Naked gardening? Asheville ranks in top 5 among 500 US cities: What to know.

Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read
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Have you heard of World Naked Gardening Day? You read that right. And while a "holiday" celebrating nude gardening quietly passed May 4, the gardening season is just getting started, affording plenty of opportunities for gardening in the buff.

Lawn care company LawnStarter evaluated 500 cities and compiled a list of the best cities in the United States for gardening in your birthday suit. Asheville ranked No. 5.

The metrics LawnStarter used to determine best cities included nude gardener-friendliness, local interest, weather forecast and safety. As a city with a history of topless rallies, it makes sense that Asheville made the list.

Is naked gardening legal?

As previously reported by the Citizen Times, it's actually completely legal to bare your chest within city limits, and even within state lines. North Carolina as a whole does not have a law preventing public toplessness, as nipples are not considered "private parts" by law.

There have been attempts by N.C. lawmakers to change this, however. A bill last year in the N.C. House of Representatives would make most public toplessness a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail.

But going bottomless is another story. North Carolina law prohibits people from intentionally exposing their genitalia in a public place in front of one or more people. Even bottomless gardening in your yard could be illegal, because N.C. courts have defined a public place as "viewable from any location open to the view of the public at large," according to FindLaw.

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Best cities for naked gardening

A gardener (non-nude) transplanting flowers in one of the greenhouses at his business, Troy's Greenhouse and Garden Supply, in Burnsville.
A gardener (non-nude) transplanting flowers in one of the greenhouses at his business, Troy's Greenhouse and Garden Supply, in Burnsville.

The full top 10 list from LawnStarter:

  1. Miami, Florida

  2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  3. New York, New York

  4. Austin, Texas

  5. Asheville, North Carolina

  6. Los Angeles, California

  7. Pasadena, Califiornia

  8. Sacramento, California

  9. Albuquerque, New Mexico

  10. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

LawnStarter said Asheville ranks No. 1 for weather in early May.

Worst cities for naked gardening

Along with nude gardener-friendly areas, LawnStarter used the same parameters to create a list of cities where it might be best to stay in your gardening clothes. Here are the worst cities for naked gardening, according to the website:

  1. Anchorage, Alaska

  2. Sparks, Nevada

  3. Duluth, Minnesota

  4. Layton, Utah

  5. Billings, Montana

  6. Orem, Utah

  7. Provo, Utah

  8. Daly City, California

  9. Missoula, Montana

  10. Reno, Nevada

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What is the point of naked gardening?

Believe it or not, the general practice of gardening au naturel, has some support from experts.

Tessa West, associate professor of psychology at New York University, named a few benefits in the LawnStarter post including an increase in vitamin D and learning to feel comfortable in your skin.

LawnStarter also included a quote from Cathy Walker, president of the American Community Gardening Association, who expressed her support for the practice.

“Working in a community garden naked is like embracing nature’s dress code: au naturel with a side of soil," Walker said. "Just make sure to watch out for those cheeky sunburns in places you didn’t even know had names!”

Tips for naked gardening

Along with the ratings, LawnStarter included this list of safety tips for naked gardening, with contributions from West:

  • Wear sunscreen. Everywhere. Pale parts of your body will easily burn.

  • Don’t use any chemicals like weed killer that might come in contact with your body. “If you need gloves to handle your gardening chemicals, it might not be a good time to go nude,” West said.

  • Don’t sit naked on the ground. Rest on the dirt or grass and you'll be risking bites from fire ants and other insects.

  • Watch out for itchy, prickly plants. Be careful about what plants you are around or planting – poison ivy, cactus, pampas grass, etc.

  • Don’t hurt yourself. Do dig some holes for seeds or plants. Do not use a hedge clipper, string trimmer or rototiller naked.

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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville NC ranks in top 5 in US for naked gardening