They said my tomatoes were “too visible”

I’ve lived here 17 years. Planted the same tomato patch every spring. Beefsteaks. Romas. One tiny row of basil beside it. Nothing fancy. Just honest food from honest soil. Then last week I got a letter from the HOA. "Your garden is visible from the street and not in keeping with neighborhood aesthetic guidelines." I stood there holding that letter while looking at my neighbor’s inflatable Easter bunny that’s still up—in July. Apparently that’s fine. But my tomatoes? Too real, too useful, too alive. I don’t want a sterile lawn with dyed mulch. I want something that grows, that feeds, that connects me to something older than property values. I planted those tomatoes with my grandson. We named the plants. He picked the first ripe one like it was treasure. Now they want me to rip them out. All because someone decided food isn’t “curb appeal.” I’m not sure what breaks my heart more: the tomatoes… or the fact that growing your own is now considered ugly.