BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A new bill seeks to make it easier for Vermonters to plant vegetable gardens on properties with pushback.
House Bill 537 aims to prevent landlords or common interest communities from restricting the installation and use of a vegetable garden.
That means Vermonters who rent or live in a neighborhood with a group like a Homeowners Association would have more backing to grow veggies.
The bill would override rules prohibiting or restricting vegetable gardens in the space a tenant rents. Renters would grow in landlord-approved portable containers in the space they pay for.
A landlord could, but isn’t required to, allow a tenant to grow outside of a container.
The representative who introduced the bill says it’s meant to give Vermonters better access to fresh homegrown vegetables.
“There often are restrictions on what kind of vegetable gardens can be put in for aesthetic reasons, but we really want to make sure that people are allowed to grow their own food,” said Representative Martin LaLonde (D-Chittenden).
Tenants would have to pay for garden upkeep, water, or electricity use, and any property damage. They wouldn’t be allowed to grow cannabis or unlawful plants in their vegetable gardens.
The bill is currently in committee.
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