Front Yard Farming

Imagine taking a step out your door and picking a pumpkin for soup or tomatoes for a salad. You can, thanks to turning your front yard into a garden. It's a great way to save money as well as practicing sustainability. Besides, nothing beats cooking with  fresh ingredients.

Since it's the middle of the fall growing season, you can easily plan your garden for Spring 2017. First of all, decide if you want to do it yourself or leave the initial planning and planting to landscapers who specialize in front and back yard gardens. Also, decide on how much land you want to designate for growing.Discuss it with everyone in the family and also consider neighborhood activities. A front garden may have to be moved to the back or the side of your house if you live in a one with a lot of active kids.It's no fun having to deal with trampled vines or the occasional baseball or Frisbee lobbed into your corner of Cobb lettuce. Your yard's location is another aspect to take into consideration. If there's too much shade, then plan to plant veggies that grow well in them such as beets , carrots, and turnips . Kale, lettuce, and spinach are also shade lovers too.The same goes for plants,such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas that thrive in direct sunlight. If the yard is big enough then draw out sections where you;d like to plant three or four  kinds of veggies. Make sure you include paths for easy access.Another must is carving out space for a compost heap.It's usually in the farthest corner of the yard, far away from the house.

Many towns across the country have bans and restrictions on front yard gardens. Before you even plant, query and see if it's legal in your neck of the woods. Another potential roadblock may be neighbors. There are some who want their block to look like the cover of a landscaping magazine. The idea of  a front yard garden may not be to their snooty likings. Granted it's your property and you can do whatever you ant in it but there may be some opposition. Feel them out.If the all over tone is favorable, then tell them your plans . You may inspire them to start their own and begin a neighborhood collective where veggies and even herbs are traded.. Be prepared, though for some opposition. Gardens not only bring pests such as aphids but they also bring larger pests such as squirrels. raccoons, woodchucks and even bears. Your neighbors may not cotton to the idea of having their street turned into a salad bar for creatures. You could then wind up getting slapped with some kind of citation. What could be done to win them over is just tell you're only going to plan a small garden, They won;t wake up to see a cornfield or a pumpkin patch. A sneakier way of  introducing a front yard garden to the neighbors is planting decorative herbs, sort of the first step in starting a garden. Basil and chives can be used as ornamentals in a rose garden or arranged around fruit trees


A front yard garden is an excellent way to not only save the planet  but eat healthier. It's also a great way of .introdicing veggies to the family diet. Think about it in your plans for next Spring.