What!? Rules for breaking the rules? What kind of outlaw gardener am I? Sheesh.
Actually, hopefully, I’m the kind of outlaw gardener who gets to continue being an outlaw gardener.
Put another way, I recognize that I’m breaking the rules here. At any moment, my community’s HOA could demand that I remove the garden. They have that right; I signed the paperwork agreeing to the community’s rules when I bought this house. And, now that my garden is in a national magazine, I figure the chances of this happening are greater than ever.
So, yeah, I want to continue breaking the rules. But, I also want to continue gardening.
No, I’m not abandoning the front yard garden. Far from it. Instead, I’m just thinking more carefully about how to go about this little act of civil disobedience. How to have my front-yard tomatoes, and some neighborly peace too.
Last September, I shared a short list of lessons from my first summer gardening here. Now, I’m building off that list. Creating a few guiding rules principles for how to grow a garden that pleases the neighbors and puts food on the table, all in the front yard. If you’re thinking about starting a front yard vegetable garden of your own, this list might be a good place to start. And, if you are already growing edibles out front for your whole neighborhood to see, I’d love to hear if you have any additional “rules” to add to the list. Please share them in the comments section below.
Here they are:
10 Rules for Front Yard Vegetable Gardens:
1. Be beautiful. Looks matter.
It’s true. Looks matter. If you want to grow your vegetables in the front yard, it’s good to remember that you aren’t the only one who will be seeing your tomatoes and peppers. Now, I’m one of those people who believes even the homeliest vegetable plant is beautiful. But, I know my neighbors might not agree. And, sometimes, it only takes one complaint from one neighbor to bring the “authorities” down on a front yard vegetable garden. Reduce the risks of complaints; grow a beautiful garden.
2. Be friendly. Say hello.
It’s simple. Your neighbors are more likely to like your garden if they like you. You don’t need to be BFFs with the folks across the street, but it’s good to be nice. Make eye contact. Smile. Say hello. Chat about the weather. And, if folks ask about the garden, share it with them. Take them for a tour. If they are gardeners too, ask them their opinion. In short, treat them like you’d want to be treated yourself. Yeah, I know, we covered all this stuff in kindergarten.
3. Be generous. Share.
Once you’ve smiled and said hello, why not offer your neighbors a bit of the harvest? You might be a bit, ah, tired of that squash you’ve been eating every single day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snacks, but your neighbors will probably be thrilled with the gift. [Note: Unless they are also gardeners. Never give summer squash to vegetable gardeners. That’s like giving a dozen eggs to a chicken farmer. It’s a nice thought, but a bit misdirected.]
If you’re a writer, you’ve certainly heard the phrase: Don’t tell. Show. Well, this is a bit like that. Don’t tell. Share. I can’t think of a better way to promote front yard vegetable gardens than by sharing the fabulous taste of homegrown produce. Give your neighbors a just-picked front-yard-grown tomato. Go ahead and give them the best one you picked that day. It’ll be worth it; the next day, you might see them taking a shovel to their front lawns. Grass just doesn’t compare to homegrown tomatoes.
4. Be respectful. Keep things tidy.
This gets back to Rule #1: Be beautiful. Because, again, looks matter. It’s ok to leave wheelbarrows and shovels and hats and rakes and gardening gloves strewn across the garden if you’ve got your veggies hidden out back. But, when the garden is literally front and center, all that stuff has got to go. Oh, by all means, pull out that rusty ol’ wheelbarrow (mine is bright orange; certainly no beauty) when you need to haul a bunch of manure or compost. But, please, put it away at the end of the day. It’s good for your tools. But, more importantly, it’s good for your neighborly relations (which, let’s be honest, is good for your garden).
Here’s the thing. If you are going to grow veggies in your front yard, you are probably going to grow veggies in view of your neighbors’ front yards. They will drive past your tomatoes and beans and overgrown, powdery-mildew-infested summer squash every single day. They will see you garden whenever they collect their mail, walk their dog or mow their lawn. What they see will determine what they think and how they feel. If you want allies, you’ve got to give them something for that alliance. Beauty and tidiness is a small price to pay for friendship and support in the neighborhood. So, put away that wheelbarrow at the end of the day. Please.
5. Be ruthless. No mercy for unhealthy plants.
Are you sensing a theme? There’s a reason for that: Looks matter. You might have a gorgeous landscape. You might remember to put away your wheelbarrow and shovels every single night. But, none of that will really matter if you don’t also deep-six the squash plants when they’ve lost their battle to powdery mildew, squash bugs and general end-of-summer malaise (I haven’t found this condition described in any of my gardening books, which I view as a real oversight on the part of gardening publishers).
Let’s be honest here. Sometimes, vegetable plants go ugly. The mildew overruns the squash. The tomatoes finally cry “uncle” after yet another drought-then-downpour cycle. The flea beetles dominate the eggplant. Another cliché applies here: The best defense is a good offense. [Note: I played sweeper on my high school and college soccer teams, and this cliché isn’t really true. The best defense is a damn good defense. But, it’s the cliché, so we’ll run with it.] So, first you try to prevent the mildew and flea beetles and water stress. But, sometimes prevention doesn’t cut it, and a plant just loses. When that happens, it’s best to get it over with quickly. Pull the plant. Send it to the compost heap. Do it now. It won’t recover, and it’ll just look worse tomorrow. And, really, nobody wants to watch a squash plant waste away in your front yard. It’s just not pretty.
6. Be flexible. Use containers.
What do you do with the bare spot that’s left after pulling that ugly, mildew-ridden, bug-invested squash plant? That’s easy. Put a container there. Ideally a container with a plant in it. An edible plant, if at all possible (Hey, we are growing a vegetable garden, right?).
Keep a few containers waiting for these moments, because you never really know when you’ll have a bald spot that needs, ah, covering over. You don’t need anything fancy. Thyme in a terra cotta pot. Parsley in something ceramic and pretty. Sweet potatoes in a bushel basket. Mint in, well, anything. The point is that you have these movable plants that can quickly step in and cover for you. Keep them on the front porch, along the front path or in the driveway. Doesn’t matter. Just keep them growing, and keep them flexible.
7. Be creative. Experiment.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. All that knowledge in all those gardening books? Sure, that’s all good knowledge (at least, the stuff you find in the good gardening books). But, it was all, once-upon-a-time, an experiment. Someone, at some point, figured out that trellising tomatoes — a non-climbing plant — was worth the effort. Someone else (I’m guessing) discovered that potatoes produce more tubers when their stems are buried. Blanching celery, forcing rhubarb, pinching back basil. Someone, at some point, did something different and discovered that it worked better, and that’s how we’ve come to know all these things about how to plant, tend and harvest our most popular vegetables.
Most of these rules work best in a traditional vegetable garden. Yes, many of them translate perfectly to the front yard — basil always needs to be pinched back — but many of them don’t. Or, at least, not necessarily. Last year, totally by accident, I discovered that indeterminate tomatoes make a fun and attractive groundcover. This year, I’m testing this discovery by deliberately growing several indeterminate varieties without trellis. We’ll see what happens. If it works well, I may have figured out a way to incorporate tomatoes — not always the most attractive plant in the garden — into the front yard vegetable garden in a low-profile way.
My point? Try something new. It could be fantastic.
8. Be thorough. Plan for all four seasons.
Summer is easy living in the vegetable garden. Seed + dirt + sunshine + water + summer = crazy intense almost uncontrollable growth. In short, it’s good.
But, summer is really only around for a few months every year (unless you live in California or Florida or some other bizarrely warm and winter-free region). And — news flash — your front yard is around every single month of the year. It’s there, looking lush and gorgeous in July. And, it’s there, looking barren and sad in January.
I know it’s hard to think about January during the heat of the summer, but, well, if we’re going to grow our veggies out front, we really need to think about the winter months too. Your location will — to an extent — dictate your options. Here, in northern Virginia (USDA Zone 7), I can reasonably assume that my kale and collards and brussel sprouts will stand through the winter. Warm years will mean green-all-winter parsley and chard and celery. Cold winters will mean the kale might just give up. This gets back to the last point: experiment. You might discover that lettuce grows in January for you. Or, you might find that kale rarely survives. It’s about climate and protection from the wind and good, honest, unpredictable luck.
But, it’s also about more than vegetables, and more than plants. Think about incorporating trellises or fences or sculpture. Consider adding a non-edible for its winter color (I’m in love with my redtwig dogwood, which produces berries for the birds and red red red bark for my winter garden). Don’t stress. No one really expects your January garden to look like your July garden. But, think about it some. A little goes a long way, especially in January.
9. Be incognito. Grow flowers.
Does this really need further explanation? Plant the flowers. Yes, I know, if you plant flowers, you reduce the amount of ground available for vegetables. It’s a tough decision to make. But, trust me here, it is so very very worth it.
Flowers add beauty and charm and color to the garden. Also, butterflies and hummingbirds and native bees and all manner of beneficial insects; flowers add all those things too. And — bonus — some flowers are edible. See? Don’t you feel delightfully sneaky now?
10. Be ready. Just in case.
It could happen. Someone could challenge your garden. See an eye-sore where you see bounty. Raise a ruckus and cause trouble. This person could live across the street, down the road or nowhere nearby. Doesn’t matter. It could happen.
So, be ready. Be ready to be vocal. Be ready to defend your garden. Be ready to explain the benefits of homegrown produce, fresh vegetables and time spent in the sun. Be ready to call on neighbors for signatures or support. Be ready to rally neighborhood children and gardeners and folks who like the idea of homegrown veggies, even if they don’t want to dirty their own nails. Be ready to defend your garden.
Because, while we hope it will never happen, it could. Someone could complain. Someone could make a fuss. And, then, someone could knock on your door and demand an explanation. If that happens, be ready.
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That’s it. Ten rules for front yard vegetable gardens. Or, more accurately: Ten tips for making a rule-breaking garden work. What do you think? Did I miss anything? Please share your suggestions for any additions / delations / changes to the list in the comments section below.
If you’re already growing veggies in your front yard, I’d also love to hear about your experiences: What works? What doesn’t? And, why even bother growing vegetables rather than grass?
And, if you’re thinking about planting some edibles out front, I’d love to hear from you, too! What do you want to know? Why are you considering taking a shovel to your lawn? And, when are you going to start?
Happy gardening!
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Hello, and welcome to the Outlaw Garden! My name is Cristina Santiestevan, and I’m the outlaw gardener. I break the rules by growing vegetables in my suburban front yard, even though my HOA (homeowners association) says “no.” You can do the same — explore the site to learn how!
love the tips Christina! I used to live in NOVA, where all things grow green pretty easily, now I live in Colorado. It’s not so lush here, but I did plant some zucchini in the front yard last week… and they are just popping up! I know it’s a bit late, but they should mature in less than two months. fingers crossed.
Even though it is dry here, they did get that powdery mildew in the backyard.
I’m hoping the all-day sun out front will help avoid it.
Powdery mildew, even when it’s dry? That just doesn’t seem fair. And, yes, you’ve got plenty of time to harvest those zukes. I’ll start summer squash right up through the end of July — two months is all they need to start producing, as you know. Plus, the late starters always seem to suffer less bug damage.
Christina, asked this before but maybe it did not reach you. Also you may not have this problem but some of your ‘Outlaw Garden Readers’ might. In case some do ; do you know whether or not water from a Municipal Water Plant will cause harm to plants if you have to use a fair amount on them? I do not know just what has been added to it other than Flouride also other mandated additives required by law. I would like to know if any others has this problem and what you told them. Thank you for all your helpful comments.
“Happy Outlaw Gardening”.
Alice..
Hi Alice –
Yes, I’m on town water here. That means I’ve got chlorine in the water, as well as fluoride too. Possibly other things as well. I don’t worry too much about those chemicals, but, yes, I’d rather they weren’t there. As a rule, I try to use my hose as little as possible. This is partially to reduce the chemicals I’m adding, but it’s mostly just to keep costs down. Running the sprinkler can get expensive! I collect rainwater in barrels, which helps some. And, I mulch my plants well, which also helps. But, yeah, sometimes I have to pull out the hose and water things down.
I love your blog, Cristina! Here in Pasadena, CA I have mostly native and low-water plants in my front yard — but I’ve had great luck with blueberries in pots and I’m training some boysenberry canes to grow along a wooden fence. I have a very small front lawn (secret: it’s just weeds that get mowed regularly and it looks pretty good!) that I’m thinking about replacing with a raised bed or two of herbs or vegetables.
Mmm… I love the idea of boysenberry trained along a fence. Sounds like the perfect combination of attractive and delicious. I also LOVE the fact that you’re considering a front yard vegetable garden. Go for it! The world needs more front yard vegetable gardens. 🙂
Tweedledee and Tweedledum of the hoa informed me that I did not not have permission to remove the grass from my front yard. You can bet, the response, “Aaagh, but I do, my mother said I could”, was well received. I should have read your blog first to refresh my kindergarten learning.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that, Stephanie. Some HOAs are definitely stricter than others, and most all of them have a love-affair with green grass. Very frustrating. I hope you’re able to work something out.
Hello…just discovered your blog and love it! So far I have only done herbs in the front, and that is in a birm alongside our driveway. But in our backyard, we have planted in several long, curved birms with success for several years. It started when we dug out topsoil to create a paver patio and needed a place to go with the soil…hence the birms. Here and there In the 3 foot wide birms we have a mugo plant or a eunonamous (I know I didn’t spell that right). Along with those permanent plants we have done blackberry plants (you have to keep them under control, as they like to send up new shoots nearby), tomato plants and raspberry plants. Perhaps this birm technique would work in the front for some folks who want to remain under the radar. Lots of people who are not gardeners wouldn’t even recognize a beautiful squash plant with all those big leaves and the squash hiding underneath.
As I drove through a nearby neighborhood last summer, I saw, in the middle of a large front yard, a big patch of squash planted in a circle probably 15 feet in diameter. It was beautiful. I purposely went out of my way to check on it occasionally.
Thanks for the great ideas. I want to try sweet potato plants next summer. By the way, I like sweet potatoes mashed a bit then topped with salt, pepper and a little butter or olive oil. Or, sweetened with a little brown sugar, walnuts, dried cherries or cranberries.
Hi Ali, and welcome! So glad you found the blog!
Your berms sound lovely. And, you’re absolutely right; plants seem to love growing on them. I have a very small berm along my front walk. It’s planted heavily with rosemary, sage and thyme (all herbs that want better drainage than my Virginia clay typically allows), and they are thriving!
I laughed at your mention of squash plants. I always know when a neighbor is a gardener, because they can ID my squash and zukes from the street. 🙂
Hi Cristina,
I don’t know if you remember me from the TWPS days, but I remember you and am really enjoying your page. 🙂 I have traded Northern Virginia for England and have in recent years gotten interested in gardening. I can’t use the front yard for much because the light isn’t so great, but I apply a lot of front yard gardening principles in the backyard. I don’t really have vegetable patches, and I like a lot of the ornamental flowers and plants that predate me, to the point where I am reluctant to move them. So I plant pretty and productive edible plants in the spaces amongst my established plants.
One thing I did the other year was grow runner beans over an archway. The effect, I thought, was very beautiful. It really showcased the flowers and the beans hung underneath, making them very easy to pick. You just have to be sure to use a sturdy archway for this–I used an old flimsy one that we had hanging around doing nothing, and the weight of the crop wound up breaking it! I haven’t got around to purchasing a better archway, but I definitely intend to.
I love runner beans, Dawn. Now, if only I had an archway to grow them on — sounds lovely.
And, of course I remember you! 🙂 Sounds like you’re really enjoying England, which is wonderful. Keep up the gardening, and keep in touch!
Just moved to VA and I’m starting to plan out my garden. Reading a lot about what grows around here and were my sunny spots are in my yard. Love your site, will be a good resource. Thanks,
Welcome to Virginia, Karla! If you haven’t yet, you may want to check out Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (http://www.southernexposure.com). They focus primarily on plants and varieties best suited for the mid-Atlantic region.
I have been planting vegetable in my front yard garden for years. I get the most sun there and the vegetable,are so big and juicey, my neighbors can’t wait for there bag of veggie. I also take some to the senior center,for the ladies.
This is my 2nd year of having a front yard garden. My HOA didn’t say anything last year, and I’m hoping they wont again this year. So b/c they didn’t, I’m adding more!!! Nearly everything is in pots/containers of some kind on my porch area. Or in hanging baskets. I know most of the neighbors are aware of what I’m growing, seeing as nearly all their kids have come over, to ask if they can help! Thanks for the tips, and just putting it out there, there are other lawn-breakers! I only wish I had more room….
Keep it up, Mel! The world needs more rule-breaking gardeners. 🙂
Hi,
How do you grow tomatoes and “less attractive” vegetables in the front yard? We really don’t have enough sun in the backyard so i am hoping to sneak everything out front without it being unsightly.
Thanks! Great blog!
Hi, Jessica, and welcome to the blog! I hope you’ll explore the site — sounds like your set-up is very similar to mine, and there may be some good tips here for you. Short answer is that I mask the unattractive plants with more attractive ones (flowers, herbs, ornamental edibles), while also being sure to stay on top of pruning, etc. I’ve also learned that cherry tomatoes grow quite happily as a rambling ground cover. You’ll find more tips scattered throughout the blog, but may want to start here: Six vegetables that are super easy to hide from the HOA
Love your site!! We are outlaw gardeners as well, although I don’t *believe* there are restrictions in our urban neighborhood. After 5 years of musing and planning (mine), my husband just jumped on board with my idea to turn half the front yard into a mixed veggie/herb/flower garden – Happy Mother’s Day to me! 🙂 We built a lasagna garden right on top of the sod and covered it all with the most lovely 1/4″ wood chips. A little pathway, bird bath, plans for a great riverstone fence (we live in the Yellowstone River valley of Montana), and all the nervous walkers and slow drive-byers should relax. The wood chip mulch is particularly attractive and reduces moisture loss, prevents weeds, and keeps the new bed and the old foundation-extending-well-into-the-yard beds “tied in” with a mulch scheme…
Any front yard garden should be attractive, but especially edible ones! I want to make the walkers want to sit down for a bit and enjoy… that’s my hope anyway!
I wish I had a larger territory to have something like you TJ, but sadly I don’t must be content with what I can grow in pots, baskets and flower beds; but “Good Outlaw Gardening” to you…
I’m also a lawn-breaker! My city doesn’t have any laws restricting my garden, but I wanted it to look beautiful so mine is all planted in my expanded flower beds. I did some research and tried to recreate a garden similar to the ones people grew when our victorian home was built. It has been totally embraced here! Our local magazine ran a cover story about 5 local gardeners and included my edible landscape. I’ve actually stopped traffic twice! I’m all…’thanks but pull into the driveway!’
The 2 rules I use the most are make it beautiful and share! You are 100% right!! It helps that I’m a pretty good talker too. Most people have no idea it’s about 75% food, so when I tell them they are intrigued. I love giving a tour and a sample.
I have asparagus, rhubarb, walking onions, arugula, okra, beans, swiss chard, beets, 2 types of thyme, 2 sages, cilantro, parsley, parsnips, lemon balm, rosemary, basil, lemon grass, maypops, zucchini, chives, feverfew, cherry tree, currants, potatoes, peppers, patty pan, strawberries, malabar spinach, amaranth, tea shrubs and edible flowers including calendula, rose, day lily, nasturtium.
I love it! There are so many benefits! Besides what you’ve listed I’d add that it never feels like work, I’m just playing in the flower beds, no tiling, and things reseeded themselves so I got a head start with no effort. I’m not sure why anyone would grow food in straight lines any more!
Wow! Robin, that sounds like a wonderful garden! And, such a great idea to research how Victorian gardens once looked, in order to be true to the style of your house. I’d love to see some photos. If you feel like sharing, you can post a photo or two on the Outlaw Garden Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheOutlawGarden.
Any tips to share with people who are just starting out with vegetables in the front lawn?
Loved your tips – thanks! I live in NE Florida and am starting my front yard garden this fall (procrastinator here). I’m using raised beds along the fence on the side of the front yard, there’ll still be plenty of shaded grass to appease the lawn-loving looky-loos. My herb garden will be planted in pots in an existing bed across the front of my house and flower beds along the driveway (my stealth diversion). I don’t have an HOA, but I also don’t want to offend any neighbors – so we’ll see how it goes!
Sounds wonderful, Donna!
I love these tips, thank you!
I wanted to add a bit to #9: sometimes those flowers are even beneficial to your veggies, so there’s no need to begrudge the space. I planted marigold and borage among all my veggies, and nasturtium up the cucumber trellis, because they all attract pollinators and repel harmful bugs. And my neighbors have commented that they think it’s very pretty, not knowing that it’s useful as well! Next year I’d like to start an asparagus bed, and I plan to plant strawberries as a groundcover, and lupines in with them too; the strawberries will keep weeds out and the lupines will provide nitrogen and enrich the soil. I love multitasking plants. Somehow growing a plant that’s good for more than one thing makes me feel super-efficient. 🙂
I too have a very shady lot so I’ve been planting veggies and edibles in any spot in the yard, front or back, that I think might get enough sunshine. No complaints yet, knock on wood.
Thank You Christina ! We have 2 front yard “outlaw” gardens on our street – One – a corner lot – is lush with prairie grasses and flowers all along the sidewalk and borders of perennials wind around bushes and fruit trees – you cannot see the actual vegetable garden – corn and tomatoes and squashes and cucumbers etc.
What grass there is – is watered and mowed and free of weeds : )
The second garden is what gives front yard gardens a bad reputation ! Everything you don’t want to see is right there 4 seasons long : ( No flowers or low shrubs to hide the mess – and it is a mess of a garden too ! The sidewalk and driveway are bordered by what used to be the lawn – hardly ever mowed – full of tall scraggly weeds and dandelions – It’s sad : ( I have not complained to the city … yet … Waiting to see if the 3rd summer of 2014 brings improvement ? Maybe they read your column ?
I just stumbled upon this blog looking for information on growing sweet potatoes in containers (for my front porch ;p) and I LOVE it!! I agree that plants are better when they ‘do’ something – I can enjoy the beauty of all the neighbor’s flowers – I want mine to be productive!!! Last year I bought a house on a very small lot, therefore limiting my gardening space in my back yard and forcing me to my front yard as well, not to mention my house faces south, leaving all the good sun in the front. Last year I grew pole beans on a trellis and some squash as groundcover (had to pull it out early on due to that pesky powdery mildew though), as well as various herbs, such as chives, purple basil, lavender, and sage. The neighbor boy told me I better “watch out for the potato police,” since someone in our area recently got busted, but I didn’t have any problems that I’m aware of! I try to follow the rules, especially make it look nice (who really knows that the green beans growing up my trellis is any different than the neighbor’s ivy vine other than a fellow vegetable gardener, and I would hope THEY wouldn’t rat me out!). This year I’m looking for what else I can make look nice in my front – like the sweet potatoes in pots on the porch, and I ripped out two yellow-flowered bushes to replace them with two flowering bush cherries, and added some currant bushes – so I’ll definitely need to explore around here a lot more! I also tilled out a three foot wide strip all along the entire side of my house to increase my gardening space. Even though it’s shady for but 3-4 hours of the day, I’m going to follow the experiment rule, and just try to grow strawberries, wild blackberries, and juneberries to see if they work! I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels the desire to grow edibles in their front instead of just flowers!
I too have a south facing front yard and a ton of shade in the back yard so my front and sides are my options – luckily I don’t have any kind of “association” in my neighborhood. I hadn’t thought of sweet potatoes in pots – thanks for the idea! I have two 3’x3′ raised beds in the front for bush beans, cherry tomatoes, radishes and greens, I’m thinking about adding a 3rd one. I put slicing size tomatoes in 2 large decorative pots on either side of the entrance to my side yard – that’s my idea of “framing” an entrance. I too ripped out bushes, 7 in all, between 2 areas in the front – one is right near the front door and spans across the front of the house, this is for my herb garden. Most front yards in my neighborhood have the requisite grass, an occasional tree, and the big-box-store flowers in season…not mine, I can eat my front yard!
I don’t have an HOA either, but nearly every city near where I live has a “city ordinance” about what you can grow, which became a big deal in a nearby city to me a few years ago – a woman spent almost almost a month fighting misdemeanor charges and what would have resulted in 93 days in jail for violating city ordinance by growing “unsuitable plants” in her front yard! The charges were dropped after it turned into a media sensation, but it still makes people around here a little nervous, so I keep my front yard gardening limited to the brick-lined, landscaped portion directly in front of my house, trying to camouflage the fact that my plants are edibles by mixing in flowers as well, and keeping the grass in the rest of the yard.
Oh I’ve heard of those kinds of cases – so ridiculous I think but I understand what you’re saying completely. That’s one reason I use the raised beds, and not too big either, they don’t seem to draw much attention and I don’t plant anything in them that grows to more than 24-26″ in height. I’d love to hear how you make out with the various berries where you only get 3-4 hours of sun – my east side only gets about 5 hours so I haven’t tried anything there yet…I should probably just be brave like you and go for it and see what happens.
Hi, Im converting part of my front yard but and this is a big but it is a work in progress. How do you suffocate the old grass beautifully? I put cardboard over it with manure, etc on top, I need to flip everything, old plants, I have decaying etc. but that isn’t until spring. I planted some flowers and bulbs but they look pretty sad right now. Any ideas??
Hi Elaine — So exciting about your new garden! This is exactly how I started mine; newspaper and cardboard under wood chips (manure is a MUCH better choice than wood chips — good call). I hear you on the sad, not-yet-filled-in thing. Unless you’re in the far south (or way far south, in the Southern Hemisphere), there’s probably not a ton you can do now. But, containers work wonders for dressing up an otherwise lackluster garden. Look for some fun containers that offer a burst of color, or otherwise fit with the style of your house or yard. You don’t need to cover the whole garden with containers. Just a few, perhaps in a couple clusters, will do a lot. If it’s the dead of winter, you can try planting some sticks in those containers. Sounds crazy, but the vertical look of a couple well-shaped and tall sticks in a big pot (perhaps set in sand, so they stand upright) can be a lot of fun. If you want to invest a bit of time and add a bit of color, you can even paint those sticks something bright and cheerful. Or, if you’re in a more mild region, you can move straight to plants; perhaps some edibles!?
Good luck with the garden!
Love this! All such good advice. I stumbled it and couldn’t believe nobody had given it a thumbs up yet. 🙂 Pinning and passing it on too!
While living on the ranch I had a big garden each year . You had mentioned planting tomatoes has a ground cover . I planted my tomatoes so close together .I had to wade thru them to pick the ripe ones . It was ground cover accdentily . Sure had a crop of cherry tomatoes that year . I enjoy this site and I’m learning alot
Consider low profile watering options and know your city’s rules regarding watering a garden vs. a lawn. Instead of a lemonade stand his about the kids run a fruit stand with the fresh grown treats.
Loved reading your information. I too live in a strict golf community. This will be my 3rd year of “front yard gardening”. I too make a point of planting lots of flowers, often in front of my veggies & hanging baskets of flowers. Using areas behind bushes to plant ground growing vines, cucumbers, & zucchini. I’m out front everyday once plants start to mature. Keeping all areas neatly pruned, vines kept contained, (not growing up the stone on the house). I especially love when we entertain. Friends come to the front door, compliment my flowers. Then I ask if they saw the many different veggies. They are always surprised & answer “no”. We take a walk after dinner with a basket and pick for them to take home. I plan to keep doing it.
I love it! Sounds like you have a beautiful garden. Would love to see some photos, if you feel like sharing — you can post them to the Outlaw Garden Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TheOutlawGarden). We “outlaw” gardeners have to stick together. 🙂 Good luck with the garden this spring!
You are a wonderful writer as well as inspirational garden maven. Thank you so much for your experience and helpful ideas.
Kind Regards,
Joni Squires
Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Joni. So glad you enjoyed the post — I hope it helps you break a few “rules” in the garden this year! 😉
We don’t have a HOA in my neighborhood, but I do have neighbors that think I’m a little strange for using containers on my front yard to grow vegetables. My front yard has sun all day, so that’s where I put the containers. I’m growing onions, white potatoes and strawberries right now. Soon, I will have cucumbers, squash, sweet potatoes, string beans. I also have several flower beds. I truly wish more people would take up gardening, and they would understand why gardeners do what they do. Happy outlaw gardening.
Sounds lovely, Beverly. So many veggies grow well in containers, and it’s amazing how growing them in a pretty pot instantly makes the whole thing more ornamental. Here’s to front yard veggies, and mildly befuddled neighbors! 🙂
Cristina; I would like for you to pass this note on to Beverly if you don’t mind or you may know what kind she is talking about. I would like to know just what kind of containers she is talking about for planting veggies in her front yard. I do not have but a few flower plants big enough to hide a container of any size as to shield it from view, so would you please ask her what type she is speaking of!! Thank you so much and “Happy Outlaw Gardening”…
Alice — I can’t be sure, but it sounds like Beverly’s containers are large. They would need to be to support the roots of many vegetable plants. Halved whiskey barrels make great planters, as do big terra cotta and fiberglass pots. Honestly, any container that works for flowers will also work for veggies. Feel free to be creative! 🙂
Thank you for the info., but; where can you get ole half whiskey barrels? doubt if they would have as such in my small town but thanks anyway.
I have found halved whiskey barrels at both Home Depot and Lowes, as well as various local nurseries. If you ask around at hardware stores, you just may find some. Good luck!
Thank you, Chris., (may I call you that?) I had never thought of that, we do have a Lowes here and oodles of Hardware stores; thought I might have to search the bars, lmbo; see how my “Simple Mind” is working? God Bless, and ‘Happy Easter & Outlaw Gardening’.
P.S. Did you get your garden all planted yesterday on good Friday? Me? No, got to get those “Half Whiskey Barrels” yet.
A happy Easter to you too, Alice! Definitely didn’t get my garden all in yesterday. I never actually *finish* planting my garden — there’s always something new to plant! 🙂 And, sure, I definitely don’t mind being called Cris.
Hi! Just wanted to say, thanks very much for these articles — you have an interesting, unique and helpful perspective on gardening. This is my very first month of wondering what to do with my very first garden, so I’ve been scouring gardening sites. Yours is the best! 🙂
But um, can I whine about HOAs? lol (If this bit causes problems, just delete it, no worries). My theory is that HOA are a subset of Chaos Theory: if one is in existence long enough then sooner or later the neighborhood crankypants will take over and then it’s all downhill from there. I’ve heard the best solution is to become a board member yourself to prevent that from happening. Anyway, good luck, your garden is gorgeous and your attitude is lovely!! I’d love to have you for a neighbor! 🙂
Haha. Whining about HOAs is always allowed around here. 🙂 I do agree that trying to work *with* the HOA is often better than just butting heads, but each group is different. I’m lucky that my HOA organization is very chill. I’ve thought about joining the board. Haven’t gotten to that point yet, but maybe someday…
So glad that you’re starting your very first garden! Good luck with everything, and give a shout if you have questions.
Just an add on to “be incognito” – i mix edibles in with my shrubs and flowers, and use them for layering… The tropical shape of russian red kale makes a great transition between small flowers, such as a viola border, and taller shrubs or plants. Well tended broccoli plants are also stunning as landscape architcture, and if you choose a long season variety, such as purple sprouting broccoli (270 days…) it might as well be a shrub! The feathery folliage from carrots is also a lovely contrast. I also am changing out my shrubs for fruting ones! Why have boxwood (not that I have anything against boxwoods) when you can have blueberry bushes or Raspberry Shortcake dwarf thornless raspberries?
Great tips, Diane. Thank you! I’m trying purple-sprouting broccoli for the first time this season. Very excited to see how it does!
We live in a WWII era neighborhood; i.e., nobody waters in August–
in the old rust belt–
we have 7 garden beds in our backyard, but we also have a beloved, huge maple there. We’ve squeezed the beds into a place where the maple doesn’t shade them, much–
We took 1/2 of our front yard (north of the sidewalk) and left it in grass–
we have three fruit trees there; two of them are inside a ‘mogul’ filled with daylillies–
the other has its own mogul under which morning glories grow (heavenly blues)–it gets a lot of sun–
the entire front-yard is very sun-filled.
The half of the front yard south of the sidewalk we killed all the grass. Our neighbors were intrigued, but nobody complained. We did this with wet newspapers covered with planks; we watered it all summer–and then the next year we put two garden beds in and filled them with strawberries and mulched them heavily (no weeds allowed, must be pretty)–
we made little frames to go over them, because birds will decimate strawberries here (and chipmunks), and we don’t want to harm the animals–
the frames unhook; they are covered with netting, heavy enough the snow doesn’t break the netting–
About 3-4 feet in front of the two strawberry beds we planted low-growing perennials (flowers)–and rose bushes and along the sidewalk, peonies–interspersed with lillies.
On the south side of the south bed we are growing tomatoes. On the east side we are growing eggplant.
Not a lot of ‘veggies’ (most are in back) but edibles. We get a lot of comments, and we are very friendly to our neighbors. We don’t have that many strawberries, but we have shared a few. Mostly, we hand out mouth-watering, sweet grapes that grow on the south side of our garage in our ‘backyard’–
we figure this way we can keep them sweetened, but we don’t expect any complaints; our area is quite low-key. The city won’t allowed unused vehicles to be ‘stored’ or vehicles to be parked in backyards–
(though one neighbor does, but the rest of his yard/home is immaculate)
You wanted people to share. 🙂 I am sharing. Everything we do is organic. We are harvesting sweet strawberries right now–
🙂
Wow, Suzie! It sounds like you have an amazing garden going on there — both in the front and out in the backyard. Grapes are actually the next thing I want to add. Any suggestions on varieties? Thanks, and enjoy those strawberries! 🙂
Oh, and the key to keeping it look nice is to mulch it all very heavily–
we have access to a lot of cheap, hardwood mulch in our area, and it smells heavenly and keeps the weeds down. We can’t tolerate one weed–even though all the yards (including our other half that isn’t full of fruit tree moguls with daylillies or morning glories, though mostly the weeds are violets that we mow with the grass and clover, lots of clover; we don’t consider clover to be a lawn weed, nor violets; a few dandelions may bloom without our doing anything–*wink*, but ONLY in the grass) around here are filled with weeds. We know this productive part must be pristine.
Hi there…I’m interested in starting a front yard garden here in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We have a short growing season and I have NO experience growing veggies! 🙂 Any tips?
Colleen
Fantastic, Colleen! All us gardeners start out with no experience, so don’t let that stop you. 🙂 I grow in a more moderate climate with a longer growing season than you, so I’m no expert on cold-climate gardening (I bet you can find some great resources for that online). But, I can say that fast-growing and/or cold-tolerant crops would be a good place to start. Kale, chard, and pretty lettuces all look fabulous in the front yard, grow fast, and can generally handle a bit of a chill. A healthy head of cabbage is dramatic and gorgeous, and also a bit cold tolerant. Bush beans don’t like the cold, but they grow quickly enough for warm-season harvest. I share a couple other suggestions for fast-growing veggies in this blog post: http://www.outlawgarden.com/2014/06/27/five-fast-growing-veggies-to-plant-now/
I hope that helps a bit. Give a shout if you have any other questions, and lots of luck with your first veggie garden!!
I’ve grown veggies in my front yard for 14 years. They aren’t in “vegetable garden rows”, but interspersed with herbs and edible flowers and trees – with a good bit of lawn.
The number one most important rule I can share that hasn’t already been mentioned is: make sure your garden plans and plants do block the view of drivers – whether it’s a neighbor’s driveway or an intersection. Your neighbors deserve to have safe visibility to avoid auto accidents and judicious planning will make sure your yard is luscious and delicious and not the focal point of an auto accident dispute.
Plant low height fruits and vegetables in the corners of the yard and place the taller ones closer to the house. Chain link fences may be just begging to be used as a trellis, but if covering that fence with anything (flowers or vegetables) will reduce visibility for drivers exiting their driveway or drivers at an intersection – don’t plant anything there.
You may thing it’s a waste to leave that fence clear, but what it produces in community good will and what it saves in terms of accidents, and possibly lives, is worth it.
Nothing gets up the ire of our local zoning and code enforcement more than blocking the view of an intersection. That will get your garden plowed under in a heart beat, especially if blocked visibility causes an accident.
Great advice, Noddy. Thank you! You’re absolutely right — maintaining visibility is important for neighborly goodwill and for safety reasons.
I meant “don’t” not “do” here: ” make sure your garden plans and plants do block the view of drivers”
I can’t believe I overlooked that most important typo!!
Mexican Midget tomatoes can grow as a low, attractive, bushy ground cover, if you don’t provide a trellis. At my brother’s house in Raleigh, NC, these heirloom tomato plants volunteer near his compost pile by the driveway, every year. He never bothers to stake them or provide any typical garden care, but the plants remain vigorous and productive! The tomatoes are about half the size of a cherry tomato, but taste like the most delicious, full-size tomatoes you may remember from childhood. They are great in salads and are so small that you don’t need to cut them. I’ve been known to eat them just like popcorn. My sister-in-law invites family members over to pick them at will, because these plants produce more tomatoes than two people can eat.
‘Mexican Midget’ is a new variety for me, Sandra, but it sounds a lot like the ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ that self sows in my garden. I also pretty much ignore the plants, and generally get an abundant harvest of tiny but flavorful tomatoes. I may have to try the ‘Mexican Midget’ too, and do a taste comparison. Thanks for the recommendation!
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Ron Finley on here! All of you and he would get along. I highly recommend that any of you who are interested check out his TedTalk: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA.
He’s making a difference by breaking the rules!
I too discovered by accident last year that tomatoes make great ground cover plants. This year I am plagued by the local cat population usng my front garden as a giant litter tray. Have had to resort to a veg plot in the back garden…. very productive it is proving to be too.
Ugh. Cats. Sometimes it seems like they can be worst pests than the deer! Good luck with the new veggie plot!
Cristina, fantastic tips thank you.
We’ve been front yard gardening for 5 years. For aesthetics we started with 6 diamond shaped raised beds in an open star pattern, grew veg according to the square foot technique and inter planted with companion flowers. Growing this way has worked reasonably well as an organic technique, but we still lost crops to cabbage whites, carrot root fly and the neighbours cats. Netting can look ugly, but has to be done during the season, wide hole chicken wire placed on the soil also keeps the cats at bay, and works better than rows of twigs. And one final tip… Raised beds using untreated 2″ lumber need to be replaced – ours will go in time for next season so it’s time for a plot redesign to keep it looking fresh.
Keep enjoying the produce!
Thanks for the tips! I’m thinking of planting a bed (approx 4×8) of sweet potatoes, what else could I plant to make this more attractive? (I’m thinking some shorter flowers on the 8′ side facing the street, and something taller than the sweet potatoes along the back (fence) side?
Thanks for your tips!
Sounds lovely, Jeremy. I’d suggest keeping things short on whatever side faces south, because sweet potatoes LOVE sunlight and warmth. As for what that short thing should be… Really, anything! Just avoid other crops that produce big storage roots. So, yes, flowers would be great. Or herbs like basil and parsley. Along the northern side, you could definitely plant taller crops. Sunflowers. Okra. Really, whatever strikes your fancy. Have fun!
In my opinion , it is no ones business what I do on my property. Or how I do it. I like my neighbors but I don’t give two hoots what they say or think about my property. As far as RULES ..in my book there are none when it comes to this. I find this article ridiculous.
I got lucky…I moved into a co-op that had no rules for front yard gardens. Just that my yard is kept need and clean. Even if they decided to change the rules mine is grandfathered in as it was here before they changed the policy.
i enjoyed your article. I know i would enjoy you and your garden as a neighbor.
Front yard gardens suck
Well, to each his or her own. 🙂
I have a question-what’s a great edible ground cover for larger areas that I don’t have plants ready for yet? I thought maybe oregano?
Oregano is a great choice — spreads easily, looks attractive throughout the growing season, and stays nice and low. Plus: tasty! Other edible ground covers to try include strawberries, thyme, lettuce or mesclun, or sweet potatoes. You could even try growing some vining melons or winter squashes / pumpkins there.
Thank you, this is exactly the kind of post I was looking for. I never thought about being being merciless with unhealthy plants, having pots to fill empty spots and I need to give a bit more thought to planning for all seasons. Great advice.
My neighbours have decided to plant corn in their front yard, however their huge Motorhome will block my view. Is that a good thing? Who knows. They’ve pulled out all of their rhodos, chopped down their cherry trees…and now they’re planting corn…help!
Well… I’m a proponent of corn (and other veggies) in the front yard. 😉 That said, I always suggest growing front yard edibles in the most attractive manner possible (corn, for example, can look like ornamental grass when planted in clumps rather than rows). Mixing in flowers can help, as can hardscaping (paths, trellises, etc) and the creative planting of edibles (some veggies are gorgeous!). First step? Try a friendly chat with your neighbors about their garden. It could be that they have some attractive landscaping ideas already in the works.
It’s wonderful type of gardening. I tried this in my front yard. I planted different kinds of vegetables like sweet potatoes, hot pepper, bitter melon and malabar nightshade. For my tomatoes the fence served as the trelies. The tomatoes is so attractive. It’s a good source of vegetables.
I live in Trinidad, one of the Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago. I recently started this front yard gardening. It really just evolved after a friend gave me some sweet potato plants and I shoved them in the ground, and found out I’m Living on Fertile Soil! I’m an outdoor girl, but the back of my house holds plenty water, so I had to surrender most of it to a concrete structure to prevent soil erosion and undermining of my foundation. Plus, there’s more breeze at the back, to be honest. Lol! So I got more potato plants from the first set, and needed more room, but I also wanted some fruit trees. Exploring YouTube (so resourceful), I learnt from David Wilson’s “Backyard Orchard Culture”, that I can grow several fruit trees in a small space, and even use some as hedge to create privacy from the neighbours. Based on the topography on my land, the front is where I have the most usable space, best drainage, AND IT’S CLOSE TO MY KITCHEN. Who wants to leave the kitchen and walk all the way to the back of the house to get food, when “your belly is in your hand” (a local saying 🙂 I never was one to be concerned about what anyone else does, and having a kitchen garden has always been very much a Caribbean thing. But I grew up on a 5 acre farm, and now live in the suburbs, and have come to realize that to others who came from the concrete jungle, and do the 5 am hustle, to pay for their beautifully landscaped, or concrete yards, I’m odd. Everyone else has a wall, and now trying to grow a lawn. I don’t have a wall fence, and I’m digging up my lawn for edible landscaping. Plus I have another property, with more plants at the back, just opposite. That one is fenced though 🙂 So I decided to go easy on the neighbours and convert half the lawn (in the unfenced property, for now), and put up a short wall that will hide all the unsightly stuff on the ground, my bucket, boots, hose, old paper, fork shovel, etc. and just reveal the finished products. Plus the wives will feel less uncomfortable, they won’t have to see me bending down. Hahaha! So I guess my suggestion would be to strike a compromise by simply erecting a wall, or some sort of barrier. If you’re like me, and wary of permanent structures, lattice can create beautiful structures, just enough privacy without hiding your entire garden, and it’s cheap and movable, and be used as trellises. Use landscaping stones and structures, with colourful flower, around your edibles or the entire kitchen garden. The landscaping designs will create an illusion, and is functional in that it will help keep moisture in a confined area.
A wonderful suggestion. Thank you!
Amaranth is a beautiful plant that has some great edible varieties. The large flowers that give the seed/grain are huge and amazing. Plus with edible greens/leaves and seed.
Some sweet potatos in a hanging basket can trail beautiful edible leaves.
Plant fruiting perennials dwarf fruit trees, bushes, roses that bear hips and a ton of perennial flowering edible herbs like lavender, thyme, lemon balm, etc. It adds a planned look to the garden.
Loved this article!!! I too plant veggies in my front yard. Cabbage, swiss chard, dill and okra make a lovely arrangement. Okra makes beautiful hollyhock like flowers and if they are placed in the back with dill, then multicolored chard and use cabbage for the borders. I’ve also use burlap, zip ties and potting soil to create a “Veggie Roll”. A “Weeper” hose is also incorporated into this roll for easy watering. I saw this on PBS works wonderfully. I kept rabbits and other pests away with cayenne pepper sprinkled on the ground. Whole milk diluted with water, sprayed on veggies that develop powdery mildew really works.
Very nice post! enjoyed reading it a lots and found it very helpful. Have a nice day!
Great tips! I love all the information in this blog. I can’t wait to start planting.
Thanks for sharing.
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