Michelle Obama lives in possibly the most prestigious house in the United States. In 2009, he excavated a portion of the South Lawn and installed an organic garden to provide fresh produce for the White House kitchen. Except for chemical companies that produce pesticides (definitely not allowed in an organic garden), who could complain about such a plan? It is a great example of sourcing food locally and Washington DC school children have had the opportunity to dig in the dirt and learn where their food comes from.
It’s a good thing the White House is not located in Oak Park, Michigan.
When the Bass family had to dig up their lawn to repair a sewer line, instead of replacing the grass they decided to plant a vegetable garden. Oak Park city officials were not impressed with the family’s idea and asked them to move the garden to the backyard.
Aside from a little container gardening, this is the first time the Bass family has grown a garden. But instead of focusing her efforts on developing new gardening skills and reaping the fruits of her labor, mother of six Julie Bass faces a court battle and possibly a prison sentence.
About an orchard.
The family would love to raise chickens for fresh eggs, have a goat for milking, and generate electricity with a windmill. They have not done so because those activities are not allowed in Oak Park. Horticulture, however, is not explicitly against city codes. So what’s the problem? City code requires front yards to have “adequate living plant material.” Well, since the plants in Bass’s front yard aren’t made of silk or plastic, it seems the battle is over what’s “appropriate.”
Is a green lawn maintained with pesticides and chemical fertilizers and trimmed with a gas-powered lawn mower adequate? Not in my book. I believe it is totally inappropriate to expose our communities to the dangers of poisons on a daily basis just to maintain compliance.
