July 20, 2012 2:36 pm
City Officials Declare War on Lawn Gardens
The offending garden in Drummondville. Photo: Josée Landry and Michel Beauchamp
Would you take offense if your neighbors began growing strawberries instead of grass? To the urban gardener’s dismay, it seems that, at least for city officials, the sight of glistening berries and bountiful veggies is an offense warranting reprimand and bulldozers.
Grist reports a ridiculous anecdote illustrating this theme:
The latest skirmish took place in Drummondville, Quebec, where Josée Landry and Michel Beauchamp built what supporters describe as “a gorgeous and meticulously-maintained edible landscape full of healthy fruits and vegetables.” (You can judge for yourself: It’s the garden in the picture above.) Under the town’s new code, a garden like that would be illegal. It covers too much of the yard. Under the new rules, only 30 percent of a yard’s area can go towards growing vegetables, and the town’s given the couple only two weeks to pull out their carefully planted veggies.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Grist warns that city officials are bumping heads with would-be farmers all around the US and Canada.
It comes down to this simple formulation: Grass good! Vegetables bad. We’ve heard one too many stories in which people decide to use their yards to grow some fresh vegetables, only to have city officials come down hard on them, forcing them to tear out their food or bulldozing the gardens themselves. If building a few bike lanes counts as a war on cars, this is definitely a war on gardens.
Grist calls for cities to wake up, smell the veggies and modernize their laws. It’s not the 1950s anymore.
Here’s a video the Quebec gardeners lovingly put together of their bountiful plot:
More from Smithsonian.com:
Life, Death and Unnatural Acts in the Vegetale Garden
Founding Fathers, Great Gardeners
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I’m sure the title is supposed to read ‘City officials declare war on VEGGIE gardens’.
Personally, I would favour a poison-free vegetable garden over a lawn anytime.
Comment by Auke — July 20, 2012 @ 11:40 pm
This is definitely a case of governing gone awry. Why 30%? That seems so arbitrary and nonsensical. What harm could a complete front yard vegetable garden do to the community…especially one that is as well kept and organized as this one?
Comment by Kathy — July 21, 2012 @ 2:55 pm
Is it the vegetables or the supporting structures that they are opposed to? I myself would not be happy if my neighbor had a dozen tomato cages sticking out of their front lawn.
Comment by Peter — July 22, 2012 @ 9:20 am
Whyever not, pray tell? It would be much more attractive and ecological. And what harm would it do to you?
Comment by Carol Murry — July 23, 2012 @ 1:41 am
This is a beautifully made vegetable garden. This form of home-garden should be supported and encouraged.
Maintaining a lawn is economically and ecologically more taxing, and gives nothing more than a uniform surface “pleasing to the eye”.
Given the continuous increase in awareness seen across the world (not least online) on the need for sustainable lifestyles, this is a prime example. Big applause for Josée Landry and Michel Beauchamp! Great work! Don’t let that new code pass!
Comment by Frans — July 23, 2012 @ 10:40 am
In the 1940s, that would have been called a Victory Garden.
Comment by Donna Maurillo — July 23, 2012 @ 11:25 am
This garden is a perfect example of sustainable urban living & planning – these people can grow a significant amount of their own food PLUS they share it with their neighbours thus galvanising community spirit. They have lost heaps of weight! Everyday the media tells us we are too fat! They are getting exercise ouotdoors – managing & tending the garden. They are improving the soil from dead unproductive dirt to life sustaining humus. They are not using chemicals (**HINT – chemical co’s are losing money) & do not have to buy as much food (supermarkets are losing money, big Ag. farmers are losing out selling toxic laden vegetables to less people).
These people deserve medals – they are examples of GREATER GOOD for all life on earth.
Comment by Miriam — July 24, 2012 @ 4:16 am
I have one of those in my front lawn. Though, I live out in the middle of nowhere and not in a suburban area. I think that lawn gardens are nice. Also, it saves some money on purchasing veggies and fresh fruits from a supermarket.
I have a feeling that the reason for the arbitrary restriction is not so much for uniformity via grass lawns but for the potential loss of tax revenues to the city if more people take up full front lawn gardening practices. If the practice were to become more widespread the city would not be able to get their share of sales tax.
Very uncool, city…
Comment by Galen Rychova — July 24, 2012 @ 6:20 am
Cheers Donna, Auke, Kathy, Carol and Frans! Hope I didn’t miss any one:)For shame Peter, what is wrong with you?
What is wrong with a few tomato frames sticking out of your neighbors front lawn, they are just trying to grow food! Do you sit outside all day staring at it and get annoyed by it? Do you know what would happen and who you would turn to if there was a food shortage? You neighbor!!! Support them, help them, learn from them and maybe even benefit from their knowledge. Share the food, barter for other services like mowing your stupid water wasting lawn in exchange for something you could be growing like… oh I don’t know….beans, lettuce, cucumbers….we do this all the time here in Australia. Do your really think food just comes from a supermarket?
Comment by Pat — July 24, 2012 @ 9:56 am