I would like to offer some thoughts on the growing lawns-to-gardens/food-not-lawns movement.

Getting rid of lawn and replacing it with gardens has loooonnnng been my jam. When I lived in Maryland from 1999-2007, I spent the entire time slowly replacing my lawn with perennials..
....and converting a hillside into a terraced food garden. When I moved to Michigan in 2007, the first thing I did was take a manageable portion of my lawn and put 1/2 in prairie/native plants and 1/2 into a food garden. Every year, I do a bit more.
I live on a 1/4 acre in a subdivision where people love their bright green chem-lawns, but, thankfully, are increasingly open to an alternative aesthetic. Over the years, I’ve seen a growing awareness of the danger of chemicals in water & to natural systems, including pollinators
I love plants and gardening, so this has been a labor of love. I’ve never had anyone complain and it’s been a way to connect with other neighbors who have similar interests.
Lately, I am seeing more posts about letting your lawn go wild as a legitimate way of greening our environments. @ChuckWendig had a post about it today, but that’s not the only place I’ve seen it. Posts are taking a real edgelord view towards lawns & how to get rid of them.
I think that may be counterproductive, as well as a missed opportunity for at least several reasons that have to do with:
1. Codes
2. Infrastructure
3. Aesthetics
4. Education
5. Healthy habitat

I suggest that a more deliberate and engaged approach will result in better outcomes
Codes: many places have codes about how long you can let your grass grow. A ‘let your lawn go wild’ approach is likely to get some people fines and more headaches than they would like. Some codes also prohibit food growing in front yards.
It’s wise to understand what the codes are in your area and to understand how/if it might be risky to let your lawn go wild. Cities and towns are increasingly open to greener landscaping options; perhaps a bigger benefit is possible by developing new codes.
Infrastructure: likewise, cities and towns are increasingly aware of the benefits of green infrastructure. I along with my neighbors are exploring how rain gardens in our neighborhood can reduce runoff, (and the street dirt/pesticides that go along with runoff).
True, letting a lawn go wild is likely to reduce runoff, but strategically planned rain gardens with specific plant species are likely to have an even greater effect.
Aesthetics: letting lawns go wild is likely to result in the kinds of plants that tolerate disturbed and difficult conditions, aka weeds. Like it or not, if you’re living in a city or suburb, you’re going to need to deal with the aesthetics of the landscape.
Deliberate planning, considered implementation, & careful plant selection can help to get to healthier landscapes, while also addressing the concerns of your neighbors. You do yourself a favor if you take into account the aesthetics and how it will be received by your neighbors.
Education: even so, education is going to be necessary. But, it really feels like the tide is turning and that people are increasingly open to the non-lawn landscape. And education can help to shift the aesthetic about what’s attractive.
Healthy habitat: humans have so disrupted places that creating healthy habitats is not just about letting it all go. *Healthy* landscapes need to be nurtured, and in that nurturing, we’re also doing a lot of learning about our place and our power to turn things around.
Nurturing is deliberative and it suggests a relationship is created. In making healthier habitats, we will have to work with each other and change our relationship with our environments. Becoming engaged with that process is more powerful than a hands-off approach.

Fin
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