Michael Foti and his family live in suburban Lakewood, CA. Earlier this year the Foti's were pursued by L.A. artist and architect Fritz Haeg to be a part of his Edible Estates project. In May of this year the vegetable garden replaced their existing front lawn. Michael's got a blog too.
Fritz Haeg spent 6 months of careful consideration when he selected the Foti's. He felt the garden should be in a neighborhood where it would have maximum impact, where the family could be articulate spokespeople for the project and where the garden would find the love and patience it required. The Foti family had already been nurturing a small backyard garden and a chicken coop for some time. They were progressive and socially-conscious, and also willing to rip up their front yard to replace it with vegetables.
In the beginning, Mike says, some neighbors felt his garden was an eyesore, some were concerned about declining property values. The upside of what Mike experienced was that by spending time working in his front yard, he began to have a lot more interaction with his
neighbors. The Foti's have shared the produce with many friends and neighbors, and now they've begun canning.