Why can't you grow a garden in your front yard!?

I would like to talk about why it is a great idea to grow a garden at your house, front or backyard. There are so many benefits to growing your own fruits and vegetables. So when a link to an article (written by Alexis Wiley) was sent to me about a woman in the city of Oaks Park who is being charged with a misdemeanor for growing a garden in her front yard, I felt that I must speak up. This is ridiculous to me for so many reasons! What really offends me is the response of the City Planner of Oaks Park, Kevin Rulkowski, when questioned, in the article, about why Julie Bass was being ticketed and charged with a misdemeanor,"That's not what we want to see in a front yard," Well I disagree Kevin Rulkowski, I disagree. The city's arguing that there is a code that states  there must be suitable, plant material that is alive in the front yards. In another quote from the article, Kevin Rulkowski said 

  "If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster's dictionary, it will say common. So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what's common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers,"  

Challenge, Kevin Rulkowski!! Webster's Dictionary states:

(here is the link if you need further proof!)

There is a lot wrong with this statement! Yes, grass yards, trees, bushes, and flowers are common around many communities; all of this plant life sucks water! It all must me constantly watered and keeps that water meter spinning, that does not seem "Suitable" to me. A good friend of mine is currently "zero landscaping" his house, pulling out the water wasting grass yards, trees, bushes, and flowers and is replacing it with succulents, plants which are quite beautiful and rarely have to be watered. 

Here are some of the reasons you should grow your own garden on all parts of your property:

1. Go to the store and look at food prices, it's expensive! growing your own food lowers the cost of grocery bills.
2. Gardening gets you outside breathing fresh air, it keeps you active and limber tending to our garden.
3. It is a fantastic way for a family to share quality time.
4. It is a hands on way to teach your children about sustainable living methods, and the health benefits of eating homegrown food.
5. Children will be more likely to want to try new foods, especially if they are the ones that grew the ingredients!
6. Gardening is a sustainable way to feed yourself and those around you.

As further proof gardening is beneficial, a neighbor of Bass was quoted from the article as saying "I have a bunch of little children and we take walks to come by and see everything growing. I think it's a very wonderful thing for our neighborhood," The City of Oak Park should be ashamed of themselves! Instead of deterring locals from being environmentally conscious, the city needs to be encouraging these sustainable habits and actively participating in programs that promote sustainable living.

We support you Julie Bass and believe in what you are doing! The world would be a better place if more people followed in your footsteps. To quote my Mom Jill "Wow - time for a paradigm shift - I guess the answer is for everyone to grow gardens in their front yard - it would then be "common" and therefore "suitable" in the eyes of the city planner."

Here is the link to the article so you can read for yourself, and just so you know, here is what Julie Bass was ticketed and is being charged a misdemeanor for:

 (picture from the article)