Have you been wondering what you can do with the planting strip in front of your house? Well, in addition to landscaping to your heart’s desire or planting trees, you can also plant fruits and veggies! That’s right, a mini garden, perhaps of the edible variety, in front of your home. This year new rules were created to encourage more gardening in our city.
SDOT has guidelines that will help you in planning your planting project. For instance, we encourage planting low shrubs, perennial, or groundcover plantings that help separate the sidewalk and the street. In addition to the general guidelines on gardening in your planting strip are requirements on height and distance from the right-of-way. Once you have looked over this information, make sure you apply for a free street use permit in order to start planting in the planting strip.
While SDOT does not regulate the type of fruits and vegetables planted, there are certain trees that are prohibited because of the risk of falling fruit. These are trees of the cherry, apple, and pear families. That being said, there is still a lot you can do to green your sidewalk. Maybe you’ll inspire your neighbors to do the same.