Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn by Fritz HaegMy review
I heard about this idea on tv some time ago and thought that it was a good idea. Just have to have the energy and will power to dig up your yard and start over, LOL.
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Manifesto callout, special treatment: Edible Estates is an attack on the front lawn and everything it has come to represent!
Edible Estates is an ongoing series of projects to replace the front lawn with edible garden landscapes responsive to culture, climate, context and people!
Edible Estates reconciles issues of global food production and urbanized land use with the modest gesture of a small domestic garden!
Edible Estates is a practical food-producing initiative, a place-responsive landscape design proposal, a scientific horticultural experiment, a conceptual land-art project, a defiant political statement, a community out-reach program and an act of radical gardening!
Edible Estates is nothing new; growing our own food is the first thing we did when we stopped being nomadic and started being "civilized"!
The Edible Estates project proposes the replacement of the domestic front lawn with a highly productive edible landscape. It was initiated by architect and artist Fritz Haeg on Independence Day, 2005, with the planting of the first regional prototype garden in the geographic center of the United States, Salina, Kansas. Since then three more prototype gardens have been created, in Lakewood, California; Maplewood, New Jersey and London, England. Edible Estates regional prototype gardens will ultimately be established in nine cities across the United States.
Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn documents the first four gardens with personal accounts written by the owners, garden plans and photographs illustrating the creation of the gardens--from ripping up the grass to harvesting a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Essays by Haeg, landscape architect Diana Balmori, garden and food writer Rosalind Creasy, author Michael Pollan and artist and writer Lesley Stern set the Edible Estates project in the context of larger issues concerning the environment, global food production and the imperative to generate a sense of community in our urban and suburban neighborhoods. This smart, affordable and well-designed book also includes reports and photographs from the owners of other edible front yards around the country, as well as helpful resources to guide you in making your own Edible Estate.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 61)
SeriouslyJerome
SeriouslyJerome rated it: 4 of 5 stars
06/13/08
bookshelves: gardening, politics
Read in June, 2008
recommended to SeriouslyJerome by: Kerri
What a great gift from Kerri! And it wasn't even my birthday... it was her birthday!
I thought this would be a how-to book, but the author clearly states it's not. It's more of a brochure/pamphlet for performance art, because that's what he's done - his lawn conversions are part of his artistic & political expression.
It was motivating for me, who is already a convert to the edible landscape plan. It was a couple of years ago that I saw a news report about a local lady who ha...more What a great gift from Kerri! And it wasn't even my birthday... it was her birthday!
I thought this would be a how-to book, but the author clearly states it's not. It's more of a brochure/pamphlet for performance art, because that's what he's done - his lawn conversions are part of his artistic & political expression.
It was motivating for me, who is already a convert to the edible landscape plan. It was a couple of years ago that I saw a news report about a local lady who had converted her front yard into a garden. What I heard was, watering our front lawns (especially in SoCal,) is a complete waste. A waste of water & money. $$$ So my desire to ditch the front lawn has only grown since then. I won't let the boys play out front, so it's not even used for recreation. And we already have strawberries growing out front. After awhile, the whole yard will be converted!
We have big plans for our front yard, which requires money we don't have at the moment, but we can start with what we have....less
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Vicki
Vicki rated it: 4 of 5 stars
07/13/08
Read in July, 2008
This is a quick read, with 4 or 5 essays at the beginning about the tradition and wastefulness of the front lawn, and the idea of planting edible plants in the front. Stories of 5 Edible Estates gardens follow, and then there are several more short bits about people in different gardening zones who have dug up their front lawns and planted veggies. It made me want to read more gardening books!
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Jenn Gardner
Jenn rated it: 5 of 5 stars
01/30/08
Read in January, 2008
I suppose I'm biased because I work at Arthouse, where we currently have a Friz Haeg exhibition on view, and are getting ready to plant Edible Estates Regional Prototype #5 here in Austin - but this is a smart and attractive book about an important topic. Everyone plant some veggies!
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Richelle Reid
Richelle rated it: 4 of 5 stars
08/26/08
bookshelves: currently-reading
Also an inspiring read. I like how it showcases more 'typical' american families converting their front lawns into veggie gardens - and is an honest look at the joys and challenges, and the level of commitment, this kind of a decision makes.
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