It depends on the city. In the city I grew up with having a kept up front lawn was on the books as an ordinance. Vegetable gardens incure fines. No HOA but this is how it goes for a lot of smaller municipalities where it might as well be like living in an HOA. Not cutting your grass actually lead to the city coming out and cutting it for you on top of fines, but it worked out for some slumlords that this fine and mow job by the city was cheaper than hiring a landscaper so they would just do that and never cut their grass themselves on their properties.