More and more people are turning to the “grow food, not lawns” movement for a variety of reasons. Some of us are urban farming revolutionaries, some of us are preppers, and some of us are just hobbyists who just want to show their kids what fresh tomatoes look like.
As the movement grows, however, some of “the powers that be” are moving to stomp it right down, issuing heavy fines on homeowners who choose to grow vegetables in place of flat green turf.
Back in March, we covered one Florida couple who wasfined precisely for growing a food garden– despite the garden being there for decades – along with another Florida woman who wasbeing evicted for her use of off-grid energy.
With that in mind, the guys atCollective Evolutionhave put together a list of some of these “not as isolated as you may think” incidents …
- Orlando, Florida, Regulations specify that planted shrubs “shall be a minimum of 24 inches in height” and “spaced not more than 36 inches apart.” The code lists approximately 295 approved and prohibited species of plants, trees and shrubs.
- 在密歇根州的橡树公园,官员们指控一名女子在“前院空地上种植菜园”。如果罪名成立,她可能会被监禁93天。
- For 17 years, a couple used their front yard to grow food for their own personal consumption. But in May 2013, Miami Shores Village, Florida amended its ordinance to make clear that front yard vegetable gardens were prohibited.
- Earlier this year, city inspectors bulldozed more than 100 types of plants, including garlic chives, strawberry and apple mint, being grown by Denise Morrison in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The inspectors said her plants were too tall, but city code allows for plants over 12 inches if they’re meant for human consumption, which hers were. The woman is now suing the city for violating her civil rights.
- A man was fined $5,200 for growing vegetables in his Clarkston, Georgia backyard, which he not only consumed but also sold at farmers markets and shared with friends.
… along with a few guidelines for which animals are illegal to keep and raise in a given area. As you read through it, keep in mind that it was just a few generations ago that the US Government was, in fact,urgingits citizens to plant gardens on their home property to help support food production and the war effort.
How times change …
Source | Photo:Collective-Evolution.
Elaine Matthewssays
Growing our own is the BEST way to keep food costs down, and increase health by means of not being forced to ingest foods poisoned with chemicals and hormones. To FINE families for opting to grow is ridiculous. I know how delicious home grown fruits and vegetables taste, and I grow a lot of my own herbs as well. VIVA-LA-GARDENERS !!!