Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

In Florida, A Turf War Blooms Over Front-Yard Vegetable Gardening
NPR ^ | 16 Dec 2013 | Greg Allen

Posted on 12/17/2013 11:54:34 AM PST by Theoria

In tropical South Florida, it's growing season. Temperatures are in the 80s, there's lots of sun and good rain, and normally, Hermine Ricketts' plants would already be in the ground.

"By now, this should be probably Red Sails lettuce, which is a beautiful color lettuce, or purple mizuna, which is a beautiful filigreed purple leaf," she says.

But this year, Ricketts' vegetable planting has been derailed by a legal fight over what she can plant and where she can plant it.

Her garden is in the front yard of her home in Miami Shores, because that's where the sun is — her house faces south and her backyard is mostly in the shade. A retired architect, originally from Jamaica, Ricketts says she gardens for the food and for the peace it brings her.

"This is a peach tree that I put in, and around it, I had kale, and in between the kales, I had some Chinese cabbage," she says. "And I also had Swiss chard, yellow Swiss chard."

There are lots of things planted in Ricketts' front yard: a pomegranate tree, a blueberry bush, papaya, strawberries, pineapples, flowers and green plants.

But noticeably absent is anything considered by Miami Shores to be a vegetable. That's because earlier this year, after tending her garden for 17 years with nothing from the neighbors but compliments, Ricketts was ordered to dig up her veggies.

She says she was surprised several months ago when a zoning inspector stopped by.

"He told me I was not allowed to have vegetables in the front yard," she says.

Under a zoning ordinance tightened last spring, residents in Miami Shores are not allowed to have vegetable gardens in their front yards.

(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...


TOPICS: Gardening; Society
KEYWORDS: florida; garden; gardening; propertyrights
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: JRandomFreeper
The front yard looks like a commercial nursery, and it does look bad by South Florida standards. And Miami Shores has always been strict.

But they should rewrite the code to address appearance, rather than what can be planted. That papaya looks terrible and it's a fruit. OTOH, some vegetables are sold as ornamentals and look great.

21 posted on 12/17/2013 12:41:06 PM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Vigilanteman
Even if the neighbors do complain, what's the problem?

Sounds like they have a 'busybody' problem...

22 posted on 12/17/2013 12:44:38 PM PST by who knows what evil? (G-d saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2
I see nothing wrong with gardening in the front yard.

Car exhaust and dog markings add to the flavor.

23 posted on 12/17/2013 12:49:53 PM PST by Reeses
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Reeses
"...dog markings"

--> free fertilizer.

24 posted on 12/17/2013 12:52:57 PM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62
"Isn't it racism to assume it's racism? "

Of course, but everything is racism, when PC'ly properly viewed.

25 posted on 12/17/2013 12:54:30 PM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62
If they are so strict, how did she grow her garden for 17 years without a problem?

/johnny

26 posted on 12/17/2013 12:54:55 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: JRandomFreeper

Maybe she came up with new ways to make the yard look bad like half-buried pots and uncovered plastic.


27 posted on 12/17/2013 12:57:26 PM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Theoria

They must be conservatives, or her protective coloration would have helped. She should have played the race card right up front! < /sarc >


28 posted on 12/17/2013 1:43:21 PM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Theoria

This is why things like cities should not exist. Counties should be the end of the line for government.


29 posted on 12/17/2013 1:47:15 PM PST by CodeToad (When ignorance rules a person's decision they are resorting to superstition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Theoria

NIMBYs would probably like to outlaw gardening in more rural areas, too. They’ve been complaining in parts of the West for some time already (uses too much water, alters “open space,” etc.).


30 posted on 12/17/2013 2:59:58 PM PST by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Theoria

Many sparsely populated counties are already regulated up like NYC, too.


31 posted on 12/17/2013 3:01:07 PM PST by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jeff Chandler

I think the photos are what the government wanted to replace it. Not sure, but that’s what it looks like to me.


32 posted on 12/17/2013 3:13:14 PM PST by Finny (Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. -- Psalm 119:105)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62; JRandomFreeper; Jeff Chandler

Judging by the captions at the site, the photos are of the yard that government regulation forced her to create to replace her probably gorgeous and lush (at least during part of the year) vegetable garden. It looks pretty ugly to me and I don’t see vegetable one.


33 posted on 12/17/2013 3:16:54 PM PST by Finny (Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. -- Psalm 119:105)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Finny
I don’t see vegetable one

as far as I'm concerned, they are only vegetables when you eat them, otherwise they are just decorative plants......and I harvest very late at night!!!

34 posted on 12/17/2013 4:59:35 PM PST by terycarl (common sense rules overall)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

> Her garden is in the front yard of her home in Miami Shores, because that’s where the sun is... earlier this year, after tending her garden for 17 years with nothing from the neighbors but compliments, Ricketts was ordered to dig up her veggies.

Thanks Theoria.


35 posted on 12/17/2013 5:57:19 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Theoria
Under a zoning ordinance tightened last spring, residents in Miami Shores are not allowed to have vegetable gardens in their front yards.

Plant the entire yard in tomatoes, which are not vegetables.

36 posted on 12/17/2013 9:33:17 PM PST by Graybeard58 (_.. ._. .. _. _._ __ ___ ._. . ___ ..._ ._ ._.. _ .. _. .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Theoria

That’s a beautiful vegetable garden.


37 posted on 08/27/2014 4:28:06 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson