Sierra's May/June 2008 Let's Talk selection:
Edible Estates
A book by Fritz Haeg
Review by David Ferris

What it's about
Starting in 2005, architect and designer Fritz Haeg commissioned families in California, New Jersey, and Kansas to rip out their lawns and grow vegetables in their front yards. Edible Estates is a treatise against grass, which at 30 million acres is the United States' largest irrigated crop. It also follows the suburban dissidents who dug under the inquisitive gaze of neighbors and found joy in curbside tomatoes.

Where to get it
Edible Estates is widely available at libraries and bookstores

About the author
Fritz Haeg is an architect, designer, and educator with a passion for the environment.

Discussion questions

• Could you imagine ripping out your lawn and replacing it with vegetables?
• Would you actually do it? (If you already have, tell us the details.)
• What would the neighbors say? Do you care?
• Would it freak you out to eat plants grown in your own yard? Why or why not?

Links

• Get to know the author on his Web site.

• Learn how to grow edible plants.

• Cultivate a less toxic lawn.

Take action

Get advice from other yard gardeners at this GardenWeb chat room.