I have a friend who despairs if she has one weed visible on her front lawn. I personally don't care. I would be happy to grow something other than a flat green lawn out front, but apparently alternative uses of front yards are frowned upon in some places. I'd rather see vegetables growing in yards, and people eating healthy foods and saving money by not having to buy vegetables, than seeing uniform lawns everywhere. I understand that no one wants to live next door to people who use their yard as a dump. I feel the same, but I think some communities go too far in trying to dictate how people use their property. http://ij.org/miami-suburb-to-homeowners-keep-your-vegetables-out-of-sight/
Well they wouldn't be happy with me - I tried gardening and failed So now that we have very realistic plants and flowers available, I bought a few of these and put in my very small front area to the house They looked great ! So much so, that a guy walking past asked 'me' for gardening tips !! Then, the guy who changed our water tank, took the old one ouside to the front area and started emptying the water onto my plants and flowers ! I laughed at the sight of him and said - 'they're not real you know' - well he nearly dropped the tank for laughing
@Diane Lane am I missing something in the article because I'm not reading a 'win' or 'loss' for the couple? The one thing that was a point of interest was that the ordinances changed after the couple had already had the garden in place. Also nothing noted about problems caused because of it. Sounds like they were deemed an 'example' to stop other homeowners from doing the same.
A lot of towns in Michigan are doing the same thing, going after people who are gardening, even in their backyards if the garden can be seen from the street.
What does that article really mean, prohibiting a vegetable garden in the front yard? I wonder why they have that law or ordinance, is it for the tourism of the place? Sorry, but I couldn't read the link, just getting the gist from the title and from some comments here. Sometime in the 1970s, our country had the so called green revolution where the government urged the public to plant any edible anywhere. The local community would even provide the planting materials for those interested. The idea is to have each home something to eat from their garden. I'm talking about the city hence the green revolution program advocated the pot farming where you can also have vegetables in clay pots in case there is no soil in your property - most apartments here have only concrete driveway or pathway and no more soil. The program was kind of successful because the urban people were made aware of the importance of farming aside from realizing the importance of vegetables in the diet. And the greater Manila area had won an award for that.
I feel if you live in a subdivision where there is a sameness, then you shouldn't be able to do whatever you want in your front yard and you probably can't. You might want vegetables but I want a fence up front maybe and I don't think that's allowed either because I don't see any. Then these type of things affect the resale value of the homes in that neighborhood and nobody likes that. Where do you draw the line? Can you imagine if everybody did what they wanted to the front of their house? I can see if you live in the country or unincorporated areas you have more freedom but in these new subdivisions It wouldn't look nice. There are people like me who like clean lines and no clutter and it bothers my eyes. I can't deal with chaos. It's my ocd. Sorry but that's how I feel. Thankfully where I live there is no problem and people can do what they want in their backyard. Every yard is fenced in the back with the same tall fence and you can't even see into anyone's backyard. I have no problem with the vegetables but so many need tying up, etc...then it starts looking messy. Our front yards are small and the houses are very close. I'm pretty sure most on here will disagree with me but that's the way I am. Everything has to be neat and clean and in order in my world. I can't even stand to look at something off center.
I don't think it's so much a matter of disagreeing as it is that I feel differently is all. When someone has a stench coming from their yard that crosses the line into mine, that affects me, or when they have a dog that won't stop barking, that bothers me but, in the past, I have simply gotten used to the sound of a dog barking rather than complaining about it. When it comes to gardens, while I do eat what I grow, it's more of a hobby to me, so I'll try things out just to see if they work, but I realize that for a lot of people, a garden may be something that they need in order to live on a fixed income, or to be able to grow things that they couldn't afford to buy. The same is true of raising chickens. Currently, our town doesn't allow people to have chickens or any other barnyard animals, but we were a small part of a move to change that. At this time, our planning board is recommending a change in the ordinance to allow residents to keep chickens and some other food animals based on the size of their property. If passed by the town council, we'd be able to keep up to six chickens while others, with larger lots, would be able to keep more, or even a goat or some other animals that I can't think of right now, since I was really only interested in chickens. Of course, if anything that I did offended either of my neighbors, I would probably change what I was doing, but I don't anticipate that occurring since people pretty much mind their own business as far as that sort of thing is concerned here, except for the town code enforcement officer, who doesn't even live here.
I understand that, Ken and you do live in a different type of area than I do. I think a lot has to do with where you live as to what is allowed. If people where I live had to depend on the veggies they grew to survive, they'd probably starve to death because of the drought. Ag here is allowed more water than a homeowner. It's a middle class neighborhood but in Fresno because of the many months of hot temps almost every other house has an in ground pool. If you can afford that you can buy your veggies. I know homegrown tastes better and you can grow them in your backyard if you really want them. I grew tomatoes once and had an herb garden for a number of years but all this became problematic when I traveled too much. I do miss the spicy oregano though, it was so good! I do see a lot of front yards in my neighborhood being replaced with either fake grass or landscaping that involves rocks and types of plants that don't need water, this is because of the drought. Since we had to cut back on how many days we can water, lawns are turning brown and this is probably the best way to go. I also see a lot, of homes with solar panels, so that's allowed. I'm trying to find where I would look for information regarding what's allowed in my subdivision...does anybody know where to find that information? I'm just curious now. This subdivision is probably about 16-17 years old. All the houses are stucco and I never see anybody painting the outside and do people even paint stucco or is it like a brick house? Forgot to add that I'm surrounded by barking dogs but then mine barks too so I'm not going to complain. Also, even though it's not a law just a courtesy you should pick up the dog poop in your back yard. In Month after month of 100+ temps it's going to smell, so that was mentioned in the neighborhood website I belong to. Just joined a month ago and it's very helpful.
Years ago, when I was leasing a townhouse in Anaheim, California, I had a very tiny patio in the back that was fenced in. Most people would have a barbecue there, or maybe a chair and a small table so they could sit outdoors once in awhile. It didn't appear that most people used their patios for anything at all. One year, I grew corn in mine. Just for fun, and it was kind of funny when the cornstalks grew higher than the fence. No one complained but, in following years, I settled on strawberries, and grew several generations of strawberries for the next seven years that I lived there. I do know what you mean, by the way; and largely because I am the way I am, I have never wanted to live anywhere where they had a housing association or other type of controlled environment, particularly not when I owned the property I was living in. Here in Millinocket, we had a woman on the town council a few years back who kept proposing ordinances that would require homeowners to ask for a permit even to paint their houses, with guidelines on approved colors, and placing more restrictions on what types of improvements someone could make on their houses and, in some parts of town, requiring that people have stone landscaping rather than grass yards, etc. Usually, she didn't even get a second on her proposed ordinances, and she lost her bid for reelection.
I've lived in unincorporated areas and then that was different. The houses were on larger pieces of land. I don't think we had any rules except a few regarding the common area and pier. It was near the Fox River in Illinois and only the homes on those few streets could use that empty plot of land and pier. In the type of subdivision I live in now, even if it was allowed, someone doing what they wanted to the front of the house or even painting it purple with pink polka dots would affect home values and that is something nobody wants when they are trying to sell.
As for me I live in an apartment where our front is just cement and a walkway to our apt. and the rest of the apts. We have a little backyard living on the first floor has its perks. I love to gaze at the night sky and guess what the constellation is, love to just see the birds fly by that we are not suppose to feed that I give recycled water to and they love the free clean water that I catch from my sink while I clean my dishes...there in the little backyard I've some flowerpots that I've grown herbs like aloe, broad leaf plantain, a rubber plant that is a bonsai from my Uncle that has passed now and ferns that we use at New Years to celebrate Japanese style with. We have a red ti leaf plant to protect our backyard too that we also use for our New Year's celebration festivities. No veggies growing though for it takes too much water that's free, but my Mom fusses over not taking advantage over using the landlord's free water, so just recycled water for now for these plants.
I am not a yard maniac. I like it to be neat and tidy. I am more interested in growing trees for shade to cut down on electricity use and growing plants for a touch of nature and personal satisfaction. I am so glad that I do not live in a neighborhood that has a homeowner's association.
I'm not even sure I have one. I think it's just more of a zoning issue but I'll have to look it up. There's no dues, or meetings or anything that I ever see.
@Von Jones I'm not sure if you're missing something or not. I don't think the couple was censured, but posted it more for interest, because many cities (and sections of cities) are cracking down on this type of thing. It's funny that some areas seem to encourage specific behaviors, while others discourage them, and I think how they lean is a good depiction of the overall area and inhabitants. I'm generally not in favor of HOAs or areas with a lot of regulations, but I can definitely understand why certain areas have them. Where I live, there are few restrictions, although apparently there is a law about front fences not being over a specific height. Many homes here don't even have front fences, but I have a small picket fence out front. After living here a while, I'm seeing just how important some regulations are, though. If I were able to move right now, though, rather than moving to an area with a strict HOA, I'd probably move to a more rural area and a larger plot of land, so I wouldn't have to deal with annoying neighbors.