Happy gardening and greening the planet -Chandra

i grow a lot of herbs in my flower garden, well, mostly herbs, and while they are edible i never eat any of them. strange.

Moni

I think people should be able to grow whatever they want (as long as it isn't something illegal that falls under the Controlled Substance Act) on their property. Unfortunately, with HOAs running amok (only some of them, others are more reasonable) and with some city codes legislating what can be grown where, I know that is not possible for everyone.

My whole garden is in front of my house, although we do have a now-shaded lawn grass type area between us and that garden. I have fruit and nut trees in that lawn area. We put the garden there in front because it was the best soil available for a veggie garden. I've never regretted putting it there. It is well-fenced to keep out deer, but people certainly could help themselves to our veggies at night and likely I'd never know it. We're out in the country though, so no neighbors are going to complain about the vegetable garden being in the front instead of it being in the back yard.

It makes more sense to me to raise fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers you can enjoy and use than to spend money on water and fertilizer growing lawn grass you have to mow regularly. What is the lawn grass for? To look nice? To walk on? I'd rather have veggies! Lawn grasses are essentially a monoculture that do not attract or support much wildlife either, but mixed plantings of flowers, veggies, fruits and herbs support a huge wildlife population, including butterflies, dragonflies, bees, other insects, birds, re reptiles and amphibians. Add a little water garden pond and you'll have fish too. With careful succession planting, you can have veggies in your beds almost year-round, and when the veggies aren't growing much, you can fill in the space with annual flowers or cover crops.

I also mix in fruits, veggies and herbs amongst ornamental plantings. Like everyone else, I don't use herbs for eating if they're out in an unfenced area where the dogs or cats could spray them or urinate on them. In the garden proper, most of the edible herbs are in clay pots to elevate them higher than the cats can pee. Dogs are not allowed in or near the fenced garden for the same reason.

I think everyone should grow what they like where they want to grow it. In this country, we have freedom of speech. What about the freedom to grow your own plants where you want them? It seems ridiculous to me this is even an issue.

I read a story about an HOA in Texas a few years back that made someone take down their sunflowers because the flowers were taller than the 6' tall wooden stockade fence. How can anyone be opposed to something as lovely and as useful as sunflowers?

Dawn