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Trying to pass a bylaw that prohibits one from planting healthy food in ones garden….#sadcountries Great it didn’t work out that way in this case.
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Why would there be any law that prohibit people from growing food? Why would any gouvernement demand people put in grass instead of vegetables? (Other than reasons of capitalism)
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That is what the big companies want so you have to buy from them. When you are Growing your own food it makes you spend less and they get less money.
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Good for them, why have a garden with a lawn when a garden full of vegetables and fruit is so much better and more beautiful!
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Neat vegy gardens are more asthetically pleasing than a lawn. What’s wrong with the council? Or I should say the individual employee that made the decision that a vegy garden is not socially acceptable. My message to you is “get a life”.
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This is the blunt force trauma end of bureaucratic stupidity. Any fuck-witted councillor who tries to stop people from growing shit in their own yards should be sent in for re-programming
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I’d rather have food growing in place of lawn. First of all, I’m allergic to grass. My neighbor has been helping me get rid of the grass and other things growing in my yard I’m allergic to
Reply I’d lo e to have a very garden again all around my property. My Dad used to grow them along with beautiful flowers, he never used chemical fertilizers, we had enough chickens to provide that and they were also fed with the veges.
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Ridiculous! When you think of it lawns are a waste of space and should be put to better use by growing veges. Somehow lawns are a very bourgeois thing!
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We had a similar response from a council in Buderim where street gardens and trees were removed…..stupid!!
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Ok maybe not so pretty in some eyes … How about putting a rosemary ( or similar) hedge around it ???
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The hedge would cut off light to the garden. Adding flowers would be better.
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Jean Laak Truesdale …. Im talking
a small herbal hedge here not A 10 meter monstrosity….. From what I learnt in school I do beleive the sun rises over the horizon and might even peek over a 30cm hedge too !
Geri Horne personally I prefer the veggies but who am I to say anything of a community I don’t live in nor live anywhere near nor belong to their culture….it just a distant personal
Preference with no perspective … Perspective can be a big game changer !!
Obey or they will make you comply, if not Fema camps are waiting..this is just testing how far they can push.
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I think lawns are ugly. Why don’t we educate people to broaden their sense of what is attractive to look at instead of requiring that people plant an environmentally-bad monoculture on their property instead of a life-sustaining diversity of edible and ornamental plants to achieve some “property value” ideal for other people on their block? This cultural norm is outdated.
Reply Well if nothing else the internet & particularly FB teach you more about people & humans than any formal education ever could … Or can… I think we all as humans have an awful long way to go !
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This is a great story – many thanks to this couple for taking up this fight! Well done!
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I want one when I retire. It will be far easier in a cooler climate. I’m glad they won their battle to keep their garden.
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Are you kidding me? That is pathetic, everyone who has a yard should plant a garden.
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i don’t understand why, its beautifully done, no weeds at all. They need to get out of their offices more often and breathe fresh air, thry must be crazy to oppose this
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I would just plant wonderful flowers in with the vegetables, like marigolds (whose flowers are edible), and sunflowers. Tell council to grow a brain cell. A properly tended garden is lovely whether it be flowers, vegetables or both.
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Alot of people, ‘say why garden you can buy that at the store’, also think it’s an eye sore! Brady bunch era,that all houses should look exactly the same, boring! H.O.A.,home owner associations suck, condos,apts! No imagination, plane an dull? Love me a garden! Mini farm?
Reply I would like to see photos of the council members and their families to see what physical shape they are in. It’s an amazing, beautiful garden.
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This garden is so tidy and beautiful. What can a lawn do to top that?
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What do the ordinances say? Seek a variance or a change in ordinance. Or plant a full front yard of strawberries!!!
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Love their garden and look at what they are producing for themselves!! Tooooooo may rules in this world!
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Socialism sucks….More government intervention into their lives. Canada, get a life.
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The Garden Mafia, so sad and pathetic….how humans are controlled by jumped up little farts in local gov.
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Michel, Merci d’être l’ange-gardien des causes désespérées et du déboutage des false news! : )
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Bylaws are bylaws. You don’t like them? Change them or move somewhere else. that’s life.
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So sorry these people live in a county where officials do not see the beauty of this front yard. It is neat as a pin. It will help keep them healthy and have less medical issues from eating healthy. It will, obviously feed many more people than this family. I know, I have always grown a huge garden and given most of it away. Now I have bed 4′ wide and 50′ long and there is so much food coming out of that bed that I have to give so much of it away. Isn’t that wonderful? And, the garden takes the same amount of water but gives health. What does a lawn give back other than something to look at. Leave these people alone, officials. They may give you some of their hard work.
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I was not stopped from doing this in Ottawa. It was great!
At least the city lost and the garden remains. Thank goodness there are spunky people out there.
So happy that you won! I think everyone should have the right to decide what they will plant!
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Looks beautiful! I can see where this might be a problem with people who aren’t responsible.
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Council gets told to stick it up their jumper! Sales lost at the supermarket are sales lost on the GMO’s, that are sales lost on pesticides and GM seeds. That hits the pocket of the likes of monsanto, which hits the pocket of the shareholders, who reside in congress. Pass a law stopping people moving towards self sufficientcy and keep them dollars and debt rolling on in. #changethesystem.
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Invite thecounselors over for lunch and shut their mouths with delicious food in it.
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This is so anal on the part of the city. Whatever became of “Victory gardens?” I guess it will take a war to make it legal again? I think pressure should be put on the local authorities……..now THAT’S something they hate!
Reply This is so anal on the part of the city. Whatever became of “Victory gardens?” I guess it will take a war to make it legal again? I think pressure should be put on the local authorities……..now THAT’S something they hate!
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not wasting water…being productive instead of just having something green that gives back nothing but looks.
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Congratulations on the win of that unfair bylaw….We also grow vegetables in our yard and have 10-3’x9′ beds, 4 -2’x6′ beds, a 13’x15′ green house and a 2’x 32′ flower bed that now grow veggies, not flowers! We plant sweet peas at the end of the beds in the main garden for cut flowers for our home. We have been growing for over 30 years.
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The modern lawn is one of the most wasteful and purely ridiculous uses of resources that ever came down the pike.
Unfortunately it’s quite a fetish with many people. They’ll obsess over their lawn, even if they don’t really use it.
I grow my veggies in the front garden, right beside the kitchen, because it works better that way.
NO.! HEALTHY FOOD IS BEAUTIFUL. Remove fast food outlets from all street frontages to make a real improvement
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I’d say leave the garden where it is. It is a work of art. Keep up the good work.
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who cares how pretty it is it is providing for and clean air what a backward town council
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Never heard anything like it ,grow what you want in your own garden, what kind of by law is this! So glad they fought it & won. Garden looks lovely !
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We have to be more responsible in regards to public perception and aesthetics,. I love the garden but to appease and be a friendly neighbor, I would like to see more vertical farming by house and hedgerows or Tithonia or hosta rows..maybe a grass border… I love it though..wish we all did that and we would not be buying GMOs we’d be sharing neighbors…my thoughts…thanks..
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The best sunshine. As long as it’s kept neat great idea. We have covenants here wouldn’t be allowed but we know that when we moved it.
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I love this and would like to see more of this and also fruit trees in the front. ???????
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If the garden was ugly and overgrown…maybe. If it’s this garden…and unless there are CC&Rs…no way. Be thankful they don’t have a monster truck up on blocks and the doors off. Then again, with neighbors like this who would want to stay here anyway.
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think we are preaching to the choir, but maybe if enough people do this and make a extra attempt to make this attractive to the narrow minded lawn lovers and try to educate them, we might change their minds peacefully…
Reply My answer to that? Make my mortgage payments for me, then you get to decide what happens in my yard!
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They should encourage people to all have gardens & if you plant a tree or bush it should bear food bearing This world has become backwards, it’s sad!
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Move to Victoria BC! Lots of people out here plant veggie gardens, etc., instead of lawns.
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What gives anyone the right to control what someone else can grow on their property. It’s called liberty. Wtf?
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Many yards with lawns don’t look anywhere near as good as this yard. And certainly aren’t as good for you!
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Wow so yes its not a common sight compared to lawn but how wonderful to grow your own veg and in such a magnificently neat attractive way!…good on them…
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I agree with your comment, Lisa. As long as a person is maintaining their property and not causing harm to others in the neighbourhood then live and let live!
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FUCK YOU. NO ONE IS GOING TO TELL ME HOW MY FRONT YARD SHOULD BE GRASSED. FUCK NO I PLANT IT AND WE EAT WHAT WE PLANT . WE ARE NOT EATING GRASS. FUCK YOU IDIOTS.THIS IS BEAUTIFUL.
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Why are people reacting to this “sad” and “angry” when the outcome was so positive??? Sometimes it just takes a little time and commitment to convince others of the right thing. I’m personally very encouraged by the outcome, so just switched my like to a love.
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I was going to suggest that Harvey had already taken care of the removing – but it seems that this house is in Canada! Lovely, but certainly unusual! I just do not understand that the city would ask to have it removed – especially in Canada! I am just thinking of a rainy day and some bigger car going buy and spraying dirty water from the street (with oil and other bad stuff lying around…. ) – yes I agree a fence around it that grows taller would do it!?
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City code requires at least 30% grass in the front yard. Can they change the walkways to grass? Is this a new city code?
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Zoning within a city is necessary. While “allowing” a waiver for individuals might be possible, others will take advantage of loose zoning to ignore community standards.
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This is the prettiest vegetable garden I have ever seen. It looks much nicer than a dandelion covered lawn.
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Personally, I would love to live next door to those people and watch their garden grow!
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Lawns are ugly in my oppinion, gardens are practical. I am glad my landlord likes my garden. She even said people viewing apartments love seeing the hot peppers and pineapple growing. It helps there is also a rose bush. ? sad people are such jerks in hoa’s.
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Yeah sure. Only because is your yard this doesn’t mean you can keep garbage on it to affect other people.
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If you pay taxes yearly to stay on the property then the state does not consider it your yard. You are renting. As long as you pay your taxes and do as you are told, they will allow you to stay. The minute you step out of line you become homeless.
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maintaining a dumbed down programmed powerless society
the local council should be tossed down the steps, told to piss off and never come back
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It’s amazing how government promotes healthy living and environmentally friendly living but only if they can tax you on it. God forbid a person finds cheaper means to live that are healthier and less intrusive on their finances.
Reply a beautiful garden, people are way too uptight -why I like living in the country
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grow flowers and vegetables together in an attractive design. look:https://www.amazon.com/Vegetables-Love-Flowers-Companion-Planting/dp/0760357587/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518273916&sr=1-2&keywords=flower+and+vegetable+garden
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IF you have a homeowner association with restrictions you are stuck. Any other neighborhood this world be awesome.
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Really TIRED of reading about IDIOTS! What possible reason could that council have for wanting them to do this? Fear that EVERYONE will follow suit and become at least PARTIALLY self sufficient! Why do we continue to elect these same, greedy bastards?
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Can’t really see a problem here. And yes I’m a certificated gardener. sack councils.
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My problem with this personally, is all the assholes walking by, on their way to and from the liquor store, throwing in garbage, or picking out produce…i hate my neighborhood.
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So much for trying to live healthy, very nice garden. Tell the city to take a hike.
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Forget it! This uses less water, is more productive, is beautiful and feeds the folks! I wish every yard looked like this.
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Please don’t take it down, it’s beautiful! The city’s fear is that other people may start doing this and not keep it as neat as yours.
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This photo has been showing up here for many months. Either they took the garden down or they didn’t. Report the end of the story and then MOVE ON.
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SO what we see is a deliberate drive to keep all citizens (free range wage debt slaves) tied into the food delivery system. when people return to their own food production, it costs the local supermarkets about 10-20k a year per family (depending on what money they have). People who do this, also stop ordering fast food, start producing their own preserves, even their own small meat and egg production. The middle men dont get paid, so they presure local government though secret and not so secret brotherhoods and societies to make it illegal. THEY always target one person to make an example of them, so others wont follow them. It costs about 200k to defend yourself from a local council (on average) because that is about what they will spend on defending themselves, or attacking others. I saw this when a council up north destroyed about 7 years of verge food farming with fruilt trees, they destroyed every tree within days, and at a time when no one could get an injunction to stop them. (all from a back door deal from local supermarket owners who were looseing money from drop in fresh food sales). The best way to combat this, is with multiple home owners doing it at the same tine, and creating their own “society” – which in turn can use the collective power of the local “rate/land tax payers” to combat any moves these so called representitives of the “crown” attempt to do. It becomes a mater of cost for these councils to attempt to enforce or use power they dont have and have no right to, upon the people. I fucking hate this kind of tyranical bullshit, and personally believe identifying the individuals behind it, and using violence and intimidation, however you cannot win this way, as this is their way. we are fighting for our species not to be enslaved, by a tiny group of our own species, no mater how they pretend to do it, thats what it is.
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conformity…..a big problem/pollution runoff from phony lawns in Florida is killing the water environment….
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Apparently the lawn as a concept was only developed by European aristocracy relatively recently as conspicuous way to display wealth. This showed the house had the resources to grow crops (i.e. water, fertile land) but was materially wealthy enough that these could be put to use for the purposes of something entirely non functional in medieval society. The 16th century equivalent of lighting a cigar with a hundred dollar bill…
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Everyone needs to plant a vegetable garden in their front yard! Break the law…it’s the only way to get rid of the political garbage that is running this country.
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Cris Ward people can walk on the pavement. I know it’s a bit of a pipe dream but I’ve often thought it would be good if everyone had a different fruit tree outside their house so you could go for a walk around the neighborhood and pick some here and there, yes rats, but free food, and they could pay the unemployed / homeless to go around picking up the rooting fruit to take to some composting station, which could be composted to put back on the trees. Maybe that’s too communist, I dunno. Just seems sensible and something that could bring people together.
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The garden looks beautiful. This is 21 St century living. Clearly, the townships ‘old guard’ has to be educated, or has to be replaced.
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Once I bumped into a tree because I wasn’t watching where I was going. Chop them all down concrete the planet I say.
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I had a neighbour who did this and invited those of us walking by to help ourselves to what we wanted. Was a wonderful way to get to know people and to get fresh produce.
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Looks better than most folks lawns. Is it an association and is that a rule or are they just bullying these people because they don’t like their garden. I bet if they planted flowers they would not complain. I would put in plastic grass see if they like that better. Morons.
Reply Since they won their case I guess the trip hazard was only obvious to you. Their garden is still there . They are not on the public walkway they are on their own property (obviously).
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As long as any structure is the required distance from the sidewalk or road & it is kept in good condition – I don’t see how the city can make them change it.
Reply Cris Ward no, it looks like they don’t have sidewalks BTW they won their case & get to keep it!
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They took the city to court and have won their case to keep their garden in front of their house.
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Yep, I’d tell the city to F off too. Cookie cutter isn’t good, be who you are and do the right thing whenever you can. Good for them.
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This article is soooooo old and has been posted to death. Not even relevant any longer because the city backed down. Don’t be so effin lazy. Find some new stuff to post. You probably won’t, so I should just unlike your page.
Reply It’s still a nice pic of how we could be using our front yards to grow veges and stuff. Imagine if that vege gardens like that were the norm. How great that would be.
Reply i hope that everyone will follow their axample and stop wasting all that space on stupid and usless grass!!!
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Ridiculous. Victory gardens supported the survival of US families. Fight them in court.
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