by Julie Hall, author of A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids

Big grass lawns are dead. And if yours isn’t, you’re probably wasting water. Whether your priority is getting your kids outside, reducing CO2, eating healthier, saving money, supporting wildlife, conserving water, bird watching, or all of the above, turning your yard into an edible Eden is ecologically savvy and a fun and meaningful experience for kids. Sure, you can leave some grassy open space, but do you really need that much? A good rule of thumb is to have no more grass than you can  mow in twenty minutes or less with a reel mower (read more on reel mowers at Get Reel: Gas Mowers Stink).

Did you know that there are 32 million acres of sterile monoculture grass lawns across the United States? That makes grass lawns the biggest irrigated crop in our country, using an average of 10,000 gallons per lawn to water during the summer, much more than a garden requires. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 70 million pounds of pesticides are applied to American lawns each year, ten times more per acre than agricultural pesticides. Pesticides contaminate soil and water supplies, harming humans and wildlife with cancer, immune disorders, and reproductive problems.

But let’s get back to the eating part. Imagine growing your own kiwi, apple, pear, peach, cherry, orange, or plum trees. How about pea vines and grape vines? Carrots and potatoes. Leeks and lettuce. Raspberries and gooseberries. All this could be yours without going to the grocery store. Not enough sun, you say? Why not plant in your front yard? A front yard edible garden movement is sweeping the nation and for good reason! Front yards are often sunnier, flatter, and ripe for planting. Edible gardens can be beautiful too, and much more inviting than a flat expanse of clipped (or overgrown, as the case may be) grass like every other Jones or Hernandez in the neighborhood.

If you still don’t have enough sun, try planter pots in key places or shade-loving edible plants. Root vegetables and fruits typically need full sun, but certain leaf, stem, and bud vegetables can take dappled sunlight or as little as three to six hours a day of direct sun. Broccoli, cauliflower, beans, kale, spinach, chard, leaf lettuce, endive, beets, and even some types of strawberries can handle partial sunlight quite well.

Don’t have a yard? Try planter pots in windows and balconies, or start a garden in community space or a plot in your neighborhood. If you don’t have a local pea patch, organize one! Chances are you’ll get plenty of interested green thumbs to share tools and advice with. Happy planting, and happy eating.

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