You can't really own land. You just rent it from the most imperious landlord - the state.

"if you aren't causing a fire or traffic hazard to all the other houses in the neighborhood, shouldn't you be able to grow whatever the hell you want on your own land?"

I'm not saying I agree with her prosecution, but some people move into towns and neighborhoods with strict codes because they want those codes enforced. A vegetable garden in the neighbor's front yard, in suburbia where people expect lawns, can lower your property value.

I have a stone dead lawn right now-Texas is in unbelievable drought, and I find it financially and ecologically absurd to spend hundreds keeping my lawn alive. A lawn is nice, but not a necessity. But I know I'm probably going to get grief from my HOA for it. We don't live within city limits, one reason being we don't like the laws they have.

Seriously? All the law says is "suitable"? Can you say "void for vagueness"?

The truth is, I think every one of you little wretches is religious. And your religion is government... Every time you wanna do something nice for someone, you go to government and make a law. Basically, you're buying indulgences with other people's money.

And then you get upset about the busybodies... Go figure.

Amy, you're too polite to that Rulkowski creature when you call him by his first name.

I think it is lovely that she is growing vegetables in her front lawn. Many of the vegetable gardens I've seen are prettier than my flower beds that are currently overgrown with weeds (been traveling too much to stay on top of them lately). What if her backyard is too shady for the garden? In this type of economic climate we should cheering on the people who go to the trouble of growing their own veggies so they can eat healthy.

What Jeff said.

I'm a couple of decades out of my Earth Science class, but doesn't a vegetable garden count as "live plant material?" And how can they find fault with someone who's providing the kids in the neighborhood with a productive activity like gardening? Since the neighbors appear to appreciate the garden, maybe she can get them to sign a petition. After all they're the ones living next door to her, not Kevin Rulkowski. If anything a yard full of colorful vegetables adds to the beauty of the 'hood. I'd pay to live next door to that.

Again, a fascinating topic. Suppose someone put up a large "Buy Budweiser" beer ad billboard in their front yard? They need the money, so they put the billboard in.

Okay, where do we draw the line between what is acceptable in the front yard, and what is not?

Do we allow community standards, whatever they are, to rule?

I go with maximum freedom, which means, unfortunately or otherwise, your neighbors can put a glass-windowed whorehouse on their front yard if they want to, and charge admission, both for patronage and voyeurs.

Otherwise, get ready for City Hall to tell you that your house needs a different shade of paint, and get rid of those veggies.

And here I thought BOTU would be more concerned about whether Julie Bass is receiving subsidies from the Department of Agriculture than about the enforcement of community standards.

Although I have noticed that lately he seems to have an absurd fixation on suburban brothels. Just sayin'.

silverpie wrote:

Seriously? All the law says is "suitable"? Can you say "void for vagueness"?

That's certainly the argument her lawyer should be making. If I was on the bench, I wouldn't know what to do with "suitable", other than look at other parts of the municipal code, which specifically allow for cultivated flower beds and vegetable gardens, without any restriction on the location on the lot. Hopefully the district court judge will see it the same way.

Oh, and don't think that all the neighbors approve. The only reason the city would trouble itself with something like this would be a nagging but cowardly neighbor. I can see why they wouldn't like it-- it's a residential zone, not an agricultural one, and she's built beds out of unfinished lumber. Next she'll be spreading clear plastic over them to make hillbilly hothouses. It looks half-assed; but that doesn't cure a bad ordinance.

Consistency warning!

If you want the authorities to let your kid run a lemonade stand without a thousand-page document that cost you millions to have written, you have to let them say what "suitable" means.

There are some things that just don't belong in a front yard - like trash. Or rusted-out cars sitting on concrete blocks. Or abandoned appliances. Or broken furniture. Or weapons of mass destruction. But vegetables? Vegetables are fine, front yard, back yard, side yard, wherever. Besides, if my kid works in her garden, maybe she'll give me some home-grown tomatoes, yum!

And now, a little sumpthin' spethial just for that naïf BOTU of Ken-tuckee.

No matter how broke the country gets pricks like Kevin always keep drawing paychecks.

It's can-tuck-ee Crid.

There's gotta be a way to emphasize the first and last syllables, like that 18th century guy did in that movie.

This will be the next Wickard v. Filburn since she's not engaging in commerce with vendors of vegetables.

I'd argue that a vegetable garden is more "suitable ... plant material" than grass in North America. Most of the varieties of grass in our lawns isn't from this hemisphere, came over with the Columbian Exchange, and in most parts of the US takes a great deal of trouble to keep viable. I've studied our national lawn fetish for a while, and I think there's really something downright nutty about spending more than the GDP of Vietnam on our biggest crop (we grow more grass than corn), that you CAN'T EAT. (Sorry, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine).

One of her asshole neighbors called in a complaint.

This is why I wouldn't live in a neighborhood with a mandatory HOA. We didn't do veggies this year (good thing- they'd all be dead because of the drought and associated watering restrictions), but I've planted tomatoes and peppers in my flowerbeds in the past. Other houses in our neighborhood have their veggie gardens incorporated into their landscaping: Sugar snaps on a trellis, squash plants, artichokes, asparagus patches- I think it looks cool. Austin's laid back, though. You can have chickens in the city.

This is ridiculous! Facing jail time? This has elevated it to absurd! I can understand that it might go against HOA rules and there could be some consequences for that.

I would hope that even a HOA could compromise. Vegetable gardens can be planned so that they are beautiful. Raised gardens can be used right intermixed with grassy areas.

I have also seen vegetable gardens that have designed to be beautiful, especially when mixed with ornamental shrubbery.

If not designed to be attractive, vegetable gardens can be barren during certain periods and look a bit unkempt.

Can't we work together?

Is it at least possible that this is an Orange County kind of thing, where people choose to live with these constraints, like the neighborhoods in Mission Viejo where you're not allowed to have your garage door open for more than 14 minutes at a time?

Some people enjoy living with busybodies.... Makes 'em feel loved.

Is it at least possible that this is an Orange County kind of thing, where people choose to live with these constraints, like the neighborhoods in Mission Viejo where you're not allowed to have your garage door open for more than 14 minutes at a time?

Crid,

You have a link for that? Not that I disbelieve it, I just want it as ammo anytime anyone defends government stupidity.

I don't mind if HOAs set these types of ridiculous rules; I just won't live in their neighborhoods. But this is the city coming down on her and that sucks.

> You have a link for that?

Not really, it was a neighborhood an old girlfriend had moved into to make babies (very orderly ones). Roughly here.

The world is crawling with neighborhood associations. Our HOA bylaws forbid me to sell crack cocaine. At night.

So sell it durring the day then

Live in the box with neighbors who like the box, worship the box, defend the box - and you're going to have trouble if you're peeking out of the box.

I have other witty sayings if you'd like to hear them.

Sorry it took so long for me comment. I live in Oak Park and have seen Mrs. Bass's eyesore of a front yard firsthand. And Mrs. Bass likes to call attention to the "suitable plant material" part of the law, but conveniently omits the entire line "All unpaved portions of the [screening and landscaping] site shall be planted with grass ground cover, shrubbery, or other suitable live plant material."

So what is suitable? Her front yard is mostly woodchips which clearly doesn't meet the legal standard. But more than that, it looks horrid. In spite of this, Oak Park dropped the case, for now. After all, there is an election coming up soon.