Architect Fritz Haeg is on a mission: he proposes to do away with front lawns across the country and replace them with edible landscapes. "Food grown in our front yards," he says, "will connect us to the seasons, the organic cycles of the earth, and our neighbors. The banal lifeless space of uniform grass in front of the house will be replaced with the chaotic abundance of biodiversity."
Haeg's project is already well underway and documented in his just-published new book "Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn
In the book, Haeg tells us that Edible Estates gardens "are meant to serve as provocations." He explains that today's towns and cities are "engineered for isolation," and says front-yard gardens become street performances, prompting neighbors to stop by and chat, and creating a new sense of community. Moreover, the elimination of lawns will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from mowers and string trimmers, and reduce pesticides currently seeping into drinking supplies and groundwater. And Haeg's project fits in perfectly with the burgeoning movement to eat and grow local produce.
Aside from the Kansas project, the book profiles other ongoing edible landscapes in Lakewood, CA; Maplewood, NJ; and London, England -- complete with landscape plans, photographs, and much more. There are also reports and photos from other owners of edible yards around the country, and resources to help you get started on your own 21st century victory garden.
Well, I have a small vegetable garden in my own back yard, and if it weren't for my year-round Sunday morning organic farmers' market a couple of miles away (Takoma Park Farmers' Market), my front yard ornamentals (no lawn, anyway) might well give way to edibles.
(click on image or link to purchase book from Amazon)
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