A "naturally growing lawn" has led to a lawsuit by the Middleton (CT) Health Department.  Filed by Health Department Director Joseph Havlicek, the lawsuit seeks collection of nearly $120,000 in fines from local resident Jackson LaRose for allegedly violating the city's housing code. 

According to news reports, LaRose’s all-natural gardening method, also known as permaculture, has put him at odds with his next-door neighbor Joanne Faust and in June 2010 a health inspector lodged a complaint against LaRose, explaining that his lawn is a "potential harborage for vermin."

“We’re not out in the country,” she said, explaining that she has seen snakes, toads and a snapping turtle in LaRose’s lawn. “We just want to live next door to something respectable. It’s ridiculous. It’s out of control.”

Faust further complained that the ragweed in LaRose's backyard prevents her mother, who’s allergic to the plant, from visiting her home when it’s in season.

LaRose counters that his permaculture experiment improves the quality of the soil.   “I’m letting the soil grow rather than just leaching it out with chemicals,” he said.

LaRose further maintains that the city’s laws don’t require his lawn to look like other people’s, and until he gets more input from the city, he’s unsure what to do with his lawn.

“Just because something’s generally accepted doesn’t make it right,” he said. “There’s a lot of ways to do it.”

Source:  The Middleton Press (Connecticut)