by Beth Buczynski

Would-be urban farmers have organized to fight an outdated city ordinance that prohibits the growing gardens on parkways, the city-owned strips of land between curbs and sidewalks.

Plantable land is scarce in densly-populated urban environments like Los Angeles, California. So those interested in growing their own food have to get creative about finding open plots.

By law, Los Angeles residents are required to maintain their parkways by mowing and watering them. So Richard Finely, founder of L.A. Green Grounds, decided he would use the convenient strip of land to grow edible plants instead of just grass.

Unfortunately, under a local ordinance, citizens wishing to grow plants on L.A. parkways must first obtain permits which cost at least $400 and up to thousands of dollars. Even with the permits, plants can be no taller than 36 inches, ruling out corn, beans, and lots of other delicious plants.

“The high cost of the permit to plant is very prohibitive for communities will very little excess income,” said Finley. “A lot of these places have very few options for healthy fruits and vegetables, so they are being called ‘food deserts.’ Parkway gardens would add food options, enhance lives, open up communication, and build stronger ties in communities.”

The city threatened to make Finley get rid of the garden, but backed off in August after community members and local press rallied around the issue.

The rule is ridiculous, especially because cities often have to hand out tickets just to get people to mow their parkways, and Finely and other like him are just trying to turn them into a productive and beautiful piece of urban land.

To fight for the right of any L.A. citizen to garden his or her parkway, Finely recently launched an online petition campaign at Change.org asking council members to amend the ordinance. In fewer than 48 hours, more than 300 people have already signed the petition.