Raised gardens ILLEGAL?????

[Flagwaver]

Government officials in Michigan have told a woman that it is illegal for her to have raised garden beds in her front yard. One look at the picture of her garden will show you how well kept and neat it is---as well as positive, productive, thrifty, beautiful, and a great example of self-sufficiency . I bet there are parts of Detroit or Dearborn that look like a disaster, but those residents are not being harrassed.

Stories like this one reinforce my desire to move out to the country. I wish I could leave my mid-size city today. I'm working toward that goal.

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/07/07/does-michelle-obama-know-about-this/

What about Michelle Obama's much-admired vegetable garden on the White House grounds?

[monkeybird]

I read that and the first think of thought of was the dreaded home owners association. Owning a home in Alabama thats part of a 'community' and has a home owners association, I would have faced the same problem planting a vegetable garden in my front yard. No one cared however, when I planted it in my back.

The home I own in Florida is in a section where there is no home owners association, and the minimum size property is an acre. I still put my garden in the back.

The article doesn't explain why she chose to put her garden in the front yard. As a homeowner of a home in a planned community, I'd object also to a vegetable garden in someone's front yard, if, it wasn't planted among the rest of the landscaping. Call me a snob, but I want to keep property values up in both my homes, God knows they've dropped enough.

If we were starving, then who the heck cares where we grow food, but again, I certainly wouldn't want anyone to know I had a garden. It's a guaranteed way to get your produce stolen.

Ok, libertarians, let me have it. (Wince)

[Mikeg175]

Im on the fence about this . In my local walking with my wife and son , there is a house where they have gardens in the front yard and it looks totally ridiculous and out of place . They have corn growing up and you can barely see the house . I am happy to see them growing stuff , but if I lived next door or even a few doors down , I think I would be irritated . There are also some yards where the owners have stocked firewood and it takes up most of their front yard , once again if I lived close , I would be irritated . I still live in a decent community and to see these things does affect the community , it does lower property values , they are also dangerous in a close housing situation . This is the suburbs , not the country . The garden looks good now , because she just planted it . Give it a few and see if she keeps it up and maintains it , then pass judgement . I would think looking at her house , she will keep it properly .

I am all for having the rights to do what you want and I respect them for that and wish them the best , but I am glad they arent next to me . Once my BOL ( vacation home to wife ) is finally settled , then I will have gardens , piles of firewood , firing range , ETC on it . But , until then I live in a housing development that people are 20-30 yrds from each other and I think your rights , should be impacted by the rights of your neighbors .

As far as being dangerous anytime you have gardens , woodpiles , stacks of just junk sitting right next to a house they pose fire risks and if you don't maintain your areas , they will attract rodents and termites and so forth . Unfortunately , the few in my area are not well planned or as organized as this lady's appears to be . They look rather shoddy and I think that is what bugs me , this lady's wouldn't bother me as long as she kept it neat .

[eeyore]

I would say it is there land let them use it as they see fit. I had a neighbor that had a tree in their front yard, it over hung my fence, no grass would grow, branches that fell on the fence, leaves that ended up in my yard. Even though it impacted me, it was none of my business. (imo)

I won't live in a place that has a HOA but even in this case it was the city that was causing the stink (not a HOA), and if you read how they twisted the rules, they went a long way out of the way to interrupt the law the way they saw. It will not hold up in court, but they have no business interfering with a person that owns a piece of property. Way too much is done as said it is done for the "common good" the common good is for the government to butt out of peoples affairs, what they do on their own land is their own business. Now go ahead pull a hypothetical situation out of the air, which will prove nothing.

just my 2 cents (which is really) about 3.6 cents worth of copper which in reality is only about one tenth of cent in worth.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

People = problems
Two sides have been laid out and both = problems. Bad upkeep therefore bad neighbors and people wanting to govern how I live therefore bad neighbors
It's just a garden in this case

[Mikeg175]

Its orderly , doesnt impact anyone , they should leave her alone . The few places in my neighborhood are just slap-hazard and aren't tended well . Do what you want , but a person should show some respect towards others and think of your neighbors also . She isn't doing anything wrong . I like the fact that where I live you cant have cars without tags even in your driveway . In your garage is another story , but too many people with piles of crap and untended yards is not where I want to live . I hate HOA's and have moved because of them , but you do need to show your area residents some respect .

I live in a mostly decent area , because we have laws/codes on how to keep your yard . It sucks when you work your butt off to keep your house and lawn maintained , then some pos moves in next door and looks and acts like straight trash and makes your whole street look downtrodden . If you want to live like trailer trash , get a trailer and move to a park . I hate to stereotype , but some people shouldn't be allowed to own/rent a house , they should stay in a low rent apartment , where they tend your yard and pick up your trash .

We have a few stores in my area and where I am currently living people walk by my house all the time to go there . I am getting out as fast as I can . They will drop their trash and keep walking , NOT when I see them , I give them a rash of s##t about that . It's funny most just say sorry and pick up their mess , everyone once in awhile , one will mouth off half a second , till I move just a little and they see my 100lb plus dogs sitting there , then attitude changes quickly . I don't get a lot of litter around my house anymore , I don't care if I get the stigma of being that A-hole on the corner . You will treat my house and surroundings with respect .

[eeyore]

It is all about personal responsibility, this society we live it lets everyone blame their bad manners and actions on someone else instead of on who the blame should be placed on that is our selves. We are responsible for what we do, how we act, what we allow and what we say.

One day it it will all be straightened out. But until then all we can do is what we can, within our own spheres of influence. Remembering none of us are prefect and only one person that walked this was.

[Tarakian]

I know I am going to draw heat for this stance, but its her land. No one else pays for it, maintains it, or does anything to it without her permission. What business is it of anyone's what she grows in her yard? Or in her house? She bought it, its hers! If you want to take a chair you bought and put new cushions on it, go ahead, its yours. What happened to property rights in this country? What gives anyone the right to tell others what they can do on their own property? If you don't like what she is doing, buy her out, and do whatever you want with the land, because it will then be yours. Yes this could mean you have a junkyard next door, it could mean that your property values may not be as high as they could be. Freedom isn't free, and one of the greatest freedoms we should have are property rights.

[610Alpha]

I have a raised garden and if I lived in a different area I might have put it in the front yard. I do live in a neat neighborhood where the yards are kept trim.

If I lived in an unkempt neighborhood or if my raised garden wasn't made out of cinder blocks with PVC pipe for a support system and watering system I might have put it in the front yard. But since mine is made out of these things and my neighbors have nice yards I put it in the back.

From my understanding this lady did it to avoid reseeding her yard after having some work done on her sewer lines. If it is kept neat I don't see how it would be any worse than a raised bed with some tall flowers in it. A raised bed with tall flowers could be just as much of an eye sore, IMO.

I still think the city is over stepping their bounds and they need to get a better dictionary because suitable does not mean common.

[eeyore]

Here is an update, for anyone interested

Front Yard Gardener Faces New Charges
Despite the fact that city authorities have temporarily dropped a case against Oak Park resident Julie Bass for growing a vegetable garden in her front yard after the story received nationwide attention, Bass has now been hit with a new criminal charge for owning unlicensed dogs, clear evidence says Bass that she’s the victim of a vendetta.

After Oak Park City failed in its bid to charge Bass with violating a local ordinance for using her front garden to grow organic vegetables, no doubt put off by gargantuan media attention on the case, they are now pursuing Bass for a similarly ludicrous misdemeanor that carries an identical penalty, 93 days in jail, for owning unlicensed dogs.

However, Bass’ dogs are fully licensed, the city is merely reinstating an earlier charge that Bass has already complied with.

This tells us two things – one that the city is blatantly pursuing a malicious vendetta against Bass for making a mockery of their petty ordinances, and two that enforcement officials must have been spying on her before the unlicensed dog charge was invented.

Having dropped the garden case because of the “heat of the spotlight,” Bass’ attorney Solomon Radner calls the newly reinstated dog charge “a very dirty move,” adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if both charges were pursued once media attention has waned.

“Charges are dropped for the time being,” Radner said. “Based on the games the city has been playing, I would not put it past them to drop the charges just to get the media off their back.”

...

http://www.infowars.com/front-yard-g...s-new-charges/

[WAB]

She needs to get out of there. Rampant communism is everywhere. You can tell when someone thinks they can tell you what you can or cannot do on your property. Someone like that wouldn't want me for a neighbor.


WAB