Man’s home garden sparks debate amongst neighbors
By Lesley Marin
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CHINO, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A Chino man’s decision to remove the grass from his front yard and replace it with a home garden has sparked debate among neighbors, leading to complaints and potentially fines for code violations.
Michael Sherman’s “Food Forest” grows a variety of fruits and vegetables that he uses daily, including passionfruit, radishes, calendulas, sunflowers, aloe vera, Swiss chard and bananas. He started growing the garden seven years ago to help his family save money.
“It’s getting more expensive, you don’t know what’s sprayed on it,” Sherman said.
Despite sharing some of his produce with neighbors, a recent complaint has placed his beloved home garden in danger of getting removed.
Since Sherman replaced his front yard in 2019, Chino city officials say that they have received multiple complaints for what some neighbors believe is an eyesore. They recently issued $750 in fines to Sherman for several code violations, asking that he do three things: remove all overgrown vegetation, maintain a line of sight on his property and keep crops from growing within 15 feet of his neighbor’s yards.
“The motto of our city is ‘Where everything grows.’ But, why won’t they let me?” Sherman joked.
While many of his neighbors support his efforts at sustainability, including his next-door neighbors, who say he’s always offering them food and asking if the garden is too much, some say that it’s a nuisance.
“I’m worried about rodents,” said Monica Siepert, one of Sherman’s neighbors. “They’re not always trimmed. … It’s not always kept up.”
Sherman says that everything on his property, from the ground to the trees, has a purpose.
“Everything that grows, like the leaves and the trees, I let it fall, I leave them there, they decompose and the soil has improved significantly,” he said. “Everyone’s view of what looks nice is different. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Sherman appealed the city decision and is scheduled to meet with officials on Wednesday night.
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