Gardening: Garden Tours

Michelle Obama's White House Vegetable Garden

With help from local schoolchildren, Michelle Obama harvested crops from her vegetable garden on the South Lawn on Tuesday, the first White House vegetable garden since World War II. The First Lady, known for her devotion to healthy eating habits and workouts, is growing 55 kinds of vegetables in the 1,100-square-foot garden, including spinach, broccoli, carrots, rhubarb, fennel, shell peas and more. One notable exception? Beets, which the president hates. The fruits and vegetables grown in the garden will be used by White House chefs for both casual family dinners and more formal affairs. Obama and the fifth-graders planted the garden on March 20; start-up costs totaled just $200.

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Michelle Obamas White House Garden

    First Lady Michelle Obama and 36 fifth grade students harvest in the White House Kitchen Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 16, 2009. They planted the garden on March 20.

    Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

    Obama tastes a snap pea while she harvests vegetables from the White House Kitchen Garden with students from Bancroft Elementary School on the South Lawn of the White House.

    Win McNamee, Getty Images

    Fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School weigh some of the lettuce that they and first lady Michelle Obama harvested.

    Alex Brandon, AP

    Vegetables are carried from the garden on the South Lawn to the White House kitchen.

    Alex Brandon, AP

    Snap peas harvested from the vegetable garden, the first at the White House since World War II.

    Win McNamee, Getty Images

    Obama shells peas with the students.

    Alex Brandon, AP

    Obama helps in the kitchen at the White House.

    Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

    Obama shouts "we want food, we want food" as she sits down with fifth grade students to eat a meal prepared with vegetables from the White House Kitchen Garden in the First Lady's Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 16, 2009.

    Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

    The students dug into their vegetables.

    Alex Brandon, AP

    The first lady has made promoting health eating a priority.

    Alex Brandon, AP

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rasti 2009-08-21 13:21:42 The latest news is that the White House garden has collapsed under the sun and is either not doing well or not doing at all. Besides, the White House has had many gardens under numerous presidents through the years. Better keep up, AOL, or is that too difficult for you?
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landpmom 2009-08-21 10:42:35 that's glases..guess AOL doesn't like the double ss after an a?...
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landpmom 2009-08-21 10:40:58 I think it’s great to encourage healthy eating habits. I also think it’s important to care about our planet and growing landfills…it troubles me that they are eating their salad with the M.O. using plastic forks and drinking from what looks to be Styrofoam cups…we can’t always make the right decision, but come on why even buy the stuff! Don’t they have enough silverware and *******!!
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frogluv655 2009-08-01 14:41:24 There is no standard for lead in garden soil. The 400 ppm level the article refers to is EPA's for child's play area, concern being that children may ingest lead via hand/mouth activity with bare soil. Part of problem setting a standard for garden soil - different plants vary in the amount of lead taken into the consumable part - of greatest concern are root veggies and leafy greens. Tomatoes take up relatively little lead. You also have to be concerned if kids under 6 years are helping (hand/mouth again) Soil can also be contaminated from deteriorated lead paint or residual leaded gas (national lead levels dropped in both of those in 70s). Espec for pre-1960 housing - avoid planting in original soil along the foundation of the house/garage. Those ************ be covered - mulched, re-establish ***** cover, or stone so the soil isn't bare. Raised bed or container gardening is as an alternative. If you would like more information about lead, check out EPA.
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irishsaxxon 2009-05-09 18:56:12 Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call it the People's Garden, the National Garden, The New Victory Garden...? To even imply that M.O. actually WORKS in the garden ?? Well, isn't that akin to RACISM!! I bet she wears her $2400.00 sneakers, too. No, for those of us that are struggling to put any food on the table at all, fear not. The king and queen of the new united states are paying the best horticulturalists that your tax money can buy. You wouldn't expect them to eat that poison, GMO irradiated produce you get, would you?
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bul1938let 2009-05-09 18:29:27 I see a lot of worshipping kids, I see a briar patch, I see a Sasquatch holding an axe......now exactly where is this Michelle
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bul1938let 2009-05-09 18:20:42 I see a lot of worshipping kids, I see a briar patch, I see a Sasquatch holding an axe......now exactly where is this Michelle
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clin0006 2009-05-09 17:59:47 Whoever the picture editors are - they need a crash course in plant identification... using a picture of flowering kale and calling it lettuce ? For shame !
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