He never promised them a rose garden. But starting 13 years ago, Karl Hirsch did make a commitment to feed his wife and four children the most nutritious food he could find. And he's found much of it in his own front yard on Church Road in Lehigh Township, where a nice southern exposure enables him to grow just about anything.

"There are things you can grow here you won't find in any grocery store," he boasts. But to Lehigh Township officials, it's just weeds. They've taken this front yard gardener to court, dismissing his organically grown produce as a nuisance.

From a superficial view, Hirsch's front yard does look neglected. But that's because he's cultivated every square inch.

"I defy them to walk through this yard and find one six inch weed," Hirsch stated, as he worked on his garden. He acknowledged his front yard is no typical manicured lawn, which he derided as a "green desert."

His passion for growing his own food started when one of his children suffered a traumatic brain injury, while yet 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 insulin, which may help people suffering from diabetes.

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

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

But according to Lehigh Township Zoning Officer Laura Harrier, Hirsch is a nuisance in violation of Lehigh Township's weed ordinance. That local law prohibits any growth of grass or weeds over six inches high. Interestingly, the township ordinance defines weeds as inedible plants.

After a hearing before District Judge Robert Hawke, Hirsch was found to be in violation of the weed ordinance.

Hirsch plans to appeal.

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

It also appears to include healthy edible plants that existed before Lehigh Township or its weed ordinance existed.