White House vegetable garden

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Coordinates: 38°53′44.9″N 77°2′13.4″W / 38.895806°N 77.037056°W / 38.895806; -77.037056
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Michelle Obama and chef Sam Kass plant the garden with the help of Bancroft Elementary School fifth graders in 2009.

The

vegetable gardens since its completion in 1800. Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama all have had their own versions of vegetable gardens. Roosevelt planted the White House victory garden during World War II to promote the use of victory gardens by American citizens in a time of possible food scarcity. Hillary Clinton had a vegetable garden constructed on the roof of the White House. On March 20, 2009, Michelle Obama broke ground on the largest and most expansive vegetable garden to date on the White House lawn.[1]

The current garden is funded by a $2.5-million donation provided in 2016 by

Burpee Seeds and The Burpee Foundation.[2]

History of White House gardens

The first White House garden was planted in 1800, by the second president of the United States John Adams and first lady Abigail Adams.[3] Adams and his wife grew their own fresh fruits and vegetables to feed their family, rather than buying produce at the local market.[3] After President Adams planted the first garden, former presidents that lived in the White House cultivated gardens of their own. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson, the second president who resided in the White House, transformed Adams’ garden with the addition of ornamental and fruit trees. Since the grounds of the garden were too raw and muddy for serious planting in the first decade of the 19th century, President Jefferson arranged the construction of his own vegetable garden above Charlottesville so that it would be ready for his retirement. This inspired many American families to plant gardens in their yards.[4] Jefferson also picked the location of the flower garden that was planted. In 1825, Adams was the first president to plant ornamental trees on the White House lawns.[3] He personally planted seedlings such as fruit trees, herbs and vegetables to support his household. Adams also helped develop the flower gardens that Jefferson had originally planted. In 1835 President Andrew Jackson built a hothouse made out of glass, known as the orangery, that grew tropical fruit.[3] The orangery produced fruit from 1836 until it was demolished and replaced by a full-scale greenhouse in 1857. Then several years later the greenhouse was broken down later in 1902 and replaced by the West Wing.[5]

World War I and II victory gardens

The onset of

Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden on the White House grounds.[7] The victory garden movement started because of food shortages caused by the war. Millions of victory gardens were planted across America during that period of time, producing about 40 percent of America's vegetables.[8]

Resistance to vegetable gardens

In the 1970s and 1990s, peacetime vegetable gardens were proposed but did not materialize. Jimmy Carter, who was a Georgia farmer and a gardener, talked about how gardening was an important aspect of America's future in his campaign, but declined calls in 1978 to plant a vegetable garden at the White House.[7] Another unsuccessful attempt was made by President Bill Clinton, who was denied by the White House, saying it was not in keeping with the formal nature of the White House grounds. The Clintons later resorted to planting a small vegetable garden on the roof of the building, where produce was grown and used for cooking.

Michelle Obama's vegetable garden

A small lavender shrub planted next to a large salvia bush in the White House vegetable garden

The Obamas planted an L-shaped 1,100-square-foot (100 m2) vegetable garden on the

Beets were not grown because President Obama did not like them.[11] A beehive, overseen by Charlie Brandts, beekeeper and White House carpenter, produced honey which has been used to brew White House Honey Ale.[13][14] The contributing gardeners responsible for the early stages of the garden included the First Lady herself, White House Horticulturist Dale Haney, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a team of chefs, and fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington.[1][12]

In May 2012, the First Lady published

American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, a book detailing her experiences with the Kitchen Garden and promoting healthy eating.[15] Mrs. Obama, who had no prior experience in gardening, was motivated to start a garden to get more fruits and vegetables for the diets of her daughters Malia and Sasha, which would sometimes consist of dining out three times a week with occasional sandwiches for dinner, as well as to encourage Americans to increase healthy food choices, and educate children about the benefits of locally grown produce.[1][12]

Response

The garden met with support from

praying mantises will help control harmful bugs."[1] Roughly two hundred dollars spent on the cost of seeds would provide a continuous supply of fresh produce.[1]

The vegetable patch became symbolic for change within current government policies, such as Secretary of Agriculture

sustainable food both at the White House and nationally to an unprecedented level."[1]

In contrast, when the Obamas announced the garden would not use pesticides, MACA, the Mid-America Croplife Association, an agricultural chemical trade group, urged the Obamas to consider the need for traditional agriculture, for effective pest management in their garden to increase crop yield so they could feed more people.[17] This idea was further satirized on "The Daily Show" by Jon Stewart, on which Jeff Stier of the pro-industry American Council of Science and Health stated that it was irresponsible to eat organic, locally grown food because not everyone could afford it.[18]

Continuation under Melania Trump and Jill Biden

After

putting green.[19] However First Lady Melania Trump continued to maintain the garden, personally working on it with members of the Boys and Girls Club in 2017,[20] and using vegetables from it for her first state dinner in 2018.[21]

The garden lived on into the Biden administration in 2021, when First Lady Jill Biden sent vegetables from it to Michelle Obama.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Burros, Marian (March 19, 2009). "Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  2. ^ W. Atlee Burpee Company (October 6, 2015). "Burpee Funds White House Kitchen Garden". PR Newswire. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Parker-Pope, Tara (January 23, 2009). "Growing Food on the White House Lawn". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  4. ^ Higgins, Adrian (April 5, 2009). "Jefferson the Gardener Set His Sights High to Reap the Earth's Bounty". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  5. ISBN 0-06-093735-1
    .
  6. ^ "The History of Lawns in America". american-lawns.com.
  7. ^ a b c Black, Jane (March 20, 2009). "Shovel-Ready Project: A White House Garden". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
  8. ^ Woolley, John T.; Peters, Gerhard. "Franklin D. Roosevelt: Statement Encouraging Victory Gardens". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  9. National Archives
    .
  10. ^ "Elementary Students Lend Green Thumbs to First Lady". NBC Washington. April 9, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  11. ^ a b Marian Burros (March 19, 2009), "Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House", New York Times
  12. ^ a b c d Black, Jane (April 9, 2009). "The First Garden Gets Its First Planting". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  13. Hearst Communications, Inc. Archived from the original
    on December 25, 2009.
  14. ^ Crugnale, James. Obama Homebrews White House Honey Ale For Medal Of Honor Recipient. Mediaite. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  15. ^ Benac, Nancy (June 1, 2012). "Michelle Obama's Book On Growing Seeds and Healthy Kids". The Ledger. Associated Press.
  16. ^ Barrett, Kate; Hartman, Brian (March 20, 2009). "Foodies Celebrate White House Veggie Garden". ABC News. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  17. ^ Naughton, Philippe (April 22, 2009). "Big Agriculture takes umbrage at Mrs Obamas organic garden". The Times. London.
  18. ^ Jeff Stier interview on The Daily Show, May 14, 2009
  19. ^ Raymond, Adam K. (November 11, 2016). "What Will Become of Michelle Obama's Garden in a Trump Administration?". New York. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  20. ^ Bennett, Kate (September 22, 2017). "At Melania Trump garden event, echoes of Michelle Obama". CNN. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  21. ^ Rhodan, Maya (April 23, 2018). "Melania Trump Uses Greens From Michelle Obama's Garden at First State Dinner". Time. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  22. ^ Bryant, Kenzie (February 3, 2021). "From Michelle to Melania to Jill: At Least the White House Garden Experienced a Peaceful Transfer of Power". Vanity Fair.

External links

38°53′44.9″N 77°2′13.4″W / 38.895806°N 77.037056°W / 38.895806; -77.037056

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