Turn lawns into gardens
Brown lawns don’t have to be an economic disaster for Valley landscape gardeners. We could convert our lawns into vegetable gardens. The benefits are numerous.
The land will produce food instead of useless grass. Using efficient watering techniques, an abundance of produce can be grown. The fresh vegetables will improve the health of homeowners. The gardens could become focal points for neighbors to get to know each other and develop a sense of community. Instead of feeling disconnected, we could feel positive about the future. We can replace the pride of having a green lawn with the pride of having a productive garden.
The army of gardeners that now cut the grass and blow the leaves would not become unemployed. Instead, they would become real gardeners. Their labor would contribute to community enrichment. There would be no need to pollute our air with more carbon monoxide from their mowers and blowers. The noise level in our neighborhoods would be drastically reduced. Harmful herbicides and petroleum-based fertilizers would be eliminated. Green waste from the gardens would be composted to enrich the soil.
In summary, we would create a more sustainable system for growing food locally.
David M. Roberts
Fresno
This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Turn lawns into gardens."