For gardeners imprisoned in HOAs or tortured by nosy neighbors, the battle to regain control of the garden begins in the front yard.

Serious gardening – where we put our vegetable and flower beds, our fruit trees – is relegated to the back of the back yard, as if it’s some dirty little secret we can’t let the neighbors know about. For those whose lives and properties are governed by HOAs – the Home Owners Associations – a dark, hidden corner of the backyard may be the only place where vegetables, fruit trees and a variety of flowers are allowed.

Unfortunately, those hidden corners are often hopelessly darkened by trees (trees that the HOA or the city won’t let you cut down). And for many, there may be no alternative for real gardening but the front yard.

Fortunately, with a little thinking and planning, you can hide your vegetables and fruits in plain sight, right in the front yard, and right under the noses of uptight neighbors and HOAs.

What’s working in your favor is that most busybody neighbors and HOAs can’t distinguish and azalea from an aardvark. And that’s where you can find your latitude, and perhaps your quiet revenge.

There are many vegetables and fruits you can grow right under the nose of your HOA, as long as you don’t announce it.