Tennessee Urban Gardener Under Fire

The GeekMom community was incensed to read about Julie Bass, the woman from Michigan who faced possible jail time for planting a garden in her front yard (she was eventually cleared of all charges).

This time, it’s a Tennessee gardener – a teacher, who is sharing his knowledge with several students – who’s under attack. According to Treehugger

Raleigh-Egypt High School math teacher Adam Guerrero, who tends the garden with three neighbors and students, (Jarvis, Jovantae, and Shaquielle) was cited by the city for creating a public nuisance…

Vegetables. They can be such a pain in the @ss! You know what I hate? I hate when my neighbors leave fresh lettuce at my front door. Or worse, those giant zucchini! What’s a person supposed to do with those? I mean, how am I supposed to use them? I hadn’t planned for them. Such a nuisance!

Obviously, I jest. But this is just maddening. Here we have an adult who is passionate about gardening and willing to share his skills – skills that many people have lost over the past few generations – and pass his knowledge on to these young people. Instead of getting kudos, he’s being attacked and his students are getting a lesson in idiocy. The court is asking him to dismantle his garden prior to his court date of September 23rd. As a gardener myself, the idea of having to pull out all of that hard work and potential food is just heartbreaking.

Treehugger invites you to help:

1. There is an online petition you can sign at change.org in support of the garden, which will be sent to the judge hearing Guerrero’s case.

2. Write to Judge Larry Potter at larry.potter@shelbycountytn.gov in support of Adam Guerrero’s garden.

3. There is a Facebook page called “Save Adam Guerrero’s Garden,” where you can show your support and receive updates about his case.

4 .Tweet and retweet! The hashtag #WarOnGardens has started gaining steam among garden bloggers and garden writers, and it’s a good way to keep in contact with others who are fed up with this anti-gardening nonsense.

Photo: Flickr user Sbocaj under Creative Commons