front-yard vegetable gardens

Florida lifts ban on front-yard vegetable gardens

Ari Bargill, the lawyer who represented Ricketts and Carroll, is pleased with the new legislation, saying he "looks forward to the day where no Floridian would worry about crippling fines for the offence of growing cabbage."

Not everyone supports it. The ironically-named Democrat senator Gary Farmer voted no because he fears front-yard gardens will attract iguanas and rats. (Why this isn't a concern in rear-yard gardens, I am not sure.)

The bill doesn't solve the dispute fully. It only preempts local government rules, not restrictions set by homeowners' associations or other groups. But it's a great start, and one that will hopefully inspire others to rip up their useless grass and plant some useful vegetables instead. The more front-yard vegetable gardens there are, the more normalized it will become – and the more secure the food system will be, too.

(Wanting some inspiration now? Check out Fine Gardening's tips on making an attractive front-yard veggie garden.)