Aja Yasir and Yasir Allah in their garden
City of Gary fights gardener over use of wood chips
Contributed By:The 411 News
One man's debris is another's treasure
Garlic and saffron are already popping up in Aja Yasir’s garden on McKinley Street in Gary. Her early start to this spring’s growing season began last fall when the garlic and saffron seeds were planted beneath the mulch that covers her front yard.
The mulch insulated the soil and protected the seeds, even during the freezes of our northwest Indiana winter and drew moisture from the snowfall.
Stalks from last year’s fennel lay nearby, decaying and returning its nutrients to the soil. Yasir and her husband Yasir Allah use the chop and drop method of growing. They don’t use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They let Mother Nature do her thing.
Because mulch absorbs moisture, the garden doesn’t need frequent watering, so the family uses rain barrels.
The garden seems to fit all the ideals of urban farming and green urbanism the city of Gary has promoted in recent years. Some of the city’s many vacant properties are turned over at no cost to Gary residents for gardening through the city’s Sidelot Program.
Besides, the family relocated from Chicago in 2016 to make Gary their home. Aja said this is her opportunity to continue 3 generations of her family growing its own foods. “We get nearly 200 medicinal plants and vegetables from our front and backyard gardens,” Yasir said.
But on Earth Day 2019, Monday, April 22, Aja Yasir will be in court, defending her garden. The family received a citation from Gary’s Dept. of Environmental Affairs claiming the wood chips they use for mulch draws fungi and bugs. “The department calls our mulch debris,” Yasir said.
The family won’t be alone in court. Before the hearing that day, Yasir will swap seeds from her garden with members of the Gary Food Council and they all will march to the Gary City Court.
For legal help, Yasir said she signed up with the Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
Yasir’s front yard garden in 2018
The garden’s seed jars
Story Posted:04/05/2019
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