Michigan Woman Faces 93 Days in Jail for Planting a Vegetable Garden

earth_as_one

Time Out
Jan 5, 2006
7,933
53
48
I can understand growing a vegetable garden on your land. It just makes environmental and fiscal sense in your front yard as much as in the back.

But I can`t follow the reasoning behind forcing everyone to uniformly poison their land with fertilizers and pesticides or pollute the air with lawn mower exhaust and/or waste energy for purely aesthetic reasons. If this made sense regarding our land and air, then I suppose we should also poison and pollute our water for aesthetic reasons too. Its a good thing the lawn and garden industry hasn't expanded their propaganda into convincing people its a good idea to use their products to poison and pollute our lakes and rivers just like we use their products to poison and pollute the land so our rivers can look just as nice as our lawns of non-native grasses and our flower gardens of exotic plants.

Maybe we should start caring for the land, air and water in such a way that our efforts clean the land, air and water while restoring habitat lost to human encroachment rather than poison and pollute the environment for aesthetic reasons. Given the current man made mass extinction event, we should be trying to restore natural ecosystems, not destroy them for aesthetic purposes. Urban landscapes need not be toxic, destructive and contribute to habitat loss.

links:

Native plant gardening is a wonderful way to connect with nature and to improve your piece of the planet...
In Support of Native Plant Gardens

We love our lawns and gardens. Sadly, however, the average suburban lawn uses six times the hazardous chemicals per acre as conventional farming. Per hour of operation, a gas mower emits 10 times as much hydrocarbon as a car. Then, of course, there are the sprinkler systems that go off like clockwork, even when it’s raining. Want to make your lawn and garden more eco-friendly? Read on for tips on greener gardening.
Green gardening: Eco-friendly lawn and garden ideas - Green Living - Canadian Living

Mass Extinction Underway
Mass Extinction Underway | Biodiversity Crisis | Global Species Loss
 
Last edited:

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
I'm all for foodscaping, but, I think her yard looks like crap.

When i do mine, the neighbours should not have any clue that the curved flower beds are holding anything more than perennial greenery. Strawberries make great ground cover. Chives are gorgeous accent plants. Tri coloured swiss chard is a great back drop plant. Rhubarb plants look gorgeous in a border. And assorted flowering herbs fill in the whole mess to gorgeously complete the look. I never got a single complaint about the zuccini plants being out front in the past. But, there are ways of doing it that still fall in with the conventional look of a front yard.

But, that's an issue of respect for my neighbours, not cowtowing to by-laws. I don't know what I'd do in this woman's position. But, I think I'd start with fixing the empty weed patch that's between the mulch and the street.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,187
14,245
113
Low Earth Orbit
I'm all for foodscaping, but, I think her yard looks like crap.
I never seen a beautiful veg garden in June. Have you? How long do perennials take to grow from those little pots?

Give her a year.

It still loosks better than those subdivisions where you see a sliver of house and the rest is all driveway and garage.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
I never seen a beautiful veg garden in June. Have you? How long do perennials take to grow from those little pots?

Give her a year.

It still loosks better than those subdivisions where you see a sliver of house and the rest is all driveway and garage.

I agree. There's a reason I live where there are lawns, not driveways.
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
I like the way the gardens were framed, and once the grass has returned, I believe that it will look great. her neighbors need to relax a little.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
I like the way the gardens were framed, and once the grass has returned, I believe that it will look great. her neighbors need to relax a little.

It's not even really her neighbours raising the stink from what I understand. They only found one neighbour who seemed to have an issue with it, and no matter what you do, there will always be one neighbour who's not happy.
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
If I look at the picture, I would never know that it is vegetables and not shrubs. I'd bet the average pedestrian walking by would not be able to tell the difference, as well
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
21,513
66
48
Minnesota: Gopher State
If there is any wildlife, or even pet rabbits, anywhere in the area, they will be attracted to the garden. A fence would keep everyone safer.

Actually, this is why so many communities object to veggie gardens - they attract more mice, rats, pigeons, or other birds into areas. These leave droppings, eat other vegetation from neighbors gardens, bite pets or children, and, of course, carry diseases. If a child or pet is bitten by a rabid rat or raccoon, there could be very serious consequences. This is what many communities want to avoid when they create this type of ordinance. Alternately, one could build an enclosed green house in the back yard so that one may have a utility garden while insuring protection from dangerous pests.
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
21,513
66
48
Minnesota: Gopher State
Yeah gohpers are a garden problem.


True - especially when they are hostile gophers: