Photo by Melissa Robertson.
On July 17 the Berkeley City Council unanimously approved making it easier for people to legally sell or trade produce grown in Berkeley’s residential yards.
Till now this extremely low-level economic activity–for example, delivering a weekly basket of home-grown produce to a few neighbors for a fee–has required a use permit costing around $3,000.
The new “Edible Gardens” ordinance eliminates the need for a permit. It exempts sales of “Non-Processed Edibles” grown or raised in Berkeley residential gardens from any permit requirements so long as sales are only to end consumers, take place between 8 am and 8 pm, and are shielded from view from the public right of way, and no more than 10 customer visits are generated per day.
The Sierra Club applauds this change.
