden? I wonder if this woman could have obviated the zoning laws with something mobile like this: http://www.smart-urban-stage.com/blog/future-of-the-city/crowded-cities/ ? It's an interesting idea, in any case (in my humble opinion!). More green, less asphalt sheen (had to come up with something! :) )
This is exactly what I hope to be able to do once we finally are in a house. Unlike when I grew up, front yards aren't that safe of a place for kids to play. I would much rather take out my front yard and build something attractive and useful and give the kiddo the room to play in the back.
I've seen plenty of yards in Portland, OR that do exactly that - there is absolutely no grass to be found in the front and side yards. Only in the back is there grass for the kids and pets to play in. The front yard is then a mix of all kinds of raised and non-raised gardens. And you know what? Some of these can be found in some of the most expensive neighborhoods. If it really affected home prices, I can assure you it wouldn't be happening like it is.
Who pays for her property and the taxes on it - HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!