Woman prosecuted for garden

Some people use skelemingos for Halloween, others all year round.

“A woman in Oak Park, Michigan could spend 93 days in jail for growing vegetables in her garden. When Julie Bass replaced the grass and trees in her front yard with cabbage, carrots, tomatoes etc., her neighbor called the city and complained. The neighbor felt that Bass’s yard disrupted the look of the neighborhood. Bass was issued a ticket, which she refused to pay. Now, the case is in the beginning stages of litigation.“

Of course it is ridiculous to prosecute someone for gardening. This story has been picked up everywhere, but I couldn’t help blog about it because a similar thing is happening in my neighborhood. A lovely family has decided to plant some vegetables in their front yard. The vegetables are discretely placed behind some flowers. The vegetable beds are beautifully landscapped and maintained. But yet, it has caused quite a bit of commotion because a handful of residents feel that vegetables belong only in the backyard.

Beyond silly. Planting vegetables and having less lawn to maintain is good for people and the environment. As a form of protest, I will be growing some tomatos in my front yard next year (it is too late to plant anything in this hemisphere). But until then, I’m thinking about adding a bunch of skelemingos, maybe a couple of garden dwellers, and a tombstone while I’m at it. If you know of any other good lawn ornaments, let me know.

~ by siouxsielaw on July 15, 2011.