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I hope that the Master Gardeners swoop in, though I'm sure that the grounds staff would do, because if she's going to plant garlic and okra outside in two weeks in DC, we're already looking at some problems.
Yep. Garlic won't do well if planted in the spring thanks to the summer heat. It should be planted in late fall and harvested in the winter and spring. I'm pretty sure she will have to wait on the okra too. Any good Southerner will tell you that okra doesn't go in the ground until it's hot. I can't wait to see her out there picking pods with tube socks covering her arms protecting them from the itchy spines. I wonder if she knows about Clemson spineless?
Whether it makes it "cool" or not it is something more people in our country need to be doing. I really think this is more of a PR thing for the 1st lady than promoting home gardens really. I am surprised that former chefs didn't inquire about having one for the fresh produce outside their back door.
Yes, that's exactly right. Any chef worth his/her salt will have a "kitchen garden," to grow fresh herbs at the very LEAST! Heh, Gordon Ramsey was even raising his own livestock in the backyard of his home to serve for holiday dinners at his restaurant!
I just think it's funny that when some people wake up to doing something new, they want to claim they're starting a trend. Those ole "guns- and religion-clingers" have been putting in gardens and practicing thrift for generations.
I can't wait to see her out there picking pods with tube socks covering her arms protecting them from the itchy spines. I wonder if she knows about Clemson spineless?
LOL, I don't know how that rumor about garlic and okra got started... probably a joke that someone took literally.
But sorry, as delicious as it might be, there's no okra or garlic in the garden. Just lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, carrots, peas, basil, sage, oregano and rosemary.
For those who use it as an excuse to snipe at the First Lady, the event with the school children was just the groundbreaking, to let the children each experience a turn at digging/raking, after a lesson plan at nearby picnic tables where the focus was on the importance of eating fresh healthy food. So of course she was dressed for the school children's visit, not for digging up the whole plot, which will be done properly by the grounds staff with mechanical equipment.
The kitchen garden was designed by the WH head of grounds-keeping and the head chef, and will be tended by the groundskeepers and the kitchen staff. The school children will return at various times to "help" as the garden develops. Participation in a garden is a great way to get children interested in nutrition and biology lessons ... all the schools in my district have gardens tended by the sixth graders. The First Lady has had school children visit the White House for various learning experiences every week so far, and she also visits DC schools regularly. This was a collaboration between the First Lady, who has a strong commitment to healthy eating for her family, and the WH chef who wants fresh herbs available. Including the school children in the project is a smart use of multitasking. Rather than "PR" for the First Lady, it's a way to interest the nation's children in natural foods. After all, if Malia and Sasha are eating their vegetables, it must be cool.
The WH kitchen garden plan is mainly those items which are best when used at their freshest ... herbs, leafy greens, sugar peas... for the first family's private meals. The excess will be donated to Miriam's kitchen, which serves the homeless in DC. Here is the diagram of the plot:
Thanks for posting this. I see there is some garlic in the herb section--but no okra. So my master gardener friend was half right. She also says she signed up to work in the garden, but I haven't seen anything else about this being an MG project, so I'm not sure about that.
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Yep. Garlic won't do well if planted in the spring thanks to the summer heat. It should be planted in late fall and harvested in the winter and spring. I'm pretty sure she will have to wait on the okra too. Any good Southerner will tell you that okra doesn't go in the ground until it's hot. I can't wait to see her out there picking pods with tube socks covering her arms protecting them from the itchy spines. I wonder if she knows about Clemson spineless?
Those ole "guns- and religion-clingers" have been putting in gardens and practicing thrift for generations.
