Stay-at-Home Dad Wins Right to Front Yard Vegetable Garden

By Hum
in Real World News

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Grand Master

Hum

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Karl Tricamo has gardened off and on since he was a child. He says he's had about six or seven seasons in which to hone his "green thumb." Earlier this year, his concerns about GMOs and the use of pesticides and herbicides in industrial farming prompted the stay-at-home dad to convert his front lawn into a vegetable garden. His plant list included 55 heirloom varieties of plants like, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant and various ornamental plants.

Before starting his garden he reviewed the city?s ordinances to ensure that he was following all the necessary rules in regards to front yard landscaping.

Ferguson, Missouri, city officials were not as impressed with Karl?s due diligence and his desire to feed his family with food he sustainably grew in his front yard.

His landlord (his fiancee's brother) was cited for ?Failure to meet the minimum standards of the City of Ferguson exterior appearance code" when Tricamo tore up the front lawn and converted it into an heirloom veggie garden.

"He is in support of the garden, which is solely my endeavor," say Tricamo, 29. "But he was the one facing any legal repercussions such as fines, court, etc. I just faced losing the garden itself."

It's not clear if his garden was targeted because of any complaints, but at least one neighbor was on Team Karl. "My immediate neighbor even let me put two tomato bushes in her front yard planter box, as a show of solidarity," Tricamo informs me.

He says that last year he had a front yard 15' x 20' vegetable garden just a few blocks from the current garden that has caused a stir. But imagines that the garden wasn't detected by city officials because it was partially obscured from the street by a hedge.

On his blog, Vegetable Yarden, Tricamo documented his experience once he received the citation for his current garden. Along with listing ordinances that supported his case, he documents what seems like intimidation by code enforcement that routinely drove by or sat in front of his house as he disregarded their orders to remove the vegetable garden and plant grass.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that last week Tricamo?s months long feud with the city ended when the city?s Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 to throw out the citation against his garden. Tricamo and his future brother-in-lawn were represented by Dave Roland, a lawyer with the Libertarian group Freedom Center of Missouri.

The lone vote against Tricamo?s garden came from board chairman, Joe Schroeder, who doesn?t seem too happy about the law being in Tricamo?s favor.

"The board felt that, technically, he had the law in his favor," Schroeder told the Post-Dispatch. "But I think that all of us on the board agreed that the garden is an eyesore. It goes against common sense, really, to put a garden in the front yard instead of the back."

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Grand Master

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How ridiculous that this is against some law. FFS, I'll have whatever plants I want in my front yard. How out of touch with nature do you have to be to consider than an "eyesore"? People just... I just... :no:

Proficient

deactivated_

Posted
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Front yards do generally have much more sun than back yards. I see the laws on such things being challenged more and more as food prices go up and up. Not many remember the days of the 'Victory Gardens', so it's a similar concept, just no need for war involved. Other than the war on inflated food prices and low income, of course.

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Skwerl

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That doesn't look nearly as bad as it surely does now. I've grown tomatoes for years, and they tend to be unruly and aren't too attractive as the summer draws on. The garden in the photo is certainly not an eyesore, but it's still not something that's traditionally appropriate for a front yard.

Grand Master

Noir Angel

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How ridiculous that this is against some law. FFS, I'll have whatever plants I want in my front yard. How out of touch with nature do you have to be to consider than an "eyesore"? People just... I just... :no:

Quite so, it doesn't hurt anybody.

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Wakers

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Why on earth does he even have to fight to have a vegetable garden in his front yard? He owns the property, he should be able to do whatever he likes with it, within reason (health and safety) - I don't see how anyone could claim a vegetable garden is a problem in either of those criteria.

Crazy, crazy housing laws.

Grand Master

Rippleman

Posted
Posted

its an eye sore as most would agree... lets say you were trying to sell your house that you owned next to him... would make it hard to sell to most, i know i wouldn't buy next to that. Not saying i thinks its wrong, just not for me is all.

Grand Master

Rippleman

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Posted

Why on earth does he even have to fight to have a vegetable garden in his front yard? He owns the property, he should be able to do whatever he likes with it, within reason (health and safety) - I don't see how anyone could claim a vegetable garden is a problem in either of those criteria.

Crazy, crazy housing laws.

same reason he can't put an amusement park ride , or tribute to Hitler, or a big 20'X20' black box... when you buy into a property there is rules and regulations that come with it at time of purchase. Fine print.
Grand Master

Hum

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Why on earth does he even have to fight to have a vegetable garden in his front yard? He owns the property, he should be able to do whatever he likes with it ...

Haha -- you never really 'own' your property. :laugh:

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Wakers

Posted
Posted

same reason he can't put an amusement park ride , or tribute to Hitler, or a big 20'X20' black box... when you buy into a property there is rules and regulations that come with it at time of purchase. Fine print.

You have some issues if you think a vegetable garden is comparable to any of those.

I also don't understand why people think that's ugly - it's functional and beautiful in that it's healthy vegetation. What is he supposed to have? Artificially managed 0.5" high grass with a picket fence? So glad I don't have to live in America and deal with that ridiculous idea - "you can have a beautiful house, but it has to be OUR idea of beautiful!"

Veteran

Wakers

Posted
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Wow that's amazing, so they're against you growing stuff you can eat in your garden and are only happy if you have the biggest weed in the entire world growing there, grass. (Not pot)

That's a bit harsh - you can eat grass. But still, I understand the point you're making. Growing edible stuff in a garden is unsightly :D It should be encouraged ffs, not outlawed. Ridiculous neighbourhood is ridiculous.

Grand Master

MtnDewCodeRedFreak

Posted
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.... and since when does neighborhoods have "landlords?"

I thought that landlords are for apartment complexes.

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