Hermine Ricketts and her husband Tom Carroll may grow fruit trees and flowers in the front yard of their Miami Shores house. They may park a boat or jet ski in their driveway. They may place statues, fountains, gnomes, pink flamingoes or Santa in a Speedo on their property. Vegetables, however, are not allowed. Ricketts and Carroll thought they were gardeners when...

Urban Organic Gardener Interviewing @mujerlocaplanta, from Instagram! What inspired you to start a front yard, urban garden? I grew up in a rural area about 30 minutes from where I live now. My grandparents and various other family members all live on “the Farm” and pretty much all of them are and have always been...

“Jennifer and Jason Helvenston of College Park, Orlando, Florida have been ordered by local officials to remove their front yard vegetable garden at a time when Orlando is touting its environmental credentials and reaching out to citizens for input on what additional steps the city could take to become one of greenest urban centers in the country.” After...

Credit: Todd Anderson New York Times, Orlando couple will now be able to keep vegetable garden Florida passes law saying cities can’t stop people from growing food on their own property, even in their front yards. State lawmakers in Florida have told cities they must respect citizens’ property rights, and seemingly even more basic right to grow their own food. They...

How would you quickly describe yourself? My wife Karen and I live in Chicago and love organic gardening. We started with a small vegetable garden many years ago, but over time it expanded to take over most of the backyard. Now we’re growing in the front yard too. During the summer and early fall, we don’t buy any vegetables from the store and buy very little...

Fresh eggs, sharp goat cheese, rich honey — raising animals definitely comes with it’s own set of benefits. However, if you’re looking to supplement your farming efforts with a bit of animal husbandry, there’s much to know before you get started. No matter what animal (or animals) you’re looking to keep, ask yourself the following questions: Is it Legal? Farming...

If you’re looking to landscape your yard why not landscape with edibles? These edible plants will not only provide you beautiful surroundings to look at, but some healthy and nutritious food to eat.  These days a lot of people are finding ways to put their yard to work for them by planting edible trees, shrubs, and vines which will provide their family with...

It’s the dream of millions of people: To live off the land and to never need to make a trip to the grocery store. But for nearly everyone with that dream, it’s just that — a dream. Our current global, industrial food system is just too convenient and easy to resist. Our modern lives are too busy and monetized to go that far back to the land. I’ve been exploring...

Finding the Avenue 33 Farm is a serious challenge. Plug the address into GPS and you end up on a steep residential street packed with older, neatly landscaped homes. To the west, downtown L.A. fills the horizon and, to the south, your destination looks like a modest home with a slightly scruffy front yard and a long, sloping driveway that ends with a carport. How...

“Urban gardening may be catching on now, but today’s urban gardeners have nothing on their grandparents. During the World Wars, the U.S. government urged citizens to plant their own small vegetable gardens. It was a super positive spin on “We don’t have enough war rations.” I don’t know what people would do today if the government...

“RENO, Nev. — At Brenton Aikin and Kass Freitas’ home in Midtown Reno, neat rows of kale, salad greens, and baby root vegetables cover the entire front yard. Out back, a greenhouse covers a variety of cherry tomatoes climbing up trellises. The couple’s crops are not just for personal consumption. It’s their first season producing as Ital...

It may come as a surprise to most of the people who grow vegetable in their garden, that in the US, it is illegal! At least, that’s what a case in Miami has brought to public light. Bear in mind that we are talking about the front yard, which in the view of the State, represented by attorney Richard Sarafan in the above-mentioned case, is in the legitimate purpose...

“In this episode, you will get a tour of the front yard and back yard of this residential tract home lot. You will discover what is growing and John will share his tips and tricks along the way. You will learn how you can improve how you are growing in raised beds to grow more food in less space. You will also discover the secret to composting in a 3 bin pallet...

Here are nine easy tips for growing more food in a small garden: 1) Grow in Beds, not Rows 2) Optimize Spacing between Beds and Plants 3) Grow Vertically 4) Succession Planting 5) Interplanting 6) Grow in the Shade 7) Grow Edible Plants in the Front Yard 8) Grow Microgreens 9) Grow in Pots & Containers ...

Florida homeowners are known for having a propensity for upscale, tropical landscapes. They pride themselves on lush green lawns in front of their homes.  One man however, Chris Castro, is turning up the grass in his neighborhood and making mini urban farms. “His program is called Fleet Farming, and it’s starting off small, with 10 of these yard farms....

“By the end of the 20th century, nearly 80% of Americans lived in urban areas. And they no longer knew who grew their food. Then something happened. Across America, an urban farming movement has begun. Whether it’s on city rooftops, beside freeway off-ramps, in vacant lots, and even in their front yards, when people like Novella Carpenter in Oakland,...

Just a few weeks ago in Florida, a judge made a ruling that growing vegetables in your front yard is illegal. It took place in the upscale village of Miami Shores, and now allows action to be taken against residents who want to grow food in their yards. “Seems, in at least one part of America, that growing your own food is now a crime.” “Given the high...

In Sacramento California, Zone 9b, Kyle Hagerty is inspiring Urban Gardeners around the world. They started growing just enough food for themselves, but now they have opened up a farm stand in their front yard where they share their homegrown goodness with their entire community.  Tell us more about your amazing little farm stand and how it makes you feel being...

Urban Organic Gardener Interviewing Mia from “@miaslittlefarm” What state and grow zone do you live in? I live (and garden!) in Nashville, TN, which is zone 7a. We are blessed with an incredibly long growing season here. It’s not unusual to be able to grow things from March – December. Tell us more about your efforts in Beekeeping! I’ve been...

Recently, Venezuela has declared a “food emergency”.  Because it is facing a shortage of bread, milk, and meat, along with other staples…the government has urged Venezuelans to help feed themselves by growing food in their own urban gardens. They’ve also encouraged keeping chickens, even in urban areas. Josefina Requena is one citizen who...