Your Yard Is EVIL

In which John discusses the absolute insanity of front yards. Turf grass is the biggest irrigated crop in the US; we irrigate grass almost exclusively with drinkable water; also, you will be surprised to learn that grass is INEDIBLE. Plus, I dislike mowing the lawn when it is 115 outside.
Lots of people (particularly people who work in the lawn business) will note that turf grass is a carbon sink (particularly if you mow the lawn frequently). This is true, but there are far more efficient carbon sinks that don't require so much water.
My tumblr: / fishingboatproceeds
Hank's tumblr: / edwardspoonhands
The nerdfighter forum Your Pants: www.yourpants.org
SOURCES:
Turf grass is the biggest irrigated crop in the US by a factor of three: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn#Env...
The EPA estimates a third of residential water is used to water lawns, equaling four billion gallons of potable water per day: www.usgrassandgreens.com/artif...
70 million pounds of pesticides are used each year on lawns according to the EPA: www.treesolutions.com/services...
HERE ARE A LOT OF LINKS TO NERDFIGHTASTIC THINGS:
Shirts and Stuff: dftba.com/artist/30/Vlogbrothers
Hank's Music: dftba.com/artist/15/Hank-Green
John's Books: amzn.to/j3LYqo
======================
Hank's Twitter: / hankgreen
Hank's Facebook: / hankimon
Hank's tumblr: / edwardspoonhands
John's Twitter: / realjohngreen
John's Facebook: / johngreenfans
John's tumblr: / fishingboatproceeds
======================
Other Channels
Crash Course: / crashcourse
SciShow: / scishow
Gaming: / hankgames
VidCon: / vidcon
Hank's Channel: / hankschannel
Truth or Fail: / truthorfail
======================
Nerdfighteria
effyeahnerdfighters.com/
effyeahnerdfighters.com/nftumblrs
/ nerdfighters
nerdfighteria.info/
A Bunny
(\(\
( - -)
((') (')

[@DaneeBound]

In Summer of 2011, John says it's hotter than Kim Jong-il if he died in Winter of 2011, Kim Jong-il does die. You've called it.

[@AngelSamael]

No, he caused it.

[@abbiearcher4716]

@@AngelSamael John Green, writer and master assassin.

[@JTBear]

This may be my favorite rant ever! Front yard veggie gardens for everyone!

[@deannahammel8028]

Someone in my neighborhood planted a garden in their front yard and everyone thought it was super weird and I still don't get the problem like there's space so why can't he USE IT

[@jry0511]

What is also insane is that there are some neighborhoods that have rules preventing front lawn gardens.

[@grassytramtracks]

@@jry0511 talk about the land of the free

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

@@grassytramtracks you're free to not buy property in that area lmao. Places with homeowners associations or rules like that make you well aware of them before you buy. It's not like this is imposed by the Federal or state government.

[@Zonedoutallthetime]

@@chickenfishhybrid44 it's a status quo unfairly forced on a significant portion of the country. the grass lawn should not exist in many areas of the country because it cannot survive on its own and isn't native to them, it serves zero purpose outside of being a symbol of wealth and people who are obsessed with those tend to be wealthy and vain themselves. stop defending this incredibly stupid and wasteful practice.

[@fermata13]

One of the few good things about New Mexico? We just put gravel and cacti in our front lawns and call it good. :D Xeriscaping for the win!

[@DJacksonScience]

People need to do this in Southern California. It is literally a desert, but the idiots here in LA treat it like it's a rain forest.

[@Baum_Mann]

your great grandchildren will love you if you plant the right cactus

[@vladtepes97]

lawns began as a status symbol among the wealthy, then the bourgoisie to signify that the owner could afford to buy/have delivered his food rather than have to dirty his fingers or even his servants' fingers by growing it himself. in other words, lawns are exactly where food gardens should be.

[@lonestarr1490]

And who was it who took it from us? The rich people. As always.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

You can have a front lawn AND food gardens out back. I do and so do many others I know.

[@factsabouturmum9250]

And that's why my yard is full of fruiting trees, leafy greens, and tomato beds. :3

[@Baum_Mann]

if you dont have a yard or lawn, you can still grow food i grow tropical fruit trees in my living room

[@kenruneck]

As someone who lives on several acres of property that is 90% dense bush in a neighbourhood that mostly consists of properties that are 100% mowed grass, it boggles my mind that your neighbours have any say over what goes on in your yard. If you own your house and the land within its fence line, you should be able to do whatever you want with it. The same goes with painting your house bright yellow, and wearing odd socks. None of these things hurt anyone.

[@MyBrothersMario]

+kenruneck 3 words, home owners association.

[@kenruneck]

MyBrothersMario I don't think we have that here. And why would you have an association that tells you what to do with your own house. That's ridiculous.

[@emilythompson2869]

+kenruneck cause the state of other houses affect the market value of other houses in the neighborhood. It's about surrounding aesthetic. Like you might have an awesome house in an awesome neighborhood but then you've got the crazy person next door who is ok having like awesome critters living in their front yard. But if it doesn't fit with the rest of the neighborhood, it reduces the "smooth appearance" of the neighborhood. Or some shit idk

[@barvdw]

+MyBrothersMario In some cases, it even stipulates the colour of paint on your house and/or the colour of door and window frames, maximum height, surface type for your driveway...

[@benjwgarner]

+kenruneck Exactly. I should be able to build a 20-foot tall Godzilla statue in my front yard if I feel like it, but if I did I'd end up being sued.

[@AlexZorach]

There are so many great options for replacing lawns. Xeriscaping in dry areas, vegetable gardens in wetter areas, herb gardens practically anywhere. Some perennial food crops, like strawberries, can be used to replace an entire yard. I've seen people whose yards have been replaced by a giant strawberry field...AWESOME option. I also love the forested yard--plant big trees, and fill up the understory with shade tolerant native wildflowers and shrubs. If you're not growing food, a shady yard is often the best way to go as it cools in summer and warms in winter (by reducing wind), and the increased biodiversity, especially if you plant 100% native plants, helps preserve and protect surrounding wild ecosystems.

[@myladycasagrande863]

Some of my neighbors have wildflower lawns, so pretty!

[@Tuchulu]

I moved into a house with a lawn almost a year ago and only watered it on 4th of july to prevent it from catching fire

[@1224chrisng]

what if you replaced water with petrol ?

[@isaacfarrell8136]

Chris Ng The grass would die long before July 4th came along.

[@lfior]

Okay I just love how John hates pennies so much he mentions them whenever he can.

[@bekah9344]

It's been six years since this video and I still think about this regularly.

[@nicolasborovich8960]

John Green for President

[@jetoman5830]

nearly 5 years later, this is still my 2nd favorite Vlogbrothers video. My first is the one about turning you crappy summer job into lots of money. I do wonder John, have you fought the status quo, do you have a vegitable garden. Or does some aweful HOA prevent you from fighting the man?

[@Asha2820]

I thought this was going to be a metrication rant. Because yards ARE evil. P.S. British. Sorry about the whole useless grass garden thing.

[@James-fw5ew]

+TheJman0205 status quo bias

[@1224chrisng]

the inch is the only sane imp unit , which is still 25.4mm and not 25mm , it should be 25mm

[@RaeBae73]

This is so informative for me because in Minnesota where I live we have snow for over half a year, and it rains so much that I only know about 2 people who water their lawns. We have 10 acres of land and we dont water it or put pesticides.

[@Jane155-x6d]

Your neighbors can be angry about your front yard? I have a lot to learn about the US...

[@exorikk]

If your yard looks bad, then the neighborhood looks bad. If the neighborhood looks bad, the property value of everyone's homes goes down.

[@exorikk]

If your yard looks bad, then the neighborhood looks bad. If the neighborhood looks bad, the property value of everyone's homes goes down.

[@Jane155-x6d]

Exorikk Gezz... That's harsh.

[@messianen]

Exorikk is that so bad? is everyone always prepared to sell their houses?

[@Jane155-x6d]

Touché At least you still didn't have to do it.

[@Redorgreenful]

You're right, John. We have 3 yards (one veggie garden, 1 back & 1 front yard). I know - it's insane. When I was little I used to wonder if we could make our grass as green as our neighbors. It's ridiculous that luscious, manicured lawns are how we determine if someone's rich - or retired like my neighbors.

[@ClydeLeeM]

I'm right on this wavelength and always have been.. but I've always been so confused by why people collectively have disdain for weeds.. Even dandelions which are magnificently fun and beautiful but they get treated like disease carrying vermin.

[@verysadgrill]

we need to start a massive campaign!! gardens over lawns!!!!

[@MrGamerman001]

nenasolamor umm.... I'm pretty sure that's similar to how the communist party worked in the 40's and 50's..... Grow a garden and provide for your community and yourself, How much of the cut you get depends on how much crop you have "In your front yard" in this case.... IF this was ENFORCED by the government... (IF)... That would be scary.... What hell do you do when the cops come knocking at your house, because you live in Arizona and you cannot grow jack shit on your front lawn. So, now you get arrested or penalized for "Not being able to provide for the community".... It should be encouraged by the government though.... Not voted for and enforced though.

[@JoeOberster]

MrGamerman001 Why in the SHIT are you talking about Communism and the government!? GTFO of here with that bullshit. No one said a goddamn thing about it being government mandated.

[@verysadgrill]

Joe Oberster ha! thank you. i was so lost as to why that fella was going on about communism, etc. i guess Mr. Gamerman is the picture of paranoia.

[@PatrickKniesler]

Joe Oberster But he is right that it shouldn't be law and uses the infuriating example of how increasing numbers of people tear up their lawns to put in gardens and get in legal trouble.

[@Alevuss92]

nenasolamor No! Grass lawns do have a purpose! They do a really good job of cover the soil and keeping it tightly packed without having to grow really high, like in the case wheat or soybean, reducing the risk of getting covered in ticks and the like. At the same time, it won't push out other forms of life, like flowers, dandelions, etc., but is also relatively easy to wide, so, it doesn't have to become a monoculture. All of this also makes it pretty good to play on. Also, many of the plants that John implies would be good to grow (vegetables) instead of grass would actually deplete the nutrients in the soil so much faster, so, every few years you would have to engage in something similar to "shifting cultivation", i.e. wait at least a year before you start your next set of crops. Instead of crops, you would need to make an environment that can replenish the soil (let the organic material decompose, soil nutrients replenish, etc.). And because we would be tilling our lawns so much, there would be massive amounts wind erosion and soil loss, especially since cucumbers and corn really aren't species that are suited as good vegetative covers, especially since cucumbers tend to try strangle everything with their vines and always seem bent on taking over my gardens (am I doing something wrong?). I guess you could do corn, but only if you're planting something with it/underneath it. If you're really interested in having a garden lawn, I might recommend something more moderate? Like flowers with deep roots that will pull a lot of the lost nutrients from the lower levels of the soil back into where most plants can actually access them (I think flowers like these are usually perennials). A lot of these flowers you can also eat too. You can also coordinate the flower heights to create shade for flowers that only need partial sun, maybe plant a flower that attracts bees in that shade, so that you're replenishing your soil, providing yourself with some recipe ingredients, creating an environment for other flowers, and also providing a niche for insects. Keep some grass to cover the soil that you won't fill in. When the plants die, maybe you can plant in some edible mushrooms or let bacteria and bugs take care of the leftover organic matter. Essentially, you've created a little sustainable ecosystem in your front yard. Naturally, though, you're going to want something more substantial to eat than flowers, but you would probably devote a relatively small portion of your lawn to those, like maybe 1/8, 1/4 tops, but definitely don't let that be the thing your whole garden is devoted to. You'll expose too much soil to the sun, drying it up, and you'll erode so much of the loose soil beyond usability by tilling it, watering it, and inevitably exposing a lot of it to the wind and rain so that your crops don't invade each other's space. *speaking as a person who has been studying geography for 3 years and has helped grow a garden almost every year since I was 5

[@iRoxproductions]

In ancient times (~200 years ago to this day) having land around your home or in front of it without using it for crops represented wealth, showing that you had money to buy food instead of growing it.

[@JukeboxTheGhoul]

Ancient is way more than 200 years

[@myladycasagrande863]

Well, it at least proved that you didn't need *all* of your land to grow food. Also that you could afford extra labor to keep the grass trimmed.

[@evabaker]

I've got some neighbours with gardens as lawns. Not gonna lie, it's pretty messy compared to grass. But it warms my heart. My front lawn is cedar chip and shrubs/trees (I bought it like this - I like it.) I plan on adding more shrubs to make it denser, like my own little front forest (only I can still see my house so it's not like my place is haunted.) Xeriscaping, anyone?

[@KaLeetheOreo]

I really only see lawns as a buffer zone between my house and snow thrown by plows and crazy drivers.

[@msaunders908]

John, I live in Indianapolis also and my family actually uses the front lawn way more than the backyard. For one, it's a lot bigger than our backyard, and two, our backyard has no fence and opens up to an extremely busy intersection. The whole front lawn status quo bias reminds me of when my grandparents were building their house on a lake and the builders kept telling them that lake houses faced backwards, but my grandparents wanted a front porch, so now they're the only house facing the road.

[@articulatebonehead]

i never thought i would say this- i applaude your lawn. i'm in total agreement with you about the native plants and wildflowers, as well as providing a habitat for the local fauna (including insects, of course- the foundation for all animalia). you have stayed my hand in regards to "salting the earth" of my vainglorious neighbors.

[@swordfish1929]

I'm British and I was like "Hey it doesn't rain ALL the time, we get some sun" looks out the window "Ok well fair enough"

[@CharlesJrPike]

In the rural Swamp Yankee cowpath town I live in, I never see my lawn watered, herbicide sprayed, weeded, only occasionally mowed. Our chickens keep the insects kinda under control, as well as fertilize the lawn, our strawberry garden rocks, but our blueberries are kinda lazy, but not so much as our gooseberries. My onion crop was plowed under for my fathers wood boiler that remover gallons of petrol from our lives, but a few stray plants could reclaim the legacy. Much of the property feeds our horses. I think my lawn is rather useful compared to those in suburbia.

[@isaackarjala7916]

Look for a more acidic patch of soil to transplant your blueberries to..... If you have any uncultivated areas, you can just let the go wild for a season with no pruning or weeding and at the end of the season identify what all the different plants are and then look up what soil conditions and micro-climates those plants like. Whatever plant comes closest to growing in the same conditions as blueberries, pull them out and plant your blueberries there.

[@CharlesJrPike]

Isaac Karjala Hopefully they'll do better this year, at the expense of our no-longer free-ranging chickens.

[@GloomytoGreen]

Thank you, John Green, for inspiring me to rant about lawns in a research paper about the pros and cons of eating locally grown food!

[@DivinxxMC]

I love how this is just a rant about how he has to mow the lawn.

[@zoeredadams]

As a Briton, I literally cannot remember a single time in my life where myself or anyone I know has ever watered their grass. Grass literally requires no maintenance other than mowing, which you don't need to do anyway if you have a couple of Guinea pigs or whatever. I don't get why you'd use tap water at all. If you were invested enough in your garden to water your plants, you'd be invested enough to get a water butt to collect rain water. Water costs at least £10/week over here, even with frugal use - I can't imagine doubling that for the sake of perkier flowers cause you're too lazy to get a water butt setup.

[@vladtepes97]

+Zoe Adams in some regions in usa it's actually illegal to collect rain water for use. ILLEGAL!

[@skyr8449]

+Chris R yeah because rain is "state proptery" god that thing :/

[@d.a.hansen9142]

+Lord lima bean Well, and also because of farmers or ranchers with water rights...

[@pancakefoxp]

Honestly that sounds great. The trouble is that the idea of lawns spread with British culture to places that aren't Britain, like Australia and the Americas. Like, the expectation seems to be that if you are "respectable" then the default state of your land should be lawn, and that expectation is pretty damaging to our environment and expensive. And let me tell you, as an Australian, if I don't water my lawn at least 5 days a week for 6 months of the year, there's no way any of it is surviving. Which is depressing, because I like my lawn :(

[@1224chrisng]

+Chris R And Guns Arn't , Wow , The USA is Crazy

[@VK-pn6rg]

'Outside is overrated'... that aged well.

[@JohnDoe-qx3zs]

Here is a two-phase escape from lawns plan: 1. Start adding pretty flowers, it looks so good few people will complain, and it has a good chance of taking hold. Be sure to let the flowers live both before and after blooming, it gets people used to seeing non-blooming plants there. 2. Now start replacing flowers by edible plants, and people will hardly notice.

[@Zineeta]

What if you have a lawn and a garden? Our kids and are dogs play in the grass all the time, it's not huge but without it our floors are very quickly covered in mud. So I guess the difference is we use our lawn it's not just for looks. My parents ripped out our lawn to put an outdoor kitchen and masses of flower beds so I was very happy to get my own house with grass. However I do agree that huge yards are rather silly for the most part. Keep it modest.

[@KeeganMegson]

"It always rains in Britain" *looks out window* I'm afraid it's not raining. It's actually been hot in the UK the last few days

[@MrWhangdoodles]

What do Brits consider hot? You guys think 0°C is cold.

[@valbareo266]

I have a huge vegetable garden and my neighbors hated it at first then they realized it was free, organic food.

[@theprogressivewest]

This video lives in my head rent free, especially as the water crisis in western US states worsens

[@j.l.mcdaniel2954]

As John points out, one of the biggest problems with turf grass is that it is often watered with potable water. I've been interning at a water reclamation facility this summer, where waste water is filtered until it is clean enough to send back to the lake where the people in our valley get their drinking water (it's filtered again before people drink it, don't worry). But some of that nonpotable water is sent to golf courses and private homeowners, where they can use it for irrigation. I find that's a great solution for preserving water and recycling resources. That's one solution for the problem he describes. Though, I will admit, the facility itself does have kind of a crappy atmosphere.

[@april9586]

I'm from Wales and you want to know how many times I watered the grass this year? 3 times. Also my family does have some vegetables and a mixture of plants and small shrubs. Also we don't have front lawns anywhere near the size of the ones you showed. I mean, our whole country is like a third of the size of Texas so you have more space to waste than we do...

[@thenudgeshow]

Oh my god the puff levels

[@dannya8300]

I love how there are people out there with sane minds with ideas that make sense. In my town in New Jersey, a middle-upper class suburban 2 sq mi area, is full of people who believe that we use 10% of our brains, that vaccines cause autism, and many other misconceptions that you covered in your first mentalfloss video. I can tell i am the only nerdfighter in my school, so sometimes it gets very boring.

[@IshtaVlogs]

We covered our entire front yard in mulch and plants, including that skinny strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street that they call "the boulevard", and our neighbors all love it. Which is good, because there is a city bylaw against covering the boulevard in anything but grass, and if anyone complained, the city would make us rip it out and put the grass back. I think I just thought of my vlog topic for the day. *runs off to vlog about bylaws*

[@richardhill194]

I live in Seattle, it rains, I don't think my family has watered the lawn, ever.

[@Roxor128]

I live in northern New South Wales and never water mine either.

[@AlexZorach]

Yeah...I think watering the lawn is more something of arid and semiarid areas. When I lived in So-Cal, all lawns had to be watered, and I was disturbed to even see some lawns in more arid areas like near Phoenix, AZ or even Yuma, AZ. What a waste of resources! Here in Pennsylvania, and other wet places I've lived, the issue is more mowing...most years it's very wet and you need to mow the lawn a lot to prevent it quickly becoming a meadow or early successional woodland. The more it rains, the faster it grows up. Mowing is still really resource intensive...using lots of gasoline, often kicking up lots of dust, and I think creating a big noise nuisance for neighbors.

[@theoptimistvibe3678]

This is my kind of rant.

[@BassBOY0GIRL]

I wanna get one of those things where instead of turf grass, you use gravel. It doesn't need to be watered, and it looks pretty cool.

[@butta31one]

I have a front lawn, which I never water. I used to cut it myself and it looked like hay for 2 years after me cutting it. Then I had a lawn service cut my grass and within 1 year its now green after letting someone else cut it. I live in an area & get all 4 seasons. I asked how did he get my grass to turn green & was told I was cutting it to low, therefore it was being burned by the sun. The trick was to not cut it so low where the roots are burned. I let the rain water my lawn, I don't water it. I'd like a garden but all I do is work, work, work.

[@inkoverconclusion]

THANK YOU FOR THIS, JOHN. I've been saying turf grass is unnecessary and needlessly wasteful for years. Your video was wonderful :)

[@EmmaArbogast]

I never water my lawn. When it dies, it dies. It grows back next year. I live in Oregon, so I just think of it as a seasonal thing.

[@flameraven42]

We're making an active effort to turn as much of our lawn into Not-Lawn as possible. This is going pretty well because the previous owners of the house were pretty neglectful, which means like 75% of the lawn is already ground ivy and other "weeds" which provide decent ground cover but don't need to be mowed. (And are also edible!) We've got about a 20 x30 patch of vegetable garden on one side of the house, which will eventually take over the whole side of the house, and are planting berry bushes and fruit trees basically anywhere they'll fit. We don't water or fertilize any of the existing grass. However, we're also able to do this mostly because we live in a neighborhood without an HOA, which would no doubt yell at us for making our yard into something so "unsightly" even if it is way more useful than grass.

[@KateHedgehog57]

Front yards were once used for growing orchard trees, I heard. Apparently, one of the reasons that some old houses have REALLY LONG front lawns, is because they once had apple or pear or what have you trees in the front of their house, which was supposed to be the norm. I imagine they were faded out because of 1-wasps (evil things) and 2-rotten fruit which just invited more wasps and now a wide variety of shifty creatures. Basically, they became more of a nuisance than a status thing, and now we have front yards full of grass.

[@danalouise5549]

went back to this video cause of hank's "DON'T EAT GRASS" video lmao

[@bobbydogworld650]

Show people the real cost of water, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers and the extensive maintenance of these devices. Show the cost over 5 years and 30 years. Separately, show the cost of lawn maintenance companies over the same period.

[@ccityplanner1217]

I might suggest planting your front lawn (I do not have one since I live in a flat) with lavender. It is far more drought-tolerant than turf, looks just as good & smells much better. It's also really good for pollinators, & you can dry your laundry on it which will make your shirts smell of lavender.

[@sexyscientist]

Lavender is native to which part of the world? It can be good for the local pollinators only, right?

[@cassiniflies]

I have actually been thinking about this for awhile, because I grew up in a home where the front lawn.. yard? has a giant pine tree that has overgrown roots making a lawn somewhat impossible, plus it's fringed by bushes and plum trees. And in the backyard, there was a lawn, but my parents let it go to seed so now it is a lawn of wild-ish grass which does not really need to be watered. Also at UC Berkeley, while there are lawns, there are also herb plant/bushes used as a part of the landscaping.

[@imnobodyatall6510]

You wasted our tea but you kept our lawns? More grass than corn? A quater of the water? How is that representation going for you? Enjoy the new tax system you have?

[@mel_virgo]

I'm so frustrated that your last two questions didn't rhyme.

[@sallyskees-helly802]

The pennies again...we agree with you John!!! We nerdfighters will help you get rid of pennies!! Give it up already! ( I say this in the nicest possible way)

[@a.holland2262]

This makes me kind of happy actually. Our garden/lawn thing has a vegetable/fruit garden. Lots of trees with edible stuff on them. Christmas trees so we don't have to buy one we just chop down one in the garden. Lots of flowers and bushes and stuff. And the grass we do have is mostly used to camping (kind of) and playing badminton. Also we have a lot of hammocks and stuff so we have an excuse for not mowing that part of the lawn. So, if you don't want do mown your lawn; fill it with stuff

[@IONATVS]

LA and Orange County suburban lawns are tiny; though that's just because the land's more expensive than the houses on them. My parents have the only real front lawn on our street, since most the people have planted flower gardens (but interestingly no herb gardens) instead, but ours is tiny compared to the ones you showed and at least the kids on the block actually PLAY on it! we still had to mow it though...with a push-mower. Also b/c of water shortages, SoCal irrigation is non-potable only.

[@tuxedo_productions]

In Arizona, nobody has lawns. Just rocks and cacti. Smart.

[@1224chrisng]

*Cactuses

[@MagicKiwi1]

cacti you mean

[@fregus.]

xD Yep... England rains allot... i also have a vegetable patch in my garden :)

[@rinnyrindawg]

This is why I plan on having a lawn of clover someday. You don't need to cut it very often, saving energy, it doesn't require much water, attracts bees which encourages pollination, and it stays quite a bit greener than traditional turf grass. It's lovely, low maintenance, and good for the environment. And if someone in your family is allergic to bee stings, there are types of clover that have flowers that do not attract bees. But as a non-allergic biologist, bees are good for me!

[@TrishLewis-zo2rn]

It's invasive.

[@DaaaahWhoosh]

I used to love mowing the lawn, but now that I live in an apartment I don't miss it. I think lawns are nice for kids or dogs, but yeah if you have neither then there's no real point. It'd be interesting if you had a deal with your neighbor where one of you would plant vegetables, and the other would keep chickens, and every few months you'd switch.

[@sarahiarreolla2197]

you should listen to your wife John -.-

[@douglasrau5094]

I have a vegetable garden. #partofthesoluttion

[@ruthpayne9146]

whoo.

[@Ramroma3]

+Douglas Rau me too

[@ericahuertas2267]

+Gy 6andoora32

[@cybervoid8442]

+Douglas Rau can you elaborate on any challenges that you face in maintaining it or if it is really as perfect a solution as john claims... also if you could, please update us on the current status of the garden.

[@douglasrau5094]

Well, we also have a pretty large yard. Our plot used to be a used car lot so it's pretty spacious (room to display vehicles) but the garden, every gardener's constant challenge is weeds. There's a reason we say, "growing like a weed" to describe children because weeds do grow that constantly and aggressively. Other then that, it's just a lot of picking rocks, laying down top soil and rotating stuff every year to make sure the same nutrients don't get pulled from the same patch of soil every year. Once everything is in, it's most just making sure the weeds don't choke it and that it gets enough (but hopefully not too much) water.

[@rhiannooon14]

I live in the British countryside so I'm constantly surrounded by lawns/fields and it had never occurred to me that in some places all this grass would have to be watered by hand, my surroundings are just permanently green

[@aliceect]

I don't know about other people but generally in Britain, we don't try to have gardens (or lawns) but grass just grows. Everywhere! We had a patio put in on part of our garden and had to have it refitted because apparently grass defeats stone and cement.

[@nickynak3]

We do see the sun! But you have a point about Murdoch.

[@leahpruett7582]

don't eat grass

[@julia758]

As a fourteen year old with an older sister who has totaled two cars, my parents taught me how to mow the lawn in the hopes it would make me a better driver. I actually like mowing the lawn though, because when I turn around to continue the monotonous previously mentioned activity, I see the clean strip between the neatly and freshly trimmed grass and the crazy overgrown mop that I have not yet destroyed, and I feel like I am contributing to society.

[@kitchenersarmy]

The more I watch Green brothers, the more I think they have some kind of time machine and are able to gain knowledge about the future

[@FlamingWarTurtle]

I'm gonna cement over my lawn and build some sort of statue on it, since laws prohibit me from just expanding my house over the lawn.

[@megandowning5694]

Actually a bad idea. It's important to have land in which water can get through to replenish aquafiers (sp)

[@FlamingWarTurtle]

+Megan Downing well, I guess I'll just ignore the grass and not even care

[@marieprestegard2495]

+GameGeekTom pr put gravel on top. with the lack of whater the grass underneath will die and gravl and small rocks lets whater run through and into the dirt.

[@marieprestegard2495]

+Marie Prestegård How ever if you live in a place like Norway (espasialy the west part) you will have to get new gravel once in a while or sit picking mose, grass and other plants out of your gravel to ceep it pretty. This is due to the constant rain tgat makes strong plants and grass grown up through the gravel and out into the sun. Now your probably thinking why have gravel then, but dirt and gress gets muddy when it rains and without gravel, stone, concrete or something on the path where you are supose to walk we would drown in the mud long before reaching the front door.. And it doesn't matter what you put on your path, those plants can and will find a way to get up from under your concrete or stones and they will spread. It's a hopeless situation. .

[@millieme6224]

But if you have a vegetable garden in the front, then what about the cars and the fumes and the pollution they will be exposed to? Im not saying there will be a lot, but i wouldn't like to grow my stuff next to vehicles whizzing by.

[@AlexZorach]

I think it depends where you live...it might not be a good idea if you live next to a highway or in a very dense urban area. But if that's the case, do you really want your home to be right next to such a polluted, major roadway, with only a lawn between the two? In that case I think the lawn would still be a poor choice, and a better choice might be to plant as dense trees and shrubbery as possible. This could absorb, filter, and protect from pollution and noise. Plants can be remarkable at breaking down pollution.

[@nikolamaticki9255]

Alex Zorach Wouldn't plants get polluted that way?

[@AlexZorach]

Nikola Maticki Yes, plants do get exposed to pollution if you grow them close to a roadway--but that's the point. Plants have the ability to absorb and break down pollution. Different plants are different in their capacity to do this. Below a certain threshold they process it and may even utilize the "pollutants" as nutrients. For example, I've read that Ailanthus altissima, or tree of heaven, a common invasive species that likes to grow along highways, is actually good at absorbing Sulfur Dioxide. Plants also absorb and break down a variety of volatile organic chemicals, and they also take pollution out of the groundwater. For example, nitrates can be nutrients for plants, but become pollutants if they get into groundwater. Too much pollution might not be great for the plants--but it's like, if we don't have a buffer of plants there, the pollutants are just going to be going free in the environment. That's why I said in my comment, I wouldn't recommend planting a vegetable garden along a polluted road, but I would recommend having a dense buffer of vegetation there.

[@Wafflical]

I don't see why grass would be any beter.

[@americanslime]

Honestly, I doubt there's much pollution you could get out of vegetables that you aren't breathing in anyway, at least unless you're growing vegetables right up against the curb where lead could have built up in the soil from back before we were using unleaded gasoline. We live in and are exposed to pollution every day. That's just a sacrifice we've made as a society.

[@lighthouse-lh3ci]

I'm so glad we don't have a lot of grass in Tucson, especially for front lawns. Most of us just have gravel and various desert plants. But at my college, they have so much grass everywhere and overwater it and it PAINS me to see them being so wasteful.

[@CynicalScorpio]

I agree, we need smaller lawns. Having smaller lawns will also give us room for more houses so we don't need to keep clearing out forests.

[@MRS4EVA]

Wasn't a lawn of grass started by the rich? Because it was a sign of wealth to not have to use your land for food.

[@daydodog]

No, it's just that in Britain, your options are lawn or mud pit

[@madrox4132]

daydodog Don't you mean mud pit or grassy mud pit?

[@daydodog]

Thomas Gionet depends how lucky you are

[@sudocatsda1guy390]

Yes and that's the way it is today. Go visit a $1000 a year earning Ukrainian country yokel, and you won't see a lot of lawn. That's why lawn correlates with property prices. Rich people have lawn.

[@MatthewCampbell765]

Here's an idea: Replace the grass with solar panels!

[@samthomas-rose3617]

Matthew Campbell No way corn is too tasty! at my parents house we have a vegetable garden and some apple trees instead of grass. The best part is I only have to water it for like three to five months out of the year, its amazing...

[@KieraCameron514]

Matthew Campbell Yeah because solar panels fight erosion and actively remove CO2 from the air. Oh. No they don't. Solar panels also don't filter rainwater before it seeps into the ground or runs off.

[@Ps2mylife]

That was one thing I never understood about American lawns. Here (in GB) you don't have to do anything to them. Also they are (mostly) behind the house so that your nebgiours can't see them and get all fussy over them. We are so lucky

[@dickkurtz4580]

I had the same realization about the joy of lawnmowing, I was 8 when I had mine.

[@ivpartridge]

Good God American houses have so much space between them 😱😂

[@descai10]

America is big, they have more room to spread out their cities.

[@rigidheddleweaving]

Monsanto disliked this video 189 times (as of this writing).

[@fireisgood8959]

1 week and 0 more dislikes?! :o

[@G5rry]

Not sure what you're referring to. RoundUp kills grass. I'm sure Monsanto would love people to replace their lawns with crops.

[@huvidd.368]

consuments are for them not that important, it are farmers that got the big money.

[@TheFansOfFiction]

The good news is, there's a tipping point. Once your lawn gets big enough, it becomes a yard, and you are allowed to have native plants and mixed grasses. Unfortunately, you are still expected to maintain that property and mow the native grasses (for practical and safety reasons as well as aesthetic). Otherwise, one way to keep a very green and luscious lawn is to have a septic tank in your yard.

[@wheeliemom3079]

I live in Florida where it's way to hot in the summer to now. I have 1/2 an acre and most of it is the front yard. Unfortunately if we want to water it's city water, but luckily we get enough rain to hardly ever water. I wish we had reclaimed water, but we don't. We are planning to plant a big veggie garden out back in the 20 foot circle where we had a pool. I hate mowing, but if I don't the neighbors will get their panties in a knot. Thank God for riding mowers. Reclaimed water should be available everywhere.

[@leannabonafini9596]

This is easily & forever my favorite video on the internet.

[@keetrandling4530]

John, the most ridiculous part is that ALL THOSE CHEMICALS ARE COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY FOR A NICE LAWN! Just cut the grass at the proper height for good health of that type of grass plant (usually about 3" to 3 1/2", not the unhealthy 2" most people cut their lawn down to), and let the cuttings fall where they're cut (instead of raking them up). And I completely agree with you, I'd much rather see a vegetable garden than a front lawn.

[@amidepsi13]

You know you're a great writer when you can make an interesting story out of literally growing grass.

[@NoyzBot]

This is the best and longest lead up to an excuse I have ever watched happen. Thanks John.

[@someperson5506]

If you have kids or just like being outside on your property, and you want a plant to sit on, get some native moss. It's often softer than grass, you won't just assume one type is native dot your area when it isn't, and you can go outside barefoot because if things like broken glass are dropped in your yard, they can't hide the way they can in grass.

[@d1663m]

I had a friend who planted prairie grasses and the city came by and mowed it. He had special permission from the city to have the grasses and wildflowers as a lawn alternative. The city apologized and promised not to do it again. Until they did later that same summer. This was probably the least evil lawn there was, except the neighbors maybe didn't see the beauty of it. ... also the whole prairie fire thing in the fall.

[@wanderlustlovelace]

Here in the Czech Republic, people have just back yards that they a) use for fun stuff or b) plant vegetables on or c) let it go wild and forget about it. We have a swimming pool, a trampoline, a grill, a greenhouse and lots of space left for more fun stuff :)

[@inubaka07]

For the last few years my household has not watered the lawn and our grass is still here. It only gets watered when it rains and since this is Texas it's not that often during the summer months, yet the grass is still alive and green.

[@LoverofLiszt]

My lawn (in Sweden) is REALLY big (2 hours with a riding lawnmower) with blackberries, 2 kinds of raspberries, plums, tomatoes, white- red- and black current, red- and green gooseberries, rhubarbs, 2 pear trees and at least a dozen different kinds of apple trees. No additional water necessary!

[@rottedaway]

Here in Australia it is illegal in some areas to water your lawn, because you know, finite resource and low dams don't really take kindly to bright green luscious lawns. I've sort of grown used to having what is essentially dead grass and dirt out the front of the house.

[@DewMan001]

As a fellow Australian, I too have a lawn. But we still don't need it. Plus, when it gets very warm, as it does in Australia, it goes all brown and dry and it gets those annoying little prickly things that get caught on your socks. I hope you agree.

[@jcvg2006]

I am doing my senior thesis about America's green grass obsession, and how we can stop it! Yay Nerdfighteria!!

[@RobbieMelvin]

We didn't water our lawn this summer during the drought. This turned out to be a problem. The yard got so dry that it pulled away from the house and the house shifted causing our front door to not be able to open and drywall inside the house to crack. So in the fall we had to water the yard to prevent further damage.As rain came and things cooled off things shifted back. We still have to fix the drywall. Things are more complicated than they seem.

[@umjackd]

My grandfather is 87 and takes pride in mowing his Texas lawn every couple of days. I admire him for his stamina and fitness but it really does strike me as a huge waste of time and effort. Where I live in Switzerland, they let the grass grow, then mow it and store it for livestock to eat during the winter. That's for big grassy areas, not actual lawns, because lawns are pretty sparse here, but still.

[@marysorens]

We have a front yard full of native plants and wildflowers. Maintenance is much less than turf, and the yard attracts all sorts of wildlife. We don't use gas in a lawnmower, don't waste water (because native plants know how to stay alive in native conditions), and have a lovely yard. :)

[@NorthernPyro]

I never knew you were a nerdfighter! And my family lets the lawn grow as it wants, except that we mow it. In other words, we don't put down any seeds, or water it. But we do mow it to keep it at a reasonable depth.

[@mariannetfinches]

One thing I love about my little corner of west Wales is that my neighbours' front gardens are replete with shrubs, flowers, and as such- bees & sparrows 😊

[@andybearchan]

TEN YEARS AGO?!!! DID WE GROW OLD TOGETHER NERDFIGHTERIA?

[@Justplainsomething]

I too live in Indianapolis and my move to an apartment has been splendid simply because I don't have to worry about mowing, watering or weeding a lawn. Thank. God.

[@TaishaMcGee]

Here in the Northwest there are more front vegetable gardens in my neighborhood that front lawns. I live in the world you are describing. It's as awesome as you dreamed it would be.