Food Not Lawns in Lawrence
Yard Farming in Lawrence Kansas
What’s Going on with the Food Not Lawns Movement! A family in Lawrence, Kansas is leading the way.
As awareness grows of the need to become more self reliant in a time of declining energy resources, Jeremy and Amber Lehrman’s solution is to grow food in place of their lawn. During last week’s Lawrence community gardens tour this photo was taken of the Lehrman’s yard in a south west Lawrence subdivision.
Jeremy and Amber Lehrman's yard
With concern for rising food and fuel prices, and being tired of struggling with a weedy lawn, they dug up the grass and tilled the lawn. In its place from curb to adjacent curb they put in raised beds, mounds, and a vine trellis. Potatoes and strawberries are planted in the easement strip between the street and the sidewalk. In the main area of the yard they have planted raspberries, black berries, vegetables, culinary and medicinal herbs, and various fruit trees. The Lehrmans plan to use most of the produce, sell some and can the rest.
So far the neighbors all support their efforts. There is no local law restricting food gardens to back yards, and the “weed” ordinance has a height exception for “proper gardens”. If this isn’t a proper garden, then nothing would qualify!
Steve Moring
[...] One family in Lawrence has started an example of food, not lawns and apparently to both use and sell what they grow. I can only imagine what would be possible if more Lawrencians caught on to the movement. There might be more of a selection at the farmers’ market, there would be more locally-grown produce restaurants could use and more people in Lawrence could become involved with their community. [...]
[...] One family in Lawrence, Jeremy and Amber Lehrman, started their own version of “food, not lawns” about four years ago and to both use and sell what they grow. Amber said when she and her husband started to expand their garden to cover more of their yard, it was because they wanted locally-grown food rather than because they had heard about the “food, not lawns” idea. They also realized they could help lessen the impact of food that travels hundreds of miles. [...]