Lawn Pros and Cons

Growing one's own food is an idea that is catching on VERY quickly in America (understandably).  I'm also hearing more and more people turning up their noses at the idea of having a lawn.  I want to encourage all to think about this further.

Don't misunderstand me, I completely understand the downside to having a lawn.  Most people have gas operated lawn mowers as opposed to just using a push mower or some sort of green mower; you need to water the lawn which can be seen as a waste of resources since the lawn is just to give the property a green "look" to it; and the thing that I will admit irks me is the "chemical lawn" fiasco just to make a lawn look greener.  This is what America is all about today, creating beings that look beautiful and healthy when they are actually dying of toxicity, disease or starvation.  For these reasons, I've thought twice about having lawns.  Believe me, I get it.

There is a flip side to growing a lawn, however.  First of all, I want to address the fact that IF you are going to grow a lawn, organically grown lawns are the way to go always.  (Chemically treated lawns aren't healthy for anyone.)  If you grow food or raise livestock, those are two GREAT reasons to actually have a lawn.  Every time you cut your lawn (hopefully with a push mower), you have piles of GREAT mulch for your vegetable garden that will also act as compost eventually.  There are many cud chewing animals that also pass dung that are GREAT nutrients for plants.  Rabbits, for example, LOVE grass and rabbit pellets are heaven for most botanicals.  Many have used cow dung for their gardens and reaped the amazing benefits of it.  If you have goats, your lawn clippings can also serve as a treat for them.

I'm not trying to persuade or dissuade anyone.  I'm just saying those who grow food instead of lawns have a wonderful idea that we all need to consider; but if you grow food AND have a lawn, you could put that lawn to some really good use.