What has your lawn done for you lately?
If youre like most, the answer is probably, Nothing.
But what if your lawn gave you community connections, education for your childrenanda delicious bowl of salad?
Vegetables are harvested from a lawn garden during a Fleet Farming swarm ride in Orlando, Fla. Tina Russell / The Penny Hoarder
Thats exactly what the organizers of Fleet Farming want.
Grow food, not lawns is their slogan.
What is Fleet Farming?
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
More than 500 households are on the waiting list, according to program manager Caroline Chomanics.
Theres a number of things that it takes to run a farming program.
Fleet Farming installed a farmlette at Sarah Gals Audubon Park home in May 2016.
The Gal familys garden grows Swiss chard, watermelon, sorrel, butter lettuce and Siberian kale.
Gal said her family tries to eat a salad using greens picked right from her front yard every day.
I never knew how much better fresh-from-the-garden greens tasted, she said.
Schafer said it has helped his family save on groceries, though he hasnt calculated exactly how much.
And the benefits go beyond financial.
A lot of it is the education for my children, he said.
Theyre actively involved in the growing process, putting in requests for what theyd like in the garden.
The kids were all about carrots the first go around, Schafer said.
One of my sons loves tomatoes.
Now were in the season where we can plant tomatoes.
Gal also said the experience brings a lot more than just fresh produce for daily salads.
Gal said she feels like being involved withthe program keeps her neighborhood safer.
I believe this helps make my house less vulnerable to being targeted for burglaries.
So it helps to [reduce the] CO2 thats emitted into our environment.
Lazy Moon Pizzais one of the restaurants that receives produce from Fleet Farming.
Having local produce helps ensure the salads are fresh, he said.
It doesnt get much fresher than that!
A Growing Movement
Fleet Farming is still a young program, but it has garnered significant buzz.
Audubon Park is the main branch, butthe program has expanded to Oakland, California and Jacksonville, Florida.
The demand is definitely there, she said.
We have to find a way to customize our technology to each location, she said.
Your Turn: Would you turn your lawn into a garden?
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
She loves fruits and vegetables and intends to start a garden after she purchases her first home.
When you log into your bank account, how do your savings look?
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
