Michele Obama, along with help from twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington, started to dig up the new 1,100-square-foot Victory garden plot in the White House Lawn on Friday March 20. The gardens location is near the Obama girls’ swing set and will be visible to people passing by the White House if using E Street.  
photo credit: Super Is Sunny

There has not been a vegetable garden on the White House lawn since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. With the tough economic times facing Americans and other countries this is the perfect time to realize the importance of growing your own fresh organic vegetables and fruit in you own backyard. And for a small amount of money spent you save hundreds or thousands of dollars on your food bill.

The organic garden will help provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, but its most important role, according to Mrs. Obama, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.

“My hope,” the first lady said in an interview in her East Wing office and as reported originally in the New York Times, “is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”

There have been many successful school community gardens in the last few years and the students from Bancroft Elementary have had such a garden since 2001. These student will be helping through the growing season to plant, harvest, and cook the produce grown. Vegetables, fruits and herbs are planned for the garden. Vegetables top the list with 55 different varieties being planted. Heirloom seeds are are being used in the garden.

The Obama family will also help, including the President. As gardening is relaxing and great exercise, the garden will benefit them  with better fitness and fresh organic quality produce. Promoting healthy eating has become an important part of Mrs. Obama’s own agenda.

As reported in an internet article, The first lady, who said that she had never had a vegetable garden, recalled that the idea for this one came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet. Eating out three times a week, ordering a pizza, having a sandwich for dinner all took their toll in added weight on the girls, whose pediatrician told Mrs. Obama that she needed to be thinking about nutrition.

The Obamas having a garden that is set up along the Victory garden or Recession garden idea of organic food production and saving energy with small farm principles should send a message about healthy eating. I think it also sends a message to save money and help you, your family and the community.

The Obamas White House garden will be a focal point of interest this summer. And as interest in garden has picked up all across the United States you may want to consider you own recession garden or join in a community garden near where you live. Check out the $20 Recession Garden challenge for additional information

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photo credit: kennymatic

Now that a recession is underway and many say we are heading into a depression: It’s time to start up the backyard gardens again. It’s a great way to improve your economic stability and that of the nation. You also can have fresh chemical free vegetables and fruits. No more worry about illegally used chemical sprays that have made the news over the last few years and many very ill.

How to Grow a Recession Garden

Make a list of vegetables and fruits to include in your depression garden. Choose vegetables that provide a good amount of nutrition and bulk. I recommend potatoes, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and beans. Cucumbers are very good for you but are a bit more challenging to the beginning gardener. Strawberries, peppers, melons and herbs are also great choices for a garden. If you have a large backyard the addition of fruit trees or bushes are beneficial.

Purchase your seeds, seed potatoes and seed onions as early as possible to get the best selection. This also applies to purchasing fruit trees, berry bushes and strawberry plants. If you wait too long to select your seeds the best varieties may be sold out. This is particularly true for onion sets.

If you are a beginning gardener you will want to purchase you pepper and tomato plants. If you have had a garden before you may want to try starting your own plants. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and herbs should be started in late winter. A few weeks later you can start seed broccoli, cantaloupe, spinach and lettuce. Peas, corn and potatoes will do best planted directly in the ground outdoors. Just make sure you wait to plant until after the last frost date. This information is available online or form you local Extension Office. .

Prepare the soil in your garden. You can either turn over the soil, adding compost and well-composted manure in small quantities or you can use one of the no dig methods. Straw bale gardening also works well. If you have small animals in you backyard you may want to fence your garden area.

You can also plant some of your garden in containers, on the windowsill or on the patio or balcony if you have limited space. An herb container garden in pots by the kitchen door is convenient and can be very decorative. I also like to grow tomatoes in hanging baskets on the porch or deck. A garden will thrive anywhere as long as you have healthy soil and sunlight.

Creative Organic Gardening methods (no chemicals and better use of gardening space) are best used in the recession garden.

If you have additional produce you may decide to freeze or can it. You can also trade the neighbors for produce that you do not grow. The Recession garden will help your income during these tough times ahead. It also provides exercise and time to spend with the family

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Many years ago when the economy was suffering and people were looking for jobs, a program called Victory Garden was set into action. Its purpose was to help supply wholesome healthy food for the family and community. One of its other purposes was to ease the governments financial burden of helping to supply food for the American population and use the money saved for the servicemen and war what we were in.
photo credit: greengardenvienna

As Obama enters office as the 44th President of the United States several organizations have raised the issue of again raising a garden on the White House lawns. Obama has stood for change in government and leans back on many of Lincoln and Roosevelt’s ideas. What better way to promote healthy food and ease the financial burden of the government and families than by promoting a program made popular by Roosevelt during the war?

This program would also teach self-sufficiency and bring back fresh, healthy food raised by organic means with out being saturated with chemicals. Many of the victory gardens were run as community gardens. These victory gardens brought neighbors together were they would become friends, share ideas and create a stronger united community.

Victory Gardens have had an important part in the white house history in the past. During World War I, Woodrow Wilson’s wife Edith grazed sheep on the White House lawn. Eleanor Roosevelt grew carrots and beans on the same lawn, during WW11 to inspire Americans to plant their own “Victory Gardens”. The Roosevelt’s promoted Victory Gardens and the program during this time helped the American families to raise 40 % of their own food. The program was promoted through government programs and even at schools and businesses.
photo credit: Carnaval King 08

With the formal layout of the White House lawns, it might be considered to clash and not be proper but what better statement for our society could there be than a Victory Garden nestled on the white House lawn. As avid gardeners know,  gardens can be a work of art and beauty with proper layout and could easily fit into the formal gardens. And the most positive outcome of a White House Victory Garden would be promoting fresh healthy food without chemical and families enjoying fresh air and exercise together.

There are several organizations promoting a Victory Garden on the White House lawn. Check out The Who Farm and their amazing traveling rooftop garden or Kitchen Gardeners International

With the new gardening season approaching this is the time to consider growing a Victory Garden or participating in a community garden.

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