Austin ranked no. 1 nationally for naked gardening

Austin is officially the top-ranked city nationwide for naked gardening.

Driving the news: Ahead of Naked Gardening Day on May 7 — apparently that's a thing — Austin-based lawn-care company LawnStarter issued its annual au naturel gardening rankings.

How they did it: The company looked at the size of each community's nudist population, the legality of public nudity and toplessness, and gardener-friendliness — as well as weather conditions and safety.

• Among the variables: The average monthly Google searches for "nudist" and "World Naked Gardening Day" over the past 12 months.

What they're saying: "Austin's naturist green thumbs are less likely to find themselves in legal hot water," per the company's analysis. "Austin's among a handful of cities that allows total public nudity. And by 'total,' we mean everything above and below the gardening tool belt."

Reality check: Yes, it's true, Hippie Hollow is clothing optional and Barton Springs Pool permits toplessness. But before you go around parading your stuff, Texas state law forbids indecent exposure, which involves the intent "to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person."

• Zoom out: Dallas ranked 16th, Houston 19th, Fort Worth 37th and El Paso 43rd.

Our advice: Wear gloves at least when gardening.