Arthur Vivier

You and I are in the same zone with about the same size garden.
I've got Gooseberries, Hazelnuts, Fruit trees, mushrooms, grapes, rhubarb, etc...

Here is my youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCupxmRhzQs14I8fSuLifT-w

Good luck.

It is in fact considered a trailer and it does require a registered vehicle be connected.

Creighton Samuels wrote:I got tired of dealing with the Department of Making you Sad and just moved out of the city.

But a cold frame that is light enough to pick up is not a structure, nor a trailer.  Another work around is a geodesic dome covered in 5 mil plastic, as the geodesic dome could be considered a child's play structure.

Yes, this is good! Thank you!

Pearl Sutton wrote:Arthur: With everything you said here, I think my solution would be to find a person outside the city limits who would be thrilled to have you garden up their yard. Lots of folks want a garden, but don't have time, energy or whatever to do it, and would LOVE to have someone else do it and give them some produce.  Around here there are a lot of older, widowed women who would fit that category. Even better is a lady whose husband did the garden, but can't do it herself, there may be garden beds already made that can be worked with.

I feel for you, I despise bureaucracy, and am dealing with it too. I'm not a good hoop jumper, that's absolutely not in my skillset.

I agree, it is part of my master plan!

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:As another option, if you can't do a greenhouse, maybe you can do a low tunnel. Just alter the below to fit your raised beds. The video is in Spanish, but the idea is made clear.

I plan on using this concept to extend some frost-tender stuff this fall.

Thanks for this. I do already use low tunnels but I have never tried to stretch them into the winter. I tend to use them to start plants early. I will give it a shot.

Hi all,

I'm going to be removing a plum tree and replanting with an apple.
I'd like to leave the stump in place and grow mushrooms on it.
Which type of mushroom will grow on plum wood? I've had trouble googling an answer.

Thanks in advance.

Jay Angler wrote:D. Logan wrote:

A rain catchment disguised as a storage bench wouldn't catch a single eye, but would serve the same purpose as the more traditional ones that many find so ugly.

Good point! Many City ordinances are all about "looking good" to improve your neighbor's property value. Making sure your infrastructure either looks "stylish" or well disguised may work so long as you know what those inspections are focused on. If the inspector thinks water storage increases mosquito born disease, you'll have a problem with an open barrel. But a properly fitted barrel built inside a "pretty storage cupboard" with flowers (edible of course) planted around it, could be a help. Some rules can be affected simply by adding wheels. A friend of Hubby's bought one of his portable chicken shelters as a green house - the wheels that went in the corners made it "portable" even though they never planned on moving it.

I'd also do planning in the whole "edible landscaping" and "food forest" areas - it's amazing how many really pretty plants can be eaten! It's a shame there's so much hatred in places of the lowly dandelion - it's a nutritional power house that grows easily and has pretty flowers that pollinators adore. However, I know from experience that bees adore raspberry blossoms also.

Wheels on the greenhouse... hmm... brilliant. I will look into this loophole.
Knowing my city they will call it a "trailer" and require it to be connected to a registered vehicle. haha

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Sheesh, those rules are a truckload of dinosaur-brain silliness! I suppose they also require people to spray-paint their front lawn green if there's a drought.

I'm usually a follow-the-law guy, but this situation begs for a little civil disobedience. Talk to your neighbours and see what they will tolerate.

I would love to get my neighbors on board. The problem is, they hate my garden and don't talk to me anymore because I wouldn't let them bully me into removing it.

D. Logan wrote:You might see if any food animals are classified pets. Some areas count pigeons as pets, many consider rabbits to be, and almost all count Cui as pets. Each is quality meat in a compact space requirement. Rabbits are especially productive and low effort for high return animals.

Many places have no rules on 'temporary' structures even if they have very strict rules on permanent ones. Some options would be to see if there are some loopholes. Does a temporary structure you take down 3 months out of the year have any special rules listed? Is the limit of 6x4 something where as long as it is smaller than that you're okay? What about a raised bed where you have a clear plastic tenting you put on in the fall and take off in the spring. What about a structure that is able to be moved around? If you can lift it with a fork truck to change it's spot, there's no foundation so it's really just a fancy storage container.

Sometimes it is a matter of how obvious things are. While I won't advocate breaking any laws, I know many places couldn't care less as long as it isn't something obvious. A rain catchment disguised as a storage bench wouldn't catch a single eye, but would serve the same purpose as the more traditional ones that many find so ugly.

I own a multifamily home and because of that, I am subject to regular inspections.

I will look into other animals and loopholes. Thanks.

The kicker is that I have 8 degraded acres and a house in a village in Ukraine. But moving there would mean that I would only see my 10-year-old son 6 months a year.

I wanted quail but they are 'livestock' by city standards. In a humorous turn of events though, I discovered that puppies are not. Also at the state level, there is no law preventing me from raising them and eating them.
Having said that I don't want to eat puppies because I don't think I have the space to keep them.

I had the idea of running a CSA on my lot and other residential borrowed land. City ordinances prohibit commercial activity on residential land. On a side note, they never responded when I asked if 'consulting' was considered a commercial activity.

I wanted to put up a greenhouse, but I was told that my lot wasn't large enough to allow a "structure" with a footprint of 6x4 feet. My plan was to put it over my raised beds in the autumn to extend my season, leave it through the winter, and see how much I could produce with no heat.

I am pending a response to find out if I can have rain barrels.

And in order to make a request to the city and get a variance, I will probably need to hire an attorney because I don't understand these types of processes very well.

Are there any approaches any of you other city dwellers in America have discovered that have been successful with dealing with local municipalities?