Monday, July 25, 2011

JAIL TIME OVER FRONT YARD VEGETABLE GARDEN? SERIOUSLY?

Did you all hear about the woman in Oak Park, Michigan that was facing JAIL TIME for planting a vegetable garden in her front yard??

Oak Park Front Yard Garden
I couldn't believe this story when I first heard it.
The city really was going to fine this woman for growing her own food.
She even faced 93 days in JAIL over this misdemeanor.
The neighbors, and neighborhood children, thought it was a great idea and many of them even helped her plant and take care of the garden!

Oak Park Front Yard Garden Close Up
Do you find this offensive?  I find it awesome!

With the way the economy is these days, everyone is looking for ways to save money, cut expenses, etc, and growing your own food is the best way to start that process.  She put them in her front yard because the city sewer problem caused her front yard to be dug up in order to repair the problem.  So she decided  to do something practical and had nice raised beds installed and then filled them with vegetables and herbs.  Shortly thereafter, she was told by a city inspector that the garden needed to be in the backyard, or she would face fines and penalties. 

Well, after her story went viral, the Oak Park city council was inundated with phone calls and emails from AROUND THE WORLD, complaining about what they did to her.

Finally, after a week or so of this negative publicity, the city dropped the charges.

You can read all about it on her own website/blog she started after this all started just a few weeks ago.

Click HERE to visit her webpage.

Hmmm, I wonder if anyone might find something like THIS wrong?



This is one reason I will love having land, I can plant my garden anywhere I want and NO ONE will complain
(except maybe 2nd Man, but I can win that one, ha).

So, if you can, go plant a garden in your back yard, throw some herbs in the front yard, some berries in the side yard, just plant something and enjoy having your own produce department in your yard!

4 comments:

  1. I heard about this, and I think it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I'm glad she prevailed in the end.

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  2. That is beyond insane! The woman is being crucified for growing healthy food?!?!?!? I think Jamie Oliver or someone needs to pick up on this and make it a TV series. :)

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  3. Could I plant a garden in a gated community?

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  4. You might be able to, but you'd just have to check with your Homeowners Association. They are quite a bit different, and can dictate what you plant. But you'd be surprised, we have some friends in a 'gated community' here in Houston and amongst their Azalea's in their front flower beds are all sorts of herbs, they have strawberries in their mailbox planter, and she surrounded her large Sago Palm with thornless blackberries. Where there's a will there's a way. Good luck and happy planting.

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