Michelle plants First fruit and veg
Friday April 10 2009
Michelle Obama planted the first fruit and vegetable seedlings in the new White House garden, assisted by a group of eager pupils who tend a similar garden at their school.
Spinach, assorted types of lettuce, herbs, onions, shallots, cucumbers and peas are among the crops planted. Tomatoes are to follow in about three weeks.
Honey will come from a beehive a short distance away from the 1,100-square-foot, L-shaped plot on the South Lawn.
Before they got their hands dirty, Mrs Obama encouraged the Bancroft Elementary School students to eat more fruits and vegetables. She said she learned about that as a mother trying to feed her daughters, 10-year-old Malia and seven-year-old Sasha.
"It does have nutrients, it does make you strong, it is all brain food," she said.
Europe
Mrs Obama said she kept getting asked about the garden in Europe last week, including by avid gardener Prince Charles.
"In many countries they really believe in the importance of planting and growing their own food," Mrs Obama told the schoolchildren, who also came to the White House last month to help her and White House staff dig the garden.
She said the garden was "real inexpensive" no more than $200 (€160) and would yield "a ton of stuff".
"We can produce enough fruits and vegetables to feed us for years and years to come, for just a couple of hundred dollars," she said.
Some of the crops will be served to the Obamas and to White House staff and guests. Some will be donated to a local soup kitchen.
The children will return around the end of the school year to harvest, and to help cook some of the food.
hnews@herald.ie
