Gardening Is Not a Criminal Offense!

Julie Bass, a mother of 6 from Oak Park, Michigan, faces up to 93 days in jail for having planted a tidy, raised-bed vegetable garden in her frontyard. Why? Because local codes state that only "suitable live plant material" can be planted in front of houses and, apparently, vegetables don't suit town officials' tastes. As a kitchen gardener, please join Julie in solidarity by doing one or more of the following: 1) Share Julie's story online to help spread the word. 2) Send a polite email message to Oak Park's Technical & Planning Director, Kevin Rulkowski, at krulkowski@ci.oak-park.mi.us to urge him to update the code to "suit" the economic, health and environmental realities of the 21st century. You might also politely point out that it's better for Michigan to be known for its vegetable gardens than as the 10th most obese state in the nation which it became this year. 3) Plant a frontyard garden of your own: the more people who do it, the more "suitable" it becomes. 4) Like Julie's facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oak-Park-Hates-Veggies/184553881597878 5) Sign the petition here: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oak-park-hates-veggies/ Moving forward means striking down backwards laws!