Couple's Punishment for 'Illegal' Vegetable Garden Is Ridiculous
Couple's Punishment for 'Illegal' Vegetable Garden Is Ridiculous
One major drawback of apartment living: Not being able to have your own garden
-- which can be an invaluable source of homegrown, chemical-free food.
Oh sure, you can keep plants, maybe even a few herbs on a window ledge,
but I greatly envy those who have even just a small chunk of land to
plant whatever they please. I especially envy a Canadian couple, Josée Landry and Michel Beauchamp, who live in Drummondville, Quebec. They've got what looks like the entire Whole Foods produce section growing in their front yard!
What's more, the cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchinis, beets, onions, and
Brussels sprouts and other vegetables grown by the couple have
reportedly helped Beauchamp lose 75 pounds and Landry 25.
Nonetheless, we can't envy them that much -- given that they're under fire for said front yard garden. Apparently, it's illegal!
CBC News reports that the Drummondville town code states that a vegetable garden can take up 30 percent of a front yard at most. Obviously, Landry and Beauchamp's sprawling garden is in violation of this measurement. They were given two weeks to scale it back and the deadline is this Sunday. After that point, they'll be slammed with fines of between $100 and $300 each day. Plus, get this: CBC also notes that the city plans to make all front lawn vegetable gardens illegal this fall.
Ugh, so ridiculous! My heart goes out to the couple. It's so silly that they're being taken to task for this. It would even be one thing if their neighbors weren't down with it (which authorities claim is the case) or it was a serious eye sore, but that doesn't necessarily appear to be the case. In fact, Beauchamps says:
[My neighbors] love it. Everybody is surprised by the kind of taste we can have from fresh vegetables.
I know that if I had neighbors with a veritable grocery store in their front yard, I'd love it! And it sounds like plenty of other people are supporting the couple's cause. There's even an online petition you can sign to save the garden.
For the time being, the couple doesn't plan on complying with the town's wishes, so guess time will tell what becomes of their beloved garden.
Here's a video the couple has posted on YouTube showing the building and growth of their crops ...
Click HERE to see video.
Do you think the couple should have to scale back their garden?
That is so ridiculous! Doesn't the government have better things to do?!
I think the couple should have to scale back their vegetable garden. Most people's vegetable gardens are not pretty to look at. I'd hate it if my neighbors had a vegetable garden in their front yard and I'd be worried about my property values.
They have plants growing right against the road. Aren't they concerned about car exhaust - carbon monoxide and oil particles - on the food they eat? I live in an ag town and the farmers aren't allowed to grow any crops within 40 feet of paved road because of this.
Lame.
What a waste of resources. There are murderers, rapists, drugs, poverty, gang violence, very serious things happening in this world and they want to spend time, money, resources and energy on someone's vegetable garden??? Seriously!? And this is exactly what's wrong with the world...priorities are all screwed up.
Quoting telecomgirl:Lame.
What a waste of resources. There are murderers, rapists, drugs, poverty, gang violence, very serious things happening in this world and they want to spend time, money, resources and energy on someone's vegetable garden??? Seriously!? And this is exactly what's wrong with the world...priorities are all screwed up.
Quoting telecomgirl:Lame.
What a waste of resources. There are murderers, rapists, drugs, poverty, gang violence, very serious things happening in this world and they want to spend time, money, resources and energy on someone's vegetable garden??? Seriously!? And this is exactly what's wrong with the world...priorities are all screwed up.
No....It looks beautiful! I wish my front lawn looked half that good! Just another example of the "law" having too much time on their hands.
What age should a child have a cell phone ?
- Cafe Beth
on Jul. 25, 2012 at 11:22 AM