Man fights city to grow vegetables in yard... page

[Grok]

ORLANDO, Fla. -An Orlando man is fighting city officials to keep his vegetable garden in his front yard.

You have to step over radishes, wax beans and kale to get to Jason Helvingston's front door in College Park.

However, his 25 x 25 foot micro-irrigated vegetable garden is against city code, and the city of Orlando has asked Helvingston to dig it up by Wednesday.

College Park man fights to keep vegetable garden in front yard | News - Home

[JoanieL]

A lot of years ago there was a small movement in some part of FL to xeriscape - which for some meant growing tall grasses like sea oats. Then it was neighbors that were complaining rather than the city just taking it upon itself. Funny thing is that sea oats are beautiful and lawn grass is stupid and wimpy in comparison.

The city may be making a big deal about it, but really when you own a home, it's a scary proposition when someone is doing something that may make it harder someday to sell your house. I'm guessing someone complained. With a few paragraphs and/or a 2-minute "news report," you can't really get the whole story.

[bloodorchid]

and so he puts tiny signs scattered in his garden that say HELL NO WE WON'T GO

[JoanieL]

Little hippie protesting garden gnomes.

[Crabbcakes]

There is a magazine called "Urban Farm", and they have stuff like this in there all the time, where city/suburb homeowners decide grass is useless and start growing stuff and then have problems. I have subscribed to it from nearly the very beginning of publication. Cool ideas in there about how to grow at least SOMETHING no matter your living situation or knowledge level.

I hope the guy wins. But then again, I am the nut who thinks most golf courses should be returned to native species, too.

[SarahW]

It looks like he has lots of bare earth around rows of staked plants. Yeah, I sympathize, but it looks butt ugly. I can understand why the neighbors/city don't like it.

[Tribal Rob]

I hope the guy wins. But then again, I am the nut who thinks most golf courses should be returned to native species, too.

Well I am pretty much with you there on the golf courses if it wasn't for the fact that they make moron hunting so much easier when you know were they will be, and all that artisitc planting of hedges and trees makes for such great cover you rarely miss a shot

[Leida]

I co-plant flowers, herbs and vegetables. The productive garden doesn't have to be unattractive. I am all for stripping the grass and planting things over. One can look at the past centuries when the herb and kitchen gardens were absolutely gorgeous.

[Sandra in BC]

It's a movement.

Started here.

[Reindeer]

WTF. How could this be illegal I don't even. A patch of veggies? Really? Why not tell everyone to raise veggies in their garden, and see how much the estate value goes UP instead of telling him to remove it?