Posted on 11/08/2012 11:08:11 AM PST by grundle
ORLANDO, Fla. - An Orlando man is fighting city officials to keep his vegetable garden in his front yard.
You have to step over radishes, wax beans and kale to get to Jason Helvingston's front door in College Park.
However, his 25 x 25 foot micro-irrigated vegetable garden is against city code, and the city of Orlando has asked Helvingston to dig it up by Wednesday.
[UPDATE: Orlando developer flips-flops on layoff threat after Obama re-elected]
"I said, 'You'll take my house before you take my vegetable garden,'" he said. "There's nothing wrong here, there's nothing poisonous here. This is a sustainable plot of land."
City code requires ground covers to be planted in a way that gives off a finished appearance so neighborhood lawns are clean, and inviting -- keeping property values up.
Helvingston has decided not to listen to the city. Instead, he's trying to petition the code to allow for veggie gardens in the front yard.
He's gathered more than 200 signatures, including one from his neighbor, Shelly Snow.
"(I'm) definitely not bothered by it. As a matter of fact, we love it," she said.
Helvingston hopes the city will reconsider the code when he meets with a code board in December.
"This is another example of the government telling us what we can do with our own property -- that should never happen," he said.
If that is a quote of the law, it is vague and unenforceable................
Vegetable gardens certainly do NOT provide a “finished appearance” in terms of landscaping, and are essentially unfinished most of the year.
He should fight to change the code.
“from my cold, dead gardening gloves”. Semper veggie.
City gov’t clearly decided that Homeowners Associations were intruding on their turf, and have stepped in to be the next major annoyance to landowners. Just bleeping great.
Zoning. Ain’t it great?
People just LOVE to order other people around.
The comments at the article are interesting:) Folks are PO’ed at the government.
Screw them. Bank'll take my house before they do.
With that argument, one could say grass lawns are unfinished, as well. You either have to maintain them (water, mow, edge, fertilize), or let them die. Same as a garden. And in Orlando, I'd bet growing season could almost be year-round.
I have always found a garden to be clean and inviting, so what’s the problem?
If you live in an Obamaville there are going to be codes.
if you want to play Old MacDonald move to the sticks.
but if they change the code more power to em. and good luck as some neighbors are going to take the side of the city officials.
If I were him, I’d be more afraid of people stealing the vegetables. I’d put it in the back yard. But that’s just me. I have a problem with people taking what they don’t work for.
There are still people who believe they own their land and can do as they wish with it./s
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