Is It Safe To Grow Your Own Veggies?
Don’t you think it’s really sad that we live in a world when growing your vegetables can be dangerous? Growing your own vegetables is a way of saving money, as well as ensuring that you know exactly what you are eating, without the toxic chemical residue sprayed by many commercial growers.
Yes, I can understand that vegetables don’t always look symmetrical or even neat while they’re growing, but – they’re food. healthy food.
Why Veggie Growing Can Be Dangerous
Julie Bass lived in Oak Park, Michigan. As you may already know, she decided to grow vegetables in her front garden. The local kids got involved, and helped out. Most of her neighbours were in favour. Then in 2011 she was issued with a warning that this plant material was ‘not suitable’. She ignored it, and was told her court case would begin on the 26th July, and she faced up to 93 days in jail. Luckily, the charges were dropped. But she had to make changes to her garden.
Then there was a wonderful project called Community Roots. It used a number of front yard “farms” where instead of lawn, they grow zucchini, tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli, onions, lettuce and arugula. These “microfarms” feed about 50 families all summer long. The project was founded in 2006, and had the full approval of the City of Boulder.
Homeowners provide water for irrigation and plots ranging from 600 to 3,500 square feet, which Community Roots members plant, water, weed and harvest. Members plant two or three crops of vegetables that don’t require much space, such as leafy greens, radishes, beets, carrots and potatoes. Every contributor receives a share from the community gardens, and the group sells extra produce at the Boulder County Farmer’s Market.
There have been some complaints about the appearance of the front yards (especially in winter when they lie fallow and sometimes get muddy) but most people are in favour. Participants say they are more connected with their food as well as their neighbours. One woman said her son was “vegetable-challenged” until he planted his own patch of edible flowers and invited friends to harvest lettuce and edible flower salads. Now the kids actually want to eat chard, kale and grilled zucchini for dinner!
But in July 2011, Community Roots website closed down, saying it was “no longer in operation”.
A husband and wife team run Quail Hollow Farms who produce local, organic food. Their farm was raided and food ordered to destroyed as “unfit for consumption”.
So Why is This A Problem?
Communities CAN work together, and growing vegetables in your front yard and supporting local organic farms is not only good for the community, but also for everyone’s health and well-being.
It should be encouraged, not stopped.
Would you object if your neighbour started growing veggies in their front garden?
If you grow your own veggies, where do you grow them, and have you had any problems with your neighbours or authorities?
Mine grow in my back garden, but that is mainly because there is no real space at the front. Also, here we tend to have walls separating our properties, instead of the open spaces I see in the US. So the aesthetics are slightly different. I love hearing different viewpoints from around the world – please let me know what you think of veggie growing at home!
We were one of the first ones in our neighborhood to grow veggies in the front yard. At first people thought it strange, but then I noticed a lot more people putting a veggie bed in their front yards too. And because our front yard beds are irregularly-shape and mosaic, it has become a conversation piece in the neighborhood.
There has bee controversy surrounding this issuegoing in Oakland, California. I just talked to someone to attended the community meeting with the city. They expected 30 people, not the 500 that showed up. Seems as if there are agendas surrounding the urban gardening issue. It’s not just about vegetables.
Have you looked at Jules Dervaes’ website? They have a striving home gardening operation in Pasadena, CA.
The open spaces in the US are a bit arguable. In Jersey and most of the US that is the case. In Phoenix and Las Vegas we have 7 foot block walls to make sure we don’t talk to our neighbors (that’s my guess anyway). I plan on growing your own in my front yard, side yard, and back yard. The more I grow the more eco-friendly I will be.
Good news for Julie Bass.
It’s really great to hear about communities getting together and working hard to attain something, especially when it comes to Gardens. Too bad to hear about the Community Roots though, hopefully they pull through!