Gardens - good or bad idea?

[Anna McGill]

So I have a tenant that wants to start a garden and wondering what experience there is here. She's talking about a fairly large scale garden behind one of the units of a multi-unit and offered to pay the costs. Do I need to worry about liability here? Does it affect the value of the unit at all? Also don't want my property to turn into a seed capital where she plants things everywhere and it starts getting into the neighbors units and killing any plants/shrubs they own.

[Kelly N.]

I have allowed a garden for one particular tenant and it has worked out fine.  In the beginning, she asked for a space in the backyard (this is a triplex) then another tenant promptly took over part of it- nothing was in either lease so I learned my lesson.  I offered her use of the front garden bed area, which I cleared of the two struggling shrubs the previous landlord had there, and she's going on her third year using that space.  It's in all 3 leases that the space is hers to use, it's about 4x6 so not much water usage, and if the City doesn't like the look of it she must address it.  I have another multi unit with garden space in front and tenants from 2 units have planted some things in there together with my permission.  IMO, a small cost on my part (water) is making my tenants happier with their home and more likely to stay.  If I didn't allow them the gardens, they would likely use just as much water on flower pots :)

It sounds like you have an apartment building with a bit of space behind it, if that's the case then I'd consider offering plots to the tenants for a small fee- enough to cover the water- similar to a community garden...