Thirteen years ago Lehigh Township resident Karl Hirsch made a commitment to feed his wife and four children the most nutritious food he could find.

That commitment led Hirsch, 42, to grow much of the food in his own front yard on Church Road in Lehigh Township.

"There are things you can grow here you won't find in any grocery store," he said.

But to Lehigh Township officials, it's just weeds. The township has taken Hirsch to court, dismissing his organically grown produce as a nuisance.

"I defy them to walk through this yard and find one six inch weed," Hirsch said, while working on his garden.

Although not your typical manicured lawn, he has named it a "green desert."

His passion for growing his own food started when one of his children suffered a traumatic brain injury, while another developed cerebral palsy.

He cultivates the purple cone flower, believed by many to stimulate the immune system. He also grows the Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower native to North America. Its tubers lack the starch that exists in potatoes. It contains inulin, which may help people suffering from diabetes.

Hirsch even has a papaw tree, whose fruit was George Washington's favorite dessert.

He grows plenty of the more traditional forms of produce, including 150 pounds of potatoes last year, along with strawberries, garlic, chard, carrots, beets, green beans, wax beans, snow peas and radishes. He claims to have saved thousands of dollars.

However, according to Lehigh Township Zoning Officer Laura Harrier, Hirsch's farm is a nuisance in violation of Lehigh Township's weed ordinance. The local law prohibits any growth of grass or weeds over 6 inches high. The township ordinance more specifically defines weeds as inedible plants.

During an Aug. 14 hearing before District Judge Robert Hawke, Hirsch was found to be in violation of the weed ordinance, according to court documents.

Hirsch said he plans to appeal the decision.

The case was transferred to the Court of Common Pleas Oct. 9, according to court documents.

"My yard might be unorthodox, but I'm not trying to flout the law," he said.