Vegetable garden could send woman to jail

[Maxamillion]

Has anyone seen this? Hard to believe.

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-07-08...owing-a-garden

[Mrs-M]

When I come across articles and stories like this I get hot around the collar. Pathetic! So pathetic! I hope things come to a head, where the homeowner with the garden wins over, then I hope every... single... homeowner for blocks around tears up their front lawns and does the same!

[pinkytoe]

Had a similar thing happen here a few days ago. A woman converted her lawn to wildlife habitat as we are encouraged to do; somone nearby did not like the "unkemmpt" look and turned her into code compliance. The city came out and whacked some of her yard down to the ground and then sprayed Roundup. Absolutely crazy!

[kfander]

I was the code enforcement officer for a small Texas city once. You wouldn't believe the stuff that people complain about. One person complained because a neighbor had planted pine trees on an empty lot that he owned next to his house, afraid that the pine trees would attract animals and pose a fire hazard. Sorry, no city ordinance against trees. Another complained about someone's dog barking at two o'clock in the morning, which I could understand, except that a few days later he complained about someone else's dog barking, but it was in another part of the city. It turned out he didn't live near any of them, and was apparently driving around town with his windows open, listening for dogs barking. They were probably barking because he was driving through the alley behind their house at two o'clock in the morning. Still another complained that her neighbor's pool hadn't been cleaned, but the pool was completely fenced in and she could see it only by hanging her head out of an upstairs window. Some people just need to get a life, I think.

I was also the director of the city's EMS service, the health inspector, the building inspector, and a lieutenant in the city's volunteer fire department.

[gimmethesimplelife]

This just depresses me to no end....Is there no common sense out there any more? Sometimes it seems as if there is not but I know that somewhere out there something sane in regards to these kinds of codes is happening, too. Rob

[sweetana3]

All anyone has to do is research Home Owner Associations and see the actions that supposedly sane neighbors can go to if they feel they are right and another person is not toeing the line. Well, I guess it does not have to be an HOA if you get the chance to see the English TV show on the most terrible neighbors ever. Enlightening.

Someone in our historic neighborhood came to a monthly meeting to complain that a homeowner across the street had unsightly window frames since there was peeling paint. Exactly what were we to do about it? (they did not know the rental owner was a City Council member and later President of the Council). I have found that more and more people want others to take care of all of their complaints.

[Aspen]

There is a facebook page to show support for Julie Bass and her blog lists the city officials you can write or e-mail to protest. The story is gaining ground and being picked up by more and more news agencies. Hopefully, the town will back down. It is a silly, frivolous (and stupid) thing for the town to do. Geez.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Oa...84553881597878
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oak...hates-veggies/
http://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com/

[jania]

This just seems ridiculous to me. I watched the video from FOX and the layout was very neat and tidy (I want the owner to put down some mulch though!) and looked attractive to me. What really bothered me was the interview with the city official in describing what was "common". "Common" ended up in being what everyone else was doing....he wants the community members to just all conform. There seems to be no place for uniqueness or originality in Oak Park. Good thing this man doesn't live in my neighborhood, he would have nightmares.

The interview with the woman who was against the raised beds (who's identity was hidden) revealed fake green grass carpet and a plastic lawn chair on her front porch, now that I would outlaw.

[goldensmom]

I've read the article and listened to the woman relate her situation on the news. The older - and hopefully wiser - I become, the less some things make sense to me and this is a good example of one of those things.

[Miss Cellane]

Well, as an opposing voice, she may, depending on your interpretation of "common," have broken the law. It's not so much that she planted vegetables, it's that there are rules in her town about what you can plant in your front yard.

She could have put the same vegetable garden in her back yard and had no problem at all.

Mind you, I'm all for vegetable gardens. I can't have one in my apartment, but I have tomatoes in containers growing on my back deck. But this woman should have checked her town ordinances before planting the garden.

And now I hope a lot of people in that town will campaign to get the rules changed so that vegetable gardens can be put on any suitable bit of yard you have.