Jimmy Chapman

7 Reasons to Have a Vegetable Garden in your Front Yard

You know that big patch of grass you have in your front yard? The one you mow every Saturday morning when you'd rather be doing something else.

What if you decided to ditch the grass and instead turn your front lawn into a big veggie patch that will not only feed your family but also grow a little extra to share with neighbours.

It's a bit of a radical idea because in Australia we are so attached to the idea of the front yard being green lawn… but times are changing. Kids are spending more time indoors (unfortunately) and the grass is no longer getting any use as a cricket pitch or footy try line.

Maybe it's time to reclaim that piece of underused soil that you paid a fortune for and make it your own productive gardening space.

Check out some of the photos in this article for some great inspiration of what can be achieved with a bit of elbow grease, imagination and the right plants, seeds, and vegetable garden soil.

Here are 7 reasons why turning your front yard into a vegetable garden is a brilliant idea!

1. Growing in your front yard means you can't ignore it…

The problem with backyard growing is that it's easy to forget to tend to your vegetable patch. Out of site, means out of mind.

By having your vegetable garden in the front you will be passing it every day on the way to work and back… it's easy to pull out a weed, or see that your tomatoes are ready to pick.

Having it visible to the rest of the street also keeps you accountable in a good way because you want it to look great. A vegetable garden can look very neat with a bit of planning, especially if you used raised garden beds or large planters which keep everything contained.

What difference a front yard garden makes!

2. You will be surprised who you meet…

This is going to be a bit of an unexpected one for you. When you start breaking the mold of what a front yard looks like, people will take notice. Some will scoff, some will praise, but all will be curious what you are up to.

And when they start seeing your vegetables growing well and how relaxed you look tending to your productive patch, it will be irresistible for them to walk on by when you happen to be outside and strike up a conversation.

It's a bit like going to a park with a puppy… or a baby. Everyone wants to say hi.

And being the good gardener you are, you can offer them a few tasty treasures from your garden… you can't do that with a puppy or baby.

3.Your kids will notice.

Nowadays kids are spending so much time in front of screens, they would barely know what the weather is like outside. At first they will ignore your crazy idea, but give it a bit of time and they will start asking questions. What is that one called? How long till it's ready. Can I eat it? What can I grow?

I'm calling it more green time and less screen time. Get them involved in planting vegetables and edible flowers, and you’ll be surprised by the knowledge they pick up about food gardening, plant growth, and learning where their food comes from.

4. Your food bill will go down which means more spare cash.

If you've shopped for produce lately you will know that it's no longer the 99cent deals they used to be. A shopping trip in fresh produce adds up fast, especially if you start buying organic veggies and fruit.

Growing your own at home could save you $50 or more a week and you get the satisfaction of knowing it came from your garden. Use the cash to go towards a family holiday or a bit more gear from the Aussie Gardener Store.

Choose the right seeds and plants for your climate, and look into community gardening initiatives. You can also incorporate perennials, native plants, and edible flowers that will thrive in your climate and give you a steady supply of fresh vegetables and food for pollinators.

5. It will give you a bit of productive exercise

If your waist is starting to block your view of your feet, it might be time to get those legs and arms moving. Going to the gym is great for some people.. but it does seem like a huge waste to be moving heavy things only to put them back again.

Instead get yourself outside building those garden beds, planting seeds, watering, harvesting and overall feeling and looking great for doing something that is actually productive with those muscles.

Organic food gardening is a great way to get some exercise and the right amount of Vitamin D in your system, which has a great effect on your mental wellbeing.

6. It's real food and nothing else

When you buy store produce, did you know that it has been sprayed not just once but multiple times with pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and more. If you were to read the label on each one of those you would see the blatant warnings… do not eat, do not touch, do not drink…, carcinogenic, dangerous to aquatic life… It is by any definition 'poison' and one day I think we will look back on 2023 and question… you used to eat that?

When you grow it yourself you know exactly where it was grown and what went into it. Growing at home means you can use organic growing methods that are too difficult for the big scale farmers… hence why they just use sprays.

Aussie Gardener Store teaches you how to do this with their free veggie growing classes and online community.

and..

7. You no longer have to mow the bloody grass

Instead on a beautiful Saturday morning set yourself up with a nice deck chair in your front yard, feeding yourself freshly picked strawberries and snow peas whilst your neighbours do their back and forth dance with the lawnmower cutting the green, green grass that will only grow back again when they aren't looking.

You never know… they may just see the light and turn their front yard chore into a fresh harvest of herbs, vegetables, edible flowers and leafy greens like you did. Be the person on your street that started a front yard revolution.

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Comments

Kamal Deo - October 31, 2024
I do front yard and also backyard gardening . My council area in front is full of flowers and people walk through their slow down to admire them . So I make more friends and sometimes I give them some tips .
Front yard garden has had cabbages , spinach , bitter melon , eggplant , green beans , cucumber , ocra , peas , snow peas , bitter melon etc .
For me as a retired person its now a new hobby and passion . This is my contribution to this community. I hope others can follow.

Denise Goodwin - May 16, 2023
Hi Scott: I have been gardening for many years, but learned through my mistakes. Now I go to my gardening bible for advice: Annette McFarlane’s book on Organic Vegetable Gardening. There is everything you need to set yourself up with a productive garden in that book. Next tip: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, check your soil PH before sowing anything. Healthy soil means healthy plants. Good luck!

Scott - May 11, 2023
Wow what a great front yard transformation! We are just starting this front year food farm journey now here in our location of Mount Gambia in the rich volcanic soils, and so its great to see what the results could look like. Wescottbranden@iinet.net.augoes where, what do we grow are concerned what the Council may do, they are not allowed under the Constitution and were rejected in the 1988 referendum but they still think they can dictate. We’ll see I guess. As for the neighbors I’m not too sure but I don’t expect any issues, its a good area. But theres a problem! How do we plan all this out? What do we grow, what goes where, how do we protect it all from nutters?