Woman Plants Garden in Her Front Yard and Faces 93 Days in Jail for It.

A woman in TN had her front yard torn up when a sewer line was repaired recently. Since the yard was torn up she decided to plant a garden there instead of replacing it with sod.

It looks like she did a nice raised bed garden. There is a picture in the link below and I think it looks very nice. However, the city has other views...

Woman Faces Jail Over Front Yard Garden

“They warned us at first that we had to move the vegetables from the front, that no vegetables were allowed in the front yard. We didn’t move them because we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong, even according to city code we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. So they ticketed us and charged me with a misdemeanor,” Bass said . . . City code says that all unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with grass or ground cover or shrubbery or other suitable live plant material. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are what Basses see as suitable.

That bit about the quote above about being "suitable" is the crux of the issue. In this case it seems the city wants her to have a yard like all the others - grass, shrubs etc.

Oak Park’s Planning and Technology Director Kevin Rulkowski says the city disagrees. He says, “If you look at the dictionary, suitable means common. You can look all throughout the city and you’ll never find another vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard.”

The lady is demanding her right of trail by jury over this. (Good for her). Since she is daring to oppose the will of the local government the prosecutor appears to be going for the max sentence 93 days in jail.

Of course - there is one in every crowd and apparently this lady's neighborhood is no different. Apparently a reporter found the guy that complained in this article.

Julie Bass of Oak Park Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Vegetable Garden

"I have a bunch of little children and we take walks to come by and see everything growing. I think it's a very wonderful thing for our neighborhood," said neighbor Devorah Gold. "They don't have (anything) else to do (if) they're going to take her to court for a garden," said neighbor Ora Goodwin. We did find one neighbor who wasn't a fan and thinks it needs to go. "I know there's a backyard. Do it in the backyard," he said.

So one cranky guy and some bureaucrats get to have this much sway?? I dunno - to me planting a garden anywhere on your property seems like a fine thing to do and should be encouraged.

From the same article, there is no actual code or law prohibiting her from planting veggies in her front yard but city is maintaining that the word "suitable" means average, in other words, identical to the other yards??? They claim this is the dictionary definition. It is not. Nor is average listed under a synonym list either.

thesaurus.com...

Does this Julie Bass have a Facebook page or any way to contact her or the city? This should be a huge story!

City of Oak Park

I have a garden in the front and backyard of my home. no one seems to complain at all. I really hope this way of thinking stays the same around me. We have tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, eggplants, etc growing.

i dont think this is right at all, good for the owner for taking it to a jurt trial... get the laws changed in that area. there's a thing called jury nullification... would work wonders in this case.

I am sure she could organize some support. From the sound of it, all that needs to be done is for more people to plant vegetable gardens in the front yard. They should probably do that anyway. Sadly, this kind of insanity does not shock me anymore...the more it happens, the more it becomes simply annoying, like a bothersome fly zapping up against a screen door.

America grows more surreal by the day. It's like stepping into a Rene Magritte painting mixed up with Nazi propaganda posters.
I wish her whole street would plant gardens in protest.
Good for her too, I'll send her a check to help with her defense.
We need to band together on issues like this and put these plutocrats in their places.
They're simply not happy with bloated salaries and benefits, they want to be control freaks as well.
We employ THEM. Not the other away around.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


"Control freaks" is the exact description for folk like that. Absolute crazy control freaks who want to wield absolute power just because they have a little bit. The world has really gone mad.

This is big brother for you. Make a mountain out of a molehill. Until there really is a mountain, then its a complete 180.

I found the following on her blog, appropiately titled: oakparkhatesveggies

this is what we are learning, day by day, about oak park’s positions. they clearly have an agenda, and we think we’ve figured it out. we’ve distilled it down to the basics, in case anyone from the city government needs to understand it:
1. criminals -good. innocent people -bad.
2. ugly flowers and overgrown weeds- good. vegetable plants -bad.
3. pit bulls guarding drug houses -good. tame, friendly, vaccinated dogs- bad.
4. tacky lawn plant arrays -good. neat, tidy, food-producing plants- very bad.
5. city officials being hard to get in touch with, and often hard to track down-good. citizens at home minding their own business- bad.
6. projects that divide people and waste tax dollars-good. projects that bring people together and make citizens happy- bad.
7. people hiding behind locked doors-good. people joining their neighbors and having healthy reasons to be outside- bad.
8. giving a pass to people committing violent crimes-good. giving a pass to people working hard to be in compliance with all the laws- bad.
9. lying when interviewed by news organizations- good. telling the truth and asserting your rights- bad.
10. having vague and ambiguous rules that are selectively enforced- good. being transparent and just- bad.

any questions?

This is one of those signs that reminds you the state our country government is in. It is really mad. For all I know growing a garden isn't harming anyone, so there is no need to disturb the peace. Besides, jailing a person who grows a garden in the front lawn is just going to waste taxpayer money. This law is ridiculous and should be changed.

I read alot of Better Home and Gardens. Mostly because I like to daydream about what my yard could look like. Sadly though I have a black thumb. But I remember an article about this lady who's front and back yard are huge vegetable gardens. If I could find the article I would love to send it to her and the city. BHG is a well known publication and quite normal.

Id expect this sort of nonsense from a homeowners association or something like that but not the city.

Just more evidence that the greatest obstacle to self reliance is the government.

You're kidding me right? Why?? What is wrong with our system when murders go free (Casey Anthony...) and innocent people get jail time for trying to be environmentally friendly? It's sick.

From my thread on the topic. It's insane.

What is our country coming to???

We have grandmothers thinking that they can just plant vegetable gardens willy-nilly on their property.

I'm sick of this. Those people in Oak Park are lucky that the govt allows them to have grass planted for their lawns.

reply to post by butcherguy


Wont be long before the FDA starts serving no-knock warrants killing pets and tackling grandma looking for those tomatoes and peppers.

I've been in Oak Park. Believe me when I tell you it could use something other than the "suitable" overgrown, trash-strewn, stripped car laden front yards that currently grace the streets. As long as it's well maintained and looks good, the city needs to back off.

Methinks the prosecutor needs some roughage.

ETA: I just Googled her address. It actually looks like a nice neighborhood; still I see no reason why this woman should be thrown in jail for having a couple of raised garden beds.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Does this Julie Bass have a Facebook page or any way to contact her or the city? This should be a huge story!

City of Oak Park

edit on 7/8/2011 by Benevolent Heretic because: (no reason given)

Click the link to her blog in the OP.(edit: sorry, not in OP... later post.) here's link to blog.

And :Official Oak Park Hates Veggies Facebook page

Those links are there for Facebook and other social networking. Good idea there.

I just found an online petition to support Ms. Bass. www.thepetitionsite.com...

I'm off to sign it right now.

She should tell the authorities that she is doing her part to get TN off the top 10 fattest list.

Originally posted by OldCorp
I just found an online petition to support Ms. Bass. www.thepetitionsite.com...

I'm off to sign it right now.

Thank you sir. Good find!
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