Great News! First Lady to break ground on White House 'kitchen garden' !

[KoKo]

(Glad to see Michelle listened to all of us urging her to do a White House Veggie Garden! She listened and followed through) :woohoo:


White House to break ground on 'kitchen garden'
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer Darlene Superville, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 19, 7:33 pm ET

WASHINGTON – The White House is getting a new garden.

First lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to break ground Friday on a new garden near the fountain on the South Lawn that will supply the White House kitchen.

She will be joined by students from Bancroft Elementary School in the District of Columbia. The children will stay involved with the project, including planting the fruits, vegetables and herbs in the coming weeks and harvesting the crops later in the year.

Mrs. Obama spent time earlier this week at an exhibit on rooftop gardening.

"We're going to get a big one in our back yard, the South Lawn," she promised the volunteers.

Such a White House garden has been a dream of noted California chef Alice Waters, considered a leader in the movement to encourage consumption of locally grown, organic food. She has been appealing for change through the taste buds since the 1960s.

She organized a series of fundraising dinners in Washington before President Barack Obama's inauguration in January that served foods purchased from local producers at an area farmer's market to show how it can be done.

Reached Thursday at her Berkeley, Calif., restaurant, Chez Panisse, Waters said she was thrilled by the news.

"It just tells you that this country cares about people's good health and about the care of the land," she said. "To have this sort of 'victory' garden, this message goes out that everyone can grow a garden and have free food."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090319/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_garden/print

[wryter2000]

1. If I weren't already in love

I'm not sure which part of my heart is cockles, but that story warmed them. :)

[liberal N proud]

2. This will ruin the south lawn of the White House grounds

The garden will be near the fountain and all that pristine lawn will be ripped up. For what so the Obamas can eat fresh veggies. Besides that the racist will all say they are planting watermelon.


:sarcasm:

[kestrel91316]

11. I, for one, hope they DO plant watermelon, if for no other reason than

to rub it in the racists' faces.

[liberal N proud]

13. I don't care what they plant

They are the inhabitants of the place, it is essentially theirs to use and what good is grass?

Other than strawberries and raspberries, watermelon is one of my favorite things from a garden.

[MineralMan]

15. Of course they should plant watermelons.

Every home garden has to have watermelons. Pumpkins, too, for Halloween.

And zucchini. Yes, indeed. What's a garden without a three foot long zucchini forgotten on the vine? Besides, the Obamas can give all the White House official guests a brown paper bag of zucchini to take home with them. What could be better?

[Maru Kitteh]

3. That is COMPLETELY awsome! I LOVE it!

Great job, Obama's!

[KoKo]

4. MSNBC is going to show the planting at Noon....hopefully there will be videos

for those who can't watch live, posted later.

[malaise]

5. Fabulous

GObamas!!

[mod mom]

6. Excellent but isn't it a little early to plant? I'm not in DC,

But don't you have to wait post freeze warnings? In Ohio it's May 15th. I can't believe DC is that much earlier than us.

[Dawgs]

7. No. This is a perfect time to prepare soil for a garden.

:hi:

[GoCubsGo]

9. They are just breaking ground...

...if I read it correctly, and like you said, preparing the soil. If they are planting anthing, I would bet they're putting in things like broccoli, lettuce, and spinach, which like cooler weather. There is a greenhouse on the premises, too. I wouldn't be surprised if they go up there and start some seeds.

[GoCubsGo]

10. OMG! OMG!! They're disgracing the White House again!

I can't wait for the uproar and faux outrage from the wingnuts over this.

[prolesunited]

12. Actually, it's a little early for that

Unless you are doing raised beds, walking in cold, damp soil in the early spring compacts it too much.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Vegetable gardening is a year round process.

Which takes a life time of years to do properly.

[Horse with no Name]

8. What an awesome treat for those kids

I love this.

[prolesunited]

14. I hope they document the progress and practices on the White House Web site

More people should be encouraged to plant their own gardens. I love the idea and the tone it's setting. Best of all, it's organic.

[sandyj999]

17. Never in My 73 years have a President and First Lady been so involved with all of us .

They are listening to "us" which is so refreshing. And the people that criticize him for going on Jay Leno, or bowling, or anything else, just don't get it. They are too accustomed to the president staying in the confines of the White House and acting like the emperor. Barack and Michelle Obama are good people and if given a chance will continue to prove it. I truly believe they care about "us".

[sandnsea]

18. She listened?

Maybe she planned to do this all along.

[sandyj999]

20. And maybe not but that isn't the important part, is it? n/t

[opihimoimoi]

19. Someone Please get Michelle a roto tiller...that shovel she using will give her callouses

and the ground is HARD....

Good Idea but poor planning

Get some gardners in there to guide them...

[azul]

21. What, not eating Chinese veggies like the rest of us free-marketeers?

Didn't the Bushes munch local organic stuff but like in the closet?

What they all are eating should give us a clue of insider knowledge. How they set examples displays the stylistic differences.