One North Carolina homeowner was aghast at their HOA's plans to eliminate gardens throughout the neighborhood that had been years in the making.
"My HOA has decided that they are going to destroy everyone's gardens and build planters instead where 'authorized' plants may be added," said the irate owner in their post on an anti-HOA subreddit. "Any advice would be greatly appreciated."
According to the Redditor, many in the community were against the destructive top-down decision. "A lot of owners in this community are elderly and get a lot of joy from their gardens, so this has caused quite a bit of distress for everyone," they revealed.
Sadly, they aren't the only ones to find themselves losing treasured, long-established gardens to an HOA's whims. One Texas homeowner had a beloved patch of bluebonnets, a favorite neighborhood photo op, mowed down by a draconian HOA that declared them weeds.
Another woman who had her garden for 30 years was threatened with a lawsuit to remove it after a change in leadership.
Gardens are good for homeowners, and those who garden enjoy health benefits like extra exercise and more fiber in their diets.
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They're also good for the environment because the plants help clean the air, and any food produced means there's less need for store-bought ones, lowering the demand for long-distance shipping that pollutes the air.
Even so, many HOAs are more concerned about looks. This time, an entire neighborhood was losing its gardens at once, and the original poster wasn't sure what they could do to fight it. "They stated that this aligns with the CC&Rs so I get that it's enforceable," said the unhappy resident.
Commenters urged the original poster not to give up. "Go to a meeting en masse and tell the board you don't like the new rules and that they need to change it," said one user. "Read your CC&Rs and see how to put the issue to a vote. If the board won't acquiesce, vote them out."
HOAs have formal processes for changing their rules, which are available to residents. To get started on your own changes, try this guide.
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"Look into your laws. Growing food and having gardens is protected by law in some states," another Redditor pointed out.
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