Paved Lanes & Growing Vegetables

Do you find the next two photos interesting? In Vancouver, it is legal to pave the lanes from fence to fence, limiting potential green space and providing what is a rather drab and sterile scene.


In a lane behind West King Edward Avenue, these gardeners have "taken back" their lane that is paved edge to edge, and they have created an attractive and productive space for vegetables.



However, the garden structures attracted the attention of the City, and the owners received a letter from the engineering services department asking them to remove the boxes. There is a tongue-in-cheek article in the July 31 Vancouver Courier and a letter to the editor in a later issue.

There are many "lane gardens" in Vancouver, with smaller or no structures, particularly on lanes paved only down the middle. Here is a typical one that has been going for some years, producing raspberries, zucchini, a cabbage, and more.