Lawns...or Gardens

Karen McGinnis
Apr 20, 2021
4 min read

Lawn or Garden

The front lawn in America is everywhere. Why? Where did it come from? What does it mean?

Because it is ubiquitous, few of us know the answer to those questions.

The world is changing. Perhaps the answers are now relevant!

What is a lawn? Originally it was a glade, an open space. How did it come to be in almost everyone’s front yard?

The lawn began to gain attention in the 17th century. It was pretty much unheard of before that! Wealthy landowners used it as a symbol of their standing. They owned so much land, that they could devote acres of it to rolling fields of grass. Even then, they used it for a productive purpose. Sheep grazed on it.

Everyone could easily see that they had an excess of land and livestock that fed on it. It was conspicuous consumption before that was even a “thing”. Of course, they had servants to wrangle the sheep!

In the early days of the United States, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington caught the lawn bug. Monticello and Mt. Vernon were surrounded by cultivated green lawns. Livestock and men with scythes were engaged to keep the lawns under control.

In the 1950’s, after WWII, and Korea, the subdivision and tract homes exemplified the American Dream. Contractors and developers introduced the lawn to implant the idea of owning a piece of the “pie” into the American culture. At the same time, it introduced a certain conformity and feeling of having “made it” into America’s way of life. The lawn provided curb appeal, improved property values, and served as an outward sign of being a prosperous member of society.

The lawn was an outward sign of prosperity. The owner of the lawn either had:

1) Leisure time to water and mow the lawn.

2) enough disposable income to hire a gardener to care for the lawn and yard.

The reality of the lawn, then and now, is that it requires:

TIME: free time spent mowing and caring for the expanse of grass

MONEY: To hire a gardener and pay for water and fertilizer

WATER: Keep it Green! The average lawn requires 200 gallons of water a day.

ECONOMIC PRESTIGE: Like a flag or a neon sign, it signals something to have a lawn in your front yard. You have to intentionally send the message it is proclaiming.

What do you get in return for all that time, money, economic proclamation and environmental disdain? You get a bag full of lawn clippings and a bill from the gardener!

Is there an alternative?

Is there something that produces something useful?

Is there something that might cost less?

Is there an environmental alternative?

Could the alternative suit the 21st Century mindset?

The alternative to the lawn might be the foodscape front yard. It offers:

Uniqueness: Since the “me” generation enjoys bucking the system, eliminating the lawn for a more personal and unique form of yard may be a tradeoff.

Environmental awareness: General awareness of the limitations of the planet to sustain itself in its current iteration is surely of importance. Water is the next gold as far as value is concerned. Using less water is a plus!

Rejection of additives: the anti GMO movement, coupled with a rejection of pesticides, food coloring, gluten, excessive sugar, processed foods, and other introduced elements into the food supply have led to the popularity of Farm to Table freshness and organic food.

These factors and others have helped create a movement that encourages the replacement of the lawn with a foodscape.

What exactly is a foodscape? In its simplest form it is a departure from a nonproductive lawn. It is a move toward a front garden as a replacement for a lawn. It can be done in small increments or in one drastic step. It takes many forms:

· Full lawn replacement
· Strategically placed mounded beds for edible plants
· Introduction of fruit trees
· Incorporation of edible plants into an existing landscape

All of these options except the full lawn replacement can be implemented by almost anyone into almost any yard. When considering Full Lawn Replacement, there are other things involved.

Zoning: Do you have an HOA, or lease agreement? Are there CC & Rs on your deed? (Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions) These all may limit your ability to remove your lawn and replace it with a garden. Check it out!

Time: Do you have the time and motivation to devote to a garden? Instead of mowing and edging once a week, a food producing garden may require daily and seasonal attention.

Money: If you don’t have the time, you may need to have the money. Can you afford to pay someone else to care for your new garden? If looking at raised beds, do you have the money or materials to construct them, fill them, and reroute your irrigation system?

Space and Sun Orientation: Consulting an expert in edible gardens can prevent making a huge mistake regarding sun orientation. Just because you want to eliminate a lawn, and then kick it to the curb, does not mean that your front yard is a good place for a garden. Research it. Observe the sun patterns in your yard. You might find that a lawn is the highest and best use of your front yard. Perhaps your back yard or side yard would be more appropriate. You may not need the space a front yard provides.

Family Eating Habits: What does your family really eat? Or what can you realistically expect them to eat? A nice bed of mixed lettuces and a couple tomato plants might work for you. No point in making a huge change that is not going to work for your family!

Take your change to a home garden in small steps. Inexperience, unrealistic expectations and impulsiveness could lead to failure…and a bare front yard. Avoid this outcome by thinking ahead, researching and planning.

Once you have considered your options carefully, done your legal research, consulted appropriate experts, and made sure your family will support a move to a garden and away from a lawn, then begin to foodscape your yard. Get ready for an experience that may surprise you on an esthetic, spiritual, environmental and personal level.

The planet may thank you for your decision. You might even discover that home grown, and vine ripened items have become your new favorite flavors!

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Comments: karenmac1999@hotmail.com

Want more knowledge? Check out these references:

Website: Shared Earth

Organization: Urban Agricultural Alliance

Online sources:

https://blogs.scientificamericn.com American Obsession with Lawns

https://www.google.com Lawns, Front yard gardens

https://www.yourgreenpal.com

https://www/theatlantic.com The American Lawn

https://www.earthisland.org Local Laws and restrictions