Making healthy choices in South Portland

Walking through Somerville, Mass., on my way to the dentist, I could always pick out the Italian gardens. They were so gorgeous, full of flowers and vegetables, with vines creating an area for the family to sit in the shade. There were always huge sunflowers, interspersed with marigolds, and vegetables enough to feed the whole family most of the year. I was puzzled. Why don’t we see more gardens like these? Why do so many people struggle against all odds to maintain lawns?

Back in England, in the 17th century, only the very wealthy manor owners had lawns, a requirement back in the days when they thought they needed a clear view to defend themselves against intruders. These lawns were kept very trim, as local shepherds were allowed to herd their sheep there. And in the moist English climate, no watering was needed.

So why the pressure to have a perfect lawn in the U.S.? The idea that a beautiful lawn is part of looking well off was clearly imported from England. When the first U.S. suburb was built in Levittown, the new homeowners could buy only on condition they maintained a perfect lawn, just like their neighbors’.

This custom is clearly ingrained and reenforced by a lucrative lawn care industry that provides homeowners with plenty of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizer to maintain perfect lawns. Did you know that the largest crop in the U.S. is lawns?

Given that all these chemicals are harmful to our families’ health and are creating dead zones in the ocean, maybe it’s time we rethought our outdated tradition of perfect lawns maintained with toxic chemicals.

Some of us could feed our families with vegetable gardens. Others might want more flowering shrubs and fruit trees for the birds and bees. Some might still want that perfect green lawn, which is actually quite possible using simple organic methods. For more info, see Safelawns.org.

Rachel Mason Burger

Bees Bays and Backyards,

a project of Protect

South Portland