More ‘Room to Grow’

Overlooked land for home vegetable gardens, “Room to Grow” (April 11), can be found in the zoning codes, which have governed the building of most homes in Los Angeles.

Thanks to the codes, my neighbor and I arranged to gain a vegetable “farm” on Bentley Avenue in Westwood. We each owned a 5-foot side yard separating our homes, mandated by our zoning. Each strip was too narrow for a spread of plants. We simply abandoned the customary fence or hedge divider between our properties. They block sunlight anyway. Instead of asserting our property rights, we pooled them and gained a 10-foot wide plot between our houses.

Our arrangement is fitted to our personal situations. I buy the seedlings, till, water and harvest, just as I would if I owned the whole plot. I share the yield with my neighbor for their contribution of half the plot at no cost to me.

JULIAN (BUD) LESSER, Westwood