"Front-yard veggie gardens taking root"

I planted an herb/veggie garden in my front yard this year. I'm growing tomatoes and basil, lettuce, and herbs. I also got one going with asparagus and lily of the vally. I like to have some flowering things mixed in.

It is very handy for being able to keep track of what is available and how it's doing. It's much easier to attend to than our garden way the heck in the back of the back yard.

I also tried mixing some vegees in with some of the plants around the pond - they have not been as fruitful, however.

I think lawn codes/neighborhood codes that "outlaw" any sort of garden are backwards and should all be abolished (or ignored if necessary).
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By ELLEN SIMON (AP)

Proponents hope it's an idea that will grow on you...

Dedicated vegetable gardeners are ripping out their front lawns and planting dinner.

Their front-yard kitchen gardens, with produce ranging from vegetables to herbs and salad greens, are a source of food, a topic of conversation with the neighbors and a political statement.

Leigh Anders, who tore up about half her front lawn four years ago and planted vegetables, said her garden sends a message that anyone can grow at least some of their food. That task should shift from agribusiness back to individuals and their communities, said Anders, of Viroqua, Wis.

"This movement can start with simply one tomato plant growing in one's yard," she said.

People have been growing food in their backyards forever, but front-yard vegetable gardens are a growing outlet for people whose backyards are too shady or too small, as well as those who want to spread their beliefs one tomato at a time. Many hope their gardens will revive the notion of victory gardens, which by some estimates provided 40 percent of America's vegetables during World War II.

The topic has gotten more buzz nationally as bloggers chronicle their experiences and environmentalists have scrutinized the effects of chemicals and water used to grow lawns. A book called "Food Not Lawns," published last year, inspired several offshoot groups.

Fritz Haeg, an artist and architect, has done yards in Kansas, California and New Jersey as part of a project called "Edible Estates."

Haeg, who is working on a book due out in 2008 called "Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn," says he has been overwhelmed by the response. He gets hundreds of e-mails every month from people who want to be next.

"People are obsessed with their homes, creating these cocoons that isolate them," he said. "This project is about reaching out, getting them connected to their streets."

Some of the neighbors are less than thrilled. Some municipal codes limit the percentage of a yard that can be planted with anything other than trees and grass....