Should I Plant a Front Yard Vegetable Garden

Driving through a typical suburban neighborhood comes nicely manicured front yards bursting with grass, or here in Phoenix, rock.  You’ll often see a tree or a few shrubs or some other decorative features.  Often times in an urban setting the front yard makes up most of our outdoor space. 

Couldn’t it be used to better serve our desire for sustainable living or just support our gardening hobby in general?  Front yard gardens have become increasingly more popular, but be aware before you start.

Should you plant a front yard vegetable garden?  If you’re looking for additional room to garden, then why not.  The front yard can be used for more than just growing grass.  Grass serves little purpose other than for aesthetics, so if you can create a front yard garden that is both beautiful and productive, it’s a win-win.

Reasons to plant a garden in the front yard:

• Limited Backyard Space
• Do something different
• Gardening is Fun so why stop with just the backyard
• Have more food for your family, friends, and neighbors
• Be able to use your creativity
• Help the Planet
• Promote Healthy Lifestyle

Is it Illegal to Grow a Garden in Your Front Yard

Not necessarily.  A lot is going to depend on your local laws and regulations.  If you live in an HOA or community with governing ordinances like covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R’s) you have guidelines to follow. 

It’s a guarantee that you won’t be turning your front yard into a gardening utopia in these communities, but there are some things you can do.  See my related post: 7 Tactics for Planting Fruit Trees in an HOA Community.  For others outside an HOA community you may think you’re free to do what you want, but that isn’t always the case. 

Planting a Front Yard Garden

If you’re going to plant a front yard garden regardless of what anyone says because it’s your yard and you can do what you want at least take these suggestions into consideration.  Some of these can work even if you live in an HOA or just want to grow a few edibles in front.

Keep it Clean

This is going to be the most important thing regardless of where you are and what you’re deciding to do with your front yard.  Nobody wants to see an overgrown jungle in the middle of their neighborhood, this is going to draw attention, and not in a good way. 

If you’re into planting a high-density urban garden, do that in the backyard.  You may be able to get away with putting off that garden work in the backyard, but staying on top of it is key with a front yard garden.  Pull those dead plants, prune regularly to keep things weed free, compartmentalize, and add beauty. 

Use Containers

It’s easier to make things look nice and clean with a beautiful ceramic pot or a nicely designed planter box.  You can do a lot with containers that even an HOA will overlook. 

Native Plants

I live in the Phoenix, Arizona area which is a desert.  Most of the communities require a desert landscape in the front yard.  Last time I checked, tomatoes didn’t naturally grow in the desert.  Believe it or not, there are a lot of cacti or other native desert plants that produce edibles.  I wrote a post that goes more in-depth here: How Native Plants Can Inspire your Desert Edible Landscape. 

Planting native edible plants can blend into the landscape or conserve on water and maintenance if you were to sell your home.  So find what edibles naturally grow in your environment and add those.  I like to push the boundaries with growing tropical fruit trees in a marginal climate. 

By doing so I often have to protect these trees from inclement weather like using shade cloth in the summer or frost protection in the winter.  It’s not a pretty sight to see these types of structures in the front yard, so leave these types of trees for the backyard.

Add Color

Many fruit trees or vegetable plants can be quite attractive by their foliage or blossoms.  Planting these types of plants that can bring some color or visual appeal can make them appealing for front yard planting.  Pomegranates have beautiful crimson blossoms that appear a few times per year or utilizing vining vegetable plants for an entrance arbor can add great visual appeal for the front yard.

Related Post: Why You Need an Entrance Arbor for your Garden Today.

Evergreen Trees and Plants

In a hot climate, our winters tend to be more mild, so we can get away with planting things that don’t lose their leaves.  Trees like Citrus or Loquat’s can be attractive evergreens that produce edibles while maintaining foliage throughout the year.   If you’re in a colder climate, then trees that lose leaves are a natural part of the environment, so not as big of a deal.

Go Small, not Big

As previously mentioned, I’m all for maximizing every square inch of space in the backyard for producing fruits, herbs, and vegetables, but if you want to utilize the front yard then scale it back a bit.  You can still plant a few fruit trees and add a couple planters for herbs or vegetables to produce a good amount of food for your family while not overcrowding your yard. 

Install Irrigation

Living in dry climates that don’t have the luxury of consistent rainfall requires supplemental irrigation.  Making sure that irrigation is set-up properly before planting will ensure that your garden’s watering needs are met.  Proper watering will safeguard from brown or dead looking plants.

Add Features

Incorporating decorative artifacts, sitting areas, or bird baths can enhance the beauty of your yard.  You may want to consider adding a simple water feature.  Click Here Variety of Outdoor fountains for some water feature ideas to take a look at.  These can help accentuate your garden and give the yard a tranquil feel versus something that’s intended to be a mini food factory.   

Live in a Rural Area

If you really want to plant whatever you want wherever you want on your property move to an area where you don’t have to worry about pleasing your neighbors or not many people are around to complain.  Often times when one lives in a country area they tend to have more land anyway, so you have the ability to do more.  You aren’t trying to maintain an image for the resell value of the neighborhood. So, if you really want to do whatever you want with your land you may want to consider a move. 

Final Thoughts

In rare cases legal action has been taken against homeowners that turned their front yards into a garden, but it’s not something to panic about.  If you’re wanting to utilize your front yard space for growing edibles like fruits and vegetables know you’re local HOA policies or be considerate of the neighborhood. 

Planting a dense jungle in your suburban yard will definitely raise some eyebrows.  By following a few simple guidelines it’s easy to take full advantage of your yard space for growing maximum yields. Just remember that visual appeal is key when gardening in the front yard.