Front Yard Vegetable Gardens OK in Berkley, Huntington Woods

A national controversy that sprouted in Oak Park after resident Julie Bass had raised vegetable beds installed on her front lawn has neighboring communities checking their codes for clarity.

Bass wound up in court after refusing to move her veggie garden to the back yard, arguing that Oak Park's ordinance was too vague. Neither Bass nor Oak Park Mayor Gerry Naftaly could be reached for comment this week.

"I'm sure all the city managers around here are thinking 'Does our code address this?' " Berkley City Manager Jane Bais-DiSessa said.

She said Berkley permits front yard veggie gardens as long as they are free of weeds, grass and other vegetation; do not overhang public property; and do not contain plants that are harmful to residents' health, such as poison ivy or ragweed.

Such beds are covered under Article III, Secs. 130-76 and 130-77 (see attached PDF), of city code established in 1981, Bais-DiSessa said.

"It's been in our ordinances for a long time," she said.

While front yard vegetable beds are permitted in Berkley, Bais-DiSessa said few residents have opted to plant them over the years. Those that have been planted have been small, she said.

Front yard vegetable gardens never have been much of issue in Huntington Woods either, City Manager Alex Allie said.

"There is no specific prohibition on growing vegetables in the front yard," he said.

However, Allie said, there are guidelines similar to Berkley's for homeowners who would like to do so, including:

• At least 50 percent of the front yard must be grass.
• No planting can be so dense that it harbors rodents.
• Noxious weeds such as poison ivy are not permitted.
• A vegetable garden must be well-maintained and cannot create a vision obstruction.

"Ironically, the Planning Commission is considering a series of ordinances," Allie said, and the front yard vegetable bed issue "is on their radar."

"So many people are going to ultra-landscaping or natural yards (using native plants instead of grass)," he said. "I don't know if it's the way of the future but it absorbs water and rain better. Some of them are very beautiful."

But, he added: "I don't know how I'd feel if I lived next door to one."

Allie said that, to his knowledge, a front yard veggie garden has never been planted in Huntington Woods.

Berkley resident Ryan Turpin, who built Bass' raised beds in Oak Park, said he thinks it's time for the city to update its code.

"Codes are meant to be interpreted and (Oak Park's) not changing with the times," Turpin said. "What makes a zucchini plant less suitable than an annual? They're both going to bloom and die. If anything, zucchini is more suitable because at least it produces something."

Click here to read an essay in support of Oak Park's position or click here to read Bass' blog oakparkhatesveggies.com. Stay tuned to Berkley Patch for continuing coverage. The Oak Park City Council is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

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