Ordinance Seeks To Allow Residents To Sell Produce Grown In Their Gardens

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A local group is now seeking an ordinance to allow residents grow and sell food from their own homes.

Community gardens have been around for years, but this proposed city ordinance would allow gardeners to set up shop here or right in front of their homes to sell what they grow.

"I do this to raise good clean food and I'm trying to make a living out of it," said Paul Trudeau, who grows food.

Trudeau shows off his aquaponic garden he built in a downtown Sacramento backyard. Inside his greenhouse is lettuce, collards, swiss chard and blue gill fish.

"They exhale and poop and their waste turns into food for the plants. These plants grow without any soil or external fertilizer," he said.

The Sacramento Urban Agriculture Commission hopes to see more small farms like this around Sacramento. The group is pushing for a city ordinance to allow the growth of food for sale on both commercial and residential land.

"With some strict requirements, they'll be able to sell produce from their own gardens at their home from a farm stand on their property," said commission co-founder Charles Mason.

Mason says the ordinance would bring the famous Sacramento farm-to-fork movement to someone's front yard or community garden. Growers could set up a farm stand on the property to sell their produce.

"Not only is that helping the family economically, but if you live in a neighborhood where you're not near a grocery store, like me, you can just walk around the corner," said Mason.

However some city council members do have some concerns on how these farm stands would be regulated and if they will stick out in some neighborhoods like a green thumb.

"There has to be a way that a person who lives in a residential community doesn't have a negative impact from a neighbor who wants to have a commercial usage in their front yard," said Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby.

But Mason believes the opportunities are worth it.

"It brings people together and brings more economic viability and independence to the community," said Mason.

The issue will go before city council next month. The group is also seeking a similar ordinance with the county.