Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sarah Boyd on February 27, 2012 at 2:06pm

Hi Erin,

I don't think that this issue has been resolved, but personally I would go ahead with your garden on the premise that its better to ask forgiveness than ask permission. You might want to keep it discreet by planting some flowers at the front of the beds. It would probably be best if your neighbors are not the type to report you for an infraction of the rules. I got away with this for years in planned community that had much more rigorous rules than Beacon.

Permalink Reply by Philomena on February 27, 2012 at 2:17pm

Erin,  that got shelved. I remember at the time, I had a whole discussion with Randy about this, and while he said he saw merit on both sides of the issue, there were too many questions up in the air, i.e. enforcement, aesthetics, etc... to come up with any type of legislation. Seems there was really just a couple folk who complained about this to the council, and then a ton of folk showed up to voice support for front yard gardens. So as long as the garden is well-maintained, there should be no complaints. However, you can't have a compost pile in your front yard, or apparently your side yard. 

http://www.ecode360.com/documents/BE0803/source/404108.pdf

Permalink Reply by Erin on February 27, 2012 at 2:32pm

Thanks for the info Sarah and Philomena!

 

C'mon spring!

 

 

Permalink Reply by Steve Knowles on February 27, 2012 at 2:54pm

I had to switch from my back yard to my front yard to have a chance at getting decent tomatoes (due to shade in back), but the deer ate them all, even when green!  I put the plants among some evergreen shrubs, and they grew up through them nicely, so they were mostly camoflaged.  The deer in Beacon may be cute sometimes, but they are a pain more often than not!  Does anyone know if it's legal to shoot deer with a paintball gun?  (unfortunately, they are out munching at their leasure in the middle of the night, so unless I camp out to catch them, and they aren't there but once or twice a week (while making their smorgasbord rounds through Beacon), I don't have good odds of catching them "in the act".

Permalink Reply by Sarah Boyd on February 27, 2012 at 3:34pm

Its probably illegal to shoot them with a paintball. We have had luck in other locations deterring squirrels with a wrist-rocket slingshot, but you have to catch them in the act.

Are the deer mostly a problem up on the east side of town near Mt. Beacon, or do they roam everywhere? We just moved to a house that is two blocks off Main Street in the middle of Beacon, and I am trying to figure out how high a fence I should build to keep the deer out and how deep I have to bury it to keep the ground hogs out.

Permalink Reply by Anna West on February 27, 2012 at 3:54pm

There was a mention of adding it to a new code, but it wasn't. I was at the council meeting it came up and was able to knock it down.

Saying that the new code might include some things that can cause trouble.  No firewood on front porch (side ok), and some other objects left out for a long time or yard.  I've been growing tomatoes in the front but fear of deer had me have to surrounded them with wild flowers, so not sure if anyone ever noticed them. 

Welcome to Beacon.    Anna

Permalink Reply by Anna West on February 27, 2012 at 3:58pm

There is a motion detector water sprayer that seems to work on deer. It shoots whatever moves with water. hahaha.

My side gets deer mostly in the winter, but I have seen them all year around.  I planted wild flowers and then toms in the center, and they were safe from deer in the front yard. If you are close to town my chain link fence seems to keep them away, too much other food to bother.

Anna

Permalink Reply by Amy Brosey on February 28, 2012 at 7:21pm

Philomena, I wonder if they are planning to actually enforce that law.  Just reading it, I can think of quite a few people who are probably in violation of various parts of the law around the city.  And by "animal houses or shelters" I wonder if birdhouses are included.

Permalink Reply by Philomena on February 28, 2012 at 8:21pm

I'm thinking the only enforcement that would happen is if a neighbor complained, and then the police came an investigated. Another thing the wording does not address is what about items in side yards that are fenced in and not visible from the road ? No one can see my side yard unless you open up the gate and go in, and then you're trespassing - and I'm betting trespassing is a bigger fine than a compost pile or doghouse. 

Permalink Reply by Anna West on February 28, 2012 at 10:26pm

It is if neighbors can see it. I don't think it is the police but the building department or another department. Who ever does the notices/fine for not cutting your grass, etc. It is only if neighbors complain and they have to see it. Not fenced in areas.

I was at the meetings when they were trying to write it, it was pretty much about several very specific, extremely messy, disorderly yards. Front yards that contained ATVs, campers, boats, etc etc.  

I believe messy and disorderly would be good words to go by, going by the 3 public meetings I attended.

Permalink Reply by Sarah Burns Feyl on February 29, 2012 at 9:46am

Hey Sarah - we get woodchucks/groundhogs in our yard all summer, and you know we're just a couple of streets from you...we have cages that we put over our raised beds that seemed to help, but last summer the woodchucks started pushing the cages off. Little devils. We've stopped growing broccoli because that seemed to just draw them to our garden even more, and they would get at that and eat it to the ground.

Sarah

Permalink Reply by Sarah Boyd on February 29, 2012 at 10:56am

Hey Sarah,

Thanks for the info (and the ride home last night). I think we are going to put up a fence and bury it a foot or so to discourage them.

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