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Food, not lawns!

Started by MTPorcupine3, December 23, 2008, 05:33 PM NHFT

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MTPorcupine3

As a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, www.wwoofusa.org) I visited Heather's farm near Eugene, Oregon, June 2004. At the time she was writing her book "Food Not Lawns", which has since been published.

And as you can see by the website www.foodnotlawns.net the movement is coming right along. The basic idea is that rather than waste water, chemicals and space growing lawns (required in many communities) we could be growing our own food and reducing our dependence on outside sources for food right in our own front yards.

What a concept! Exercising our Right to grow our own food and repealing anti-ag zoning statutes is something we Free Staters can get behind.

Anyone up for starting a New Hampshire chapter?

Scott Roth


AntonLee

I'm totally down for this, I've never been much of a gardener, but I'm so interested in putting in the extra in labor to get some fresh veggies that I can devour, trade, sell, or even give away.  I wouldn't even be that upset if someone swiped them from my front lawn, it's still better than a. .. um. . . lawn. 

I will however have a patch of grass, green grass that I can lay in and smoke herb and look at clouds and act like a dirty hippie.  It's therapeutic, and if you're there long enough, it's almost like you're supposed to be there.

Squash, brusselsprouts, onions, carrots, tomatoes, cannabis, even sunflowers I'd like to have.  Best part is I'd be harming no one by doing so!

John Edward Mercier

What's a LAWN?










Sorry, just joking... I did this when I bought the place in '96.

Lloyd Danforth

I have never understood self imposed slavery to a lawn. I think having more lawn than one needs to play Frisbee is wasteful\l.

error

A lawn is fertile ground surrounding your house which you're forced at gunpoint to grow useless grass on, not to mention cut the grass back down when it gets too high.

AntonLee

to each his own, I just want enough grass to lay in, maybe even 'roll around' in if ya know what I mean.

Pat McCotter

GOD: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, Withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds.

I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass Growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, sir -- just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will Grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and Saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in The spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and Protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to Enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You'd better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great Piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the Winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy Something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in Place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us Tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord. It's a real stupid movie about -

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

MTPorcupine3

Quote from: Pat McCotter on December 24, 2008, 08:58 AM NHFT
GOD: What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago?

Good question. It's a little known fact that dandelions are not native to North America. They were brought here by our European ancestors as a source of food and medicine. Their yellow flowers in spring are beautiful if you're not influenced by the chemical industry that would have you eradicate them from your lawn.

Toadstool

I  am in I got 3 acres of lawn, I gotta mow.
Maybe I can use half... and mow half...
dang lawn

David

dandelions are one of the first real signs that spring is here, and they are pretty when you see an entire field of them.  I grew up near a shopping center with a side lawn that would be almost completely yellow in the spring. 
Certainly support the idea, but don't have a lawn to do it with.  For those concerned about your neighbors complaining that your yard is not 'perfectly manicured', you may concider square foot gardening which is a bit more 'organized' than the traditional garden. 

Nautical Journal

I have maintained a garden for many years and believe me it is much more time consuming than maintaining a lawn. Especially if you make your while yard a garden. That would be a full time job. I spend 1-2 hours a day on my 1/8 acre garden.

Now I keep mine pretty meticulously maintained. Which is a little over kill but its still would be harder then mowing the grass once a week.

I do however suggest people grow there own vegetables. It is great on the wallet and very rewarding (among other benefits).

I would be happy to run a few gardening workshops for liberty folk if anyone was interested.

John Edward Mercier

#12
Quote from: Alex Free Market on December 26, 2008, 04:25 PM NHFT
Just out of curiosity... and sort of related to this thread.... but a general inquiry at the same time... but if a property is not zoned agricultural, does that mean that if I have a decent sized garden, and I want to maybe sell some of my extra vegetables with a little farm stand which is barely noticeable, that I can't do that?

Having to get a permit for my little roadside farm stand is pretty much standard all across the country... I expected that much... but I'm curious about the part about what happens if I sell my extra vegetables (even if it wasn't a farmstand by the street... lets just say I sold it to a farmers market, friends or relatives)... does the fact that your property is not zoned agricultural completely preclude you from selling a few extra vegetables?
Not in NH. 
Zoning in NH is by municipality... the muncipality will have a 'description' of what agricultural zoned means within the context of its ordinances. Sometimes its exclusive (listing all the things that can't be done), other times its inclusive (protecting the ability of all those things within it).
For example, an exlusive one might list that the property can not have a commercial application that is not agriculturally connected... while an inclusive one might guarantee during the ordinance being in effect that livestock may be kept.

AntonLee

Quote from: Nautical Journal on December 26, 2008, 06:23 PM NHFT
I have maintained a garden for many years and believe me it is much more time consuming than maintaining a lawn. Especially if you make your while yard a garden. That would be a full time job. I spend 1-2 hours a day on my 1/8 acre garden.

Now I keep mine pretty meticulously maintained. Which is a little over kill but its still would be harder then mowing the grass once a week.

I do however suggest people grow there own vegetables. It is great on the wallet and very rewarding (among other benefits).

I would be happy to run a few gardening workshops for liberty folk if anyone was interested.

that would be a cool porcfest or whatever idea, a gardening workshop.  Hell yeah.

Moebius Tripp

Quote from: John Edward Mercier on December 26, 2008, 06:45 PM NHFT
Not in NH. 
Zoning in NH is by municipality... the muncipality will have a 'description' of what agricultural zoned means within the context of its ordinances. Sometimes its exclusive (listing all the things that can't be done), other times its inclusive (protecting the ability of all those things within it).
For example, an exlusive one might list that the property can not have a commercial application that is not agriculturally connected... while an inclusive one might guarantee during the ordinance being in effect that livestock may be kept.

Is there a way to look up municipality ordinances online?