'War on Gardens' Spreads Like Weeds Across North America

Sarah Laskow notes the latest battlefronts in the growing 'war on gardens' being perpetrated by cities across North America.

1 minute read

July 21, 2012, 11:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Following on the recent demolition of a Tulsa resident's edible garden, and similar episodes in Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey, a recent battle in Quebec has Laskow seeing an all out assault on our right to bear veggies.

"Across the country and even in Canada, cities' thinking about front
lawns is more than a little bit antiquated," writes Laskow. "It comes down to this simple
formulation: Grass good! Vegetables bad...If
building a few bike lanes counts as a war on cars, this is definitely a war on gardens."

And Laskow is out to the marshal the troops: "It's not the 1950s anymore: Not everyone needs to grow a perfectly
manicured lawn, especially when vegetable gardens can look just as
attractive, improve the soil (instead of requiring tons of pesticides),
and provide fresh food. If the problem is that these types of front
yards are illegal in current city codes, then the codes need to change,
along with people's assumptions that a burnt-out, water-sucking lawn is
better than a few patches of thriving tomato plants and string bean
vines." 

Thursday, July 19, 2012 in Grist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Cars driving on the American Legion Bridge in Maryland

U.S. Miles Driven Rose by 1 Percent in 2024

Americans drove a total of 3.279 trillion miles in 2024, but per capita VMT stayed the same.

4 hours ago - Eno Center for Transportation

An adult man, stopped on a Seattle, Washington street corner, preparing for a rainy morning bike commute.

Seattle Recorded Zero Bike Deaths in 2024, per Early Data

The city halved the number of pedestrian deaths compared to 2021.

5 hours ago - Seattle Bike Blog

Close-up of green ULEZ sign in London, UK.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution

Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

6 hours ago - Smart Cities World