gardening for the soul and body

11 years ago

Gardening is a good thing,for the spirit, the body and for the community and yet how many articles over the past few years alerted Americans that some of their fellow Americans were be harrassed, fined and even jailed for growing food in their yards? This is what an English town choose to do about it in their community,,,, I do hope this spirit of independence and community finds it way across the pond to the supposedly land of liberty and freedom.......

Small West Yorkshire town aims to be first town with food self-sufficiency by growing all its own vegetables

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 by: PF Louis

213

(NaturalNews) Different local authorities throughout the USA have been harassing homeowners for growing veggies or herbs in their front lawns. But in the small town of Todmorden, England, a grass-roots food movement has been started by one woman who grew veggies in her front yard and let neighbors pick them free.

It took six months before neighbors and passers-by got the notion that Mary Clear's lowered fence and signs encouraging people to pick veggies from her lawn was for real. Mary, a 56 year old grandmother, kicked off a scheme thought up with local Bear Cafe owner Pam Warhurst and others to engage in local guerrilla agriculture.

Soon, others joined in and they called the movement Incredible Edible. Now this small community has 70 large, raised beds flourishing with fruits and vegetables, all of which are there for others to take from without paying.

Even the Todmorden police station has a few of those beds on its premises. The police also allow others to come and pick from them. It's a high profile setting that lets others know it is okay to grow your own in Todmorden. (Source 1 below)

Mary and Pam realize that Incredible Edible isn't up to feeding all 15,000 residents of Todmorden yet. But their goal is to achieve that level of self sufficiency by 2018. They're working on getting more involved with growing veggies and fruits with a grass roots free educational system to help others learn how to plant and nurture communal food gardens.

So far, there has been no government financial support or interference with Incredible Edible, which has even sprouted up in another British town, Somerset. (Source 2 below)

It appears that USA community bureaucracies are number one in harassing homeowners who grow veggies or herbs in their yards. (http://www.naturalnews.com)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

carol6ma_7ari
11 years ago
Sounds great, but my first thought was, in the USA there'd be a lot of meaningless destruction of such gardens, deliberate picking of tomatoes and then throwing them at houses and cars, etc.

How would this work out here, do you think?

Carol
defrost49
11 years ago
I think in some areas people are encouraged to donate surplus veggies to food pantries but it would be nicer and less work would be involved if people could go directly to a garden to pick what they needed.

I think both the gardeners and the neighborhood would have to learn a new set of rules. There would have to be an etiquette to picking. Don't take more than you need for the next few days so food isn't wasted and that others might also have some. Pickers would have to understand boundaries assuming a person might have a private area that is off limits. A person would have to be honest about their need.

But I don't know about the entire concept. If people got free vegetables, how would farmers make a living?
Related Professionals
Erie Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · New Mexico Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saint Charles Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Jackson Landscape Contractors · Firestone Landscape Contractors · Los Banos Landscape Contractors · North Haven Landscape Contractors · Ponte Vedra Beach Landscape Contractors · Bonita Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Green Bay Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Green Bay Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Schaumburg Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · St. Louis Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Waukesha Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Wilmington Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures
blaketaylore
Original Author
11 years ago
Hello Carol,

I do beleive that in some areas there would be vandalism. I don't think it would happen in many small towns though, especially if there was a community spirit of the importance of everyone having access to healthy, organic non gmo foods. Food is important and I think each community and family needs to be as self sufficent as they can in having good food for everyone. So community education and good peer pressure among the youngsters would help I think in many neighborhoods.

Hello Defrost

I agree there has to be etiqutte and respect to everyone, especially the landowner when picking vegetables. Maybe this can be down in a community garden plot and public areas rather than private homes. Humans are hardly honest beings, but I beleive must of them can learn to be if the community teaches support and importants of these programs.

Even during World War 2 when they had the victory gardens, I think they were only able to produce 40 percent of what was needed. We will always need farmers. I don't know of any average person who can provide all the food they need on their own. So I would worry more about big corporation elblowing the small farmer out of business and not the small community gardens sudsidizing some free veegatbles.

Growing a garden is a good thing. Bringing the community togther in a respectful way is a good thing. I like it when it was mentioned tha the Mormon Church doesn't like to have needy members so they make sure their membes get what they need. People are taught or even forced to get car insurance, house insurance and if they are lucky they get health insurance. But how many Americans are taught to automatically create food insurance for themselves by having a stocked pantry should prices get out of control or the family breadwinner suddenly losses their job. Food is a basic necessity. It should high on thelist of insurance for ourselves by having easy access to it employed or not emplyed. Working or retired. Communities need in my opinion need to watch out for their community members in a respectful non invasive way. I think free community gardens is a great idea. And perhpas it might even get people to thinking what other types of insurance they need for their own personal welfare and not for the profits of mega corporations.