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If the store is out of the question and even the farmer's market is getting to be too far away, there is a growing trend of "delawning" and replacing the "useless" grass front lawn with a garden of entirely edible plants. Edible estates is a throwback movement to times in the early 20th century when yards had to be used for gardening and not for recreation. It is also a mission for its founder, Los Angeles architect Fritz Haeg, who has made connections to start several Estates all across the country, in addition to the ones currently operating in Salina, KS and just south of LA in Lakewood, CA.
The conversion process involves ripping out everything in a flat, sunny front yard and replanting it with up to 195 varieties of fruits, vegetables and other edible plants. The yards must be tended by their owners 7 days a week, and since no pesticides are allowed, the maintenance can become a second job. And with that many plants in a limited space, the foliage can become rather aggressive, making it even more of a standout from neighboring homes. Incidentally, neighbors aren't too thrilled when one of these springs up on their block, saying "what happens in the backyard is their business, but this doesn't seem...to be a front yard kind of a deal."
Check out the edible estates website if you're interested in learning more. I think I'll stick to the various markets in my area. I like to garden, but the only point I'm trying to make with it is part of my dinner, not one about eco-polotics.
By the way, the family in LA has a blog about their gardening that is quite interesting.
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7-22-2006 @2:12PM Laura Eiynk said... I think it is a brilliant idea. I am so sick of reading in the paper about people complaining about watering bans and not being able to keep their lawn nice and green, for what? Why should we treat all this water to be wasted on something that serves a purely superficial purpose when it could be used for something productive.
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7-22-2006 @2:39PM kathy said... FINALLY ! Some sanity and reason. The constricts of beauty is constantly changing. Why not have a lawn that contributes something of value to the owner? What could be more beautiful than edible, functional lawns that offer good wholesome food?
Are we so shallow and narrow minded that we need to poison the water table with noxious pesticides for an arbitrary vision of beautiful? REMEMBER, society defines beauty... and it reflects on that society.
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7-22-2006 @2:52PM Lynette said... When I first read about this in the NY Times, I was super excited. Taking the plain lawn and transforming it into a useful garden seems to make sense...that is until I thought more about the upkeep and management of this type of from yard. In my neighborhood (suburban but still on a busy street), I would worry about exhaust from cars, people stealing produce or plants, and kids who like to cause mischief. I have a hard enough time keeping the squirrels out of my back yard, I guess with this you would have worry about keeping the above and the raccoons, rabbits, bears, and whatnot out. I wonder how this would really work in my neighborhood.
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7-22-2006 @3:05PM Tom said... This is possibly the worst idea I have ever heard. Lets be realistic for a minute, who is going to have to time to do this? Most people dont even mow their own lawns or cook their own food. Do you think they will make time to grow 195 varieties? Sounds good on paper but wont work in practice, kind of like communism.
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7-22-2006 @3:05PM Kristy said... While this is a good idea in theory, it would never work in most suburban or urban areas. The last thing I want to do is have a 24-hour free public salad bar. There are way too many people out there who are ignorant with a false sense of entitlement, and who would happily rob a front-yard garden blind when no one's looking. Grow your food in your back yard.
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7-22-2006 @3:21PM Ryan said... I agree with Kristy - I have a friend whose neighbors pilfered from his backyard yard yearly! A front garden is just asking for it, unless you want to put in high, unsightly fences. If they really hate the lawn and want useful, low-maintenance plants, put herbs and maybe easy-to-grow cutting flowers in the front at least. But for even better ideas, check out permaculture, which is about putting in gardens where you can and leaving the rest to nature. It's been around for years and has great ideas about freeing up your time by getting rid of the vast blank space that is the average suburban lawn.
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7-22-2006 @3:23PM tom dillin said... Finally?? This concept is far from being new and I wonder how old Fritz the architect is who is marketing "his new idea" and got it on an AOL talk show. It has never made sense to me that the American public spends fortunes to keep a useless, non-edible lawn green; fertilizing it, cutting it, throwing it away, and starting all over again. Ever gotten into an argument with your wife about who was going to cut the lawn this weekend? Ya think car exhausts are more devistating to edibles than pesticides?
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7-22-2006 @3:26PM Linda Detrio said... I did do this and its beautiful. I mix flowers with the vegetables. I do sell at the local Farmers Market as well as can and freeze my produce. It is alot of work, but its organic food that takes no gasoline to obtain. I'm in the suburbs, have a half acre and to the naysayers who poopah the idea, get over it. We need to learn to be more self sufficent and the extras can go to a food bank. Why water a lawn with precious resources, when you can make it productive and help others. I also have fruit trees and hope to dig up the last of my grass next year.
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7-22-2006 @3:30PM Silk said... I had a front yard full of weeds, but since everyone in our neighborhood had wells, weed killers were strongly discouraged. After hand-weeding for two years, I went to a foraging workshop, and discovered over half my weeds were not only edible, but tasted good and were quite nourishing. So I ATE the danged things! Very satisfying.
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7-22-2006 @3:39PM Steven Sexton said... I started this several years ago, and it works beetter all the time. I do still have some yard, but that too well soon be gone. I put Rubbarb in the flower beads and it one of tirst thing spring. House must heat the ground close in.
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7-22-2006 @3:44PM Patricia Alber said... I also did this in a Philly suburb. Guess what? Nobody stole my produce. We made raised beds on the small front lawn to the sidewalk filled it with good dirt and planted one side with flowers and herbs and the other with chiles. Then we grew tomatoes,squash, beans etc in rubbermaid tubs along the fence line next to a business. People constantly stopped and commented. We gave away alot but the work wasn't anymore than all that mowing, trimming, blowing, sweeping,spraying, and watering (we mulched and grew organic)that others did. And we made a lot less noise than the guys who just had to use their leaf blowers for their 6 foot sidewalk. This costs alot less money than that stuff and you save on your grocery bills. Lawns are a waste of space. www.spinfarming.com
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7-22-2006 @3:46PM Diane said... this is a great idea, if you have the time and space. i have a very small yard, but still like fresh veggies. i have been growing veggie plants in with my flower beds,for years. there is nothing like fresh green beans, you grew yourself, even if they did come out of your front yard flower beds.
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7-22-2006 @4:01PM Lisa said... I'd love to turn my yard into a garden--it has the best soil and light exposure on our place. For now, I'm growing tomatoes, collards, herbs, and beans amongst the ornamental stuff in the borders and incrementally increasing the width of the borders on the sly. Eventually, they may take over the yard.
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7-22-2006 @4:13PM Bill said...
I have done this for the last 5 years on a much smaller scale. I mixed the flowers with the vegetables and it worked great. The garden area was only near the building and was not much work cultivating it.
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7-22-2006 @4:16PM Ken Allen said... Turning the front lawn into a garden smacks of logic, so naturally, I love the idea. However, modern man has forgotten two important reasons for a lawn surrounding a home. 1) It's a fire-break and 2) gives folks a better chance of seeing poisonous snakes and insects. In short, a lawn is more than decoration.
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7-22-2006 @4:21PM tj said... I have done this with my front lawn. I must tell you the work is quite a bit but the reward is great as well. The only negative is the strange looks the neighbors have given our family. I have noticed however that another family has done the same thing on a limited scale.
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7-22-2006 @4:30PM tim said... Its an excellent idea who's time is almost here. when gas, taxes and the cost of living get so expensive that there is nothing left to pay for food or other dailey expenses this idea will take off naturally, people will be forced by neccessity to do something like this in order to have food on the table. lets face it some people are already making choices at the gas pump,paying bills or at the store that alter the way they eat/live. its almost inevitable that this type of landscaping becomes the norm.
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7-22-2006 @4:31PM Mack said... if you don't like maintaining your lawn and want to make good use of the area this will look better than having nuthing there at all.
But a few things to consider this would probalby be more time consuming than maintaining your lawn. A great feature of a lawn is that it actually lowers the ambient tempurature an average of 7 degrees (standing in a dirt lot 90 degrees on a maintained lawn it would be only 83 degrees) thats a big differance.
Another thing about the organic aspect, a few facts you should know. organic doesn't mean there are no pesticides or fertilizers used. With organics more fertilizers are often used and pesticides are used only to cure weed/pest/disease problems not to prevent them. because less pesticides are used the plants yeild an average of 40% of the produce the would have if they were to use preventitive sprayings.
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7-22-2006 @4:43PM Tina said... There are so many plants in our yards with so many uses and all we need to do is get a good field guide. Dandelion, violet, lamb's quarters, burdock.... all foods, free for the taking.
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7-22-2006 @4:48PM Gnc said... I tried to grow some tomatoes and strawberries and the birds and bugs got them. I did not want to use pesticides. HOW are you keeping away the vermin?
Hmmm
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