lawns into gardens

NYT food and nutrition columnist Marc Bittman opines this morning we should convert as many lawns as possible into vegetable gardens.  A laudable sentiment, but one which most Americans would look upon as about as doable as a moon landing.  On moving to the NCR (North Country Riviera) in 2001, I converted about 1000 square feet of my lawn into a garden over the objections of the divine Mrs. M.  The resulting bounty convinced me to expand over the years to about3000 square feet.   My better half is still not convinced of the beauty of a kitchen garden, especially in late winter when the dessicated broccoli stalks poke through the snow or mud.  I'm convinced she would definitely approve a conversion back to grass.  Meanwhile,  I can count on the fingers of one hand how many of my neighbors in a 5 mile radius have a garden that is visible from the road.  I know a few people who have a small patch with a few tomato plants, but they are a distinct minority.  According to Bittman, the total square miles of lawn in the US add up to an area the size of New York State (50,000 square miles) so there are abundant opportunities for people to garden, but the effort and time involved will probably keep the majority of my countrymen on their couches or playing on their lawns.