White House Vegetable Garden
Encyclopedia
The White House
has had multiple 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.
and first lady Abigail Adams
. Adams and his wife grew their own fresh fruits and vegetables to feed their family, rather than buying produce at the local market. 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. 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. 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. 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
.
brought the onset of food rationing to the White House. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson
and First Lady Edith Wilson brought sheep to graze and fertilize the lawns. This was a way to save manpower, fuel, and money required to take care of the lawns, because all resources were needed to fight overseas. During World War II in 1943 President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden
on the White House grounds. 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.
, 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 itself, where produce was grown and used for cooking.
, cilantro (coriander)
, tomatillo
, hot peppers, spinach
, chard
, collards, black kale, berries and lettuce
. In addition to the seeds selected to be planted are twenty five heirloom seeds and ten different herbs such as anise hyssop and Thai basil
. Former presidents favorite produce will also be sown such as President Thomas Jefferson’s preferable vegetables “Brown Dutch and Tennis Ball lettuce, Prickly Seed spinach and Savoy cabbage” but beet
s will not be grown as the current President does not like them. Along with the vegetable garden two bee hives will be added near the chef’s kitchen that will be overlooked by Charlie Brandts, a beekeeper and White House carpenter. The contributing gardeners responsible for the early stages of the garden include 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. These twenty –three fifth grader advocates, who have grown a garden at their school, will help with digging up the soil, planting, harvesting, and cooking of the crops produced. Project facilitator Michelle Obama has made the vegetable garden a priority by requiring hands on assistance from all the family members. Some gardening tasks may include weed pulling by the President which is something Mrs. Obama states the family will be doing “whether they like it or not.”
will have a positive effect. The White House’s Executive Chef Walter Scheib is enthusiastic about the fresh ingredients and states, "There has always been a small garden at the White House, but this commitment by Mrs. Obama to a local and freshly grown product is a progressive move forward that will raise the profile and awareness of local and sustainable food both at the White House and nationally to an unprecedented level.”
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
has had multiple vegetable gardens since its completion in 1800. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
all have had their own versions of vegetable gardens. Roosevelt planted the White House victory garden
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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.
History of White House gardens
The first White House vegetable garden was planted in 1800, by the second president of the United States John AdamsJohn Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
and first lady Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
. Adams and his wife grew their own fresh fruits and vegetables to feed their family, rather than buying produce at the local market. After President Adams planted the first garden, former presidents that lived in the White House cultivated gardens of their own. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, 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. 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. 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
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
built a hothouse made out of glass, known as the orangery, that grew tropical fruit. 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
West Wing
The West Wing is the building housing the official offices of the President of the United States. It is the part of the White House Complex in which the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room are located...
.
In time of war
The onset of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
brought the onset of food rationing to the White House. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
and First Lady Edith Wilson brought sheep to graze and fertilize the lawns. This was a way to save manpower, fuel, and money required to take care of the lawns, because all resources were needed to fight overseas. During World War II in 1943 President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
on the White House grounds. 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.
Resistance of vegetable gardens
Past efforts of growing vegetable gardens were not always followed through. 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. Another unsuccessful attempt was made by President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, 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 itself, where produce was grown and used for cooking.
Obama’s vegetable garden
The Obamas planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn at the White House on March 20, 2009. This L- shaped 1100 square foot garden is located by the mansion’s tennis courts and can be seen from E street. The plot will provide more than 55 varieties of vegetables along with fruits that will be incorporated in the meals made for the Obama family as well as invited guests. Another portion of the yields will be donated to the local soup kitchen and the Food Bank Organization. There will be 55 varieties of vegetables grown, including: arugula (rocket)Arugula
Eruca sativa , is an edible annual plant, commonly known as rocket, roquette, rucola or arugula, not to be confused with Wild rocket. It is a species of Eruca native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal east to Lebanon and Turkey...
, cilantro (coriander)
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
, tomatillo
Tomatillo
The tomatillo is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos are a staple in Mexican cuisine. Tomatillos are grown as annuals throughout the Western Hemisphere...
, hot peppers, spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
, chard
Chard
Chard , is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. While the leaves are always green, chard stalks vary in color. Chard has been bred to have highly nutrious leaves at the expense of the root...
, collards, black kale, berries and lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
. In addition to the seeds selected to be planted are twenty five heirloom seeds and ten different herbs such as anise hyssop and Thai basil
Thai basil
Thai basil is a type of sweet basil native to Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide a distinctive set of traits. It has an identifiable licorice flavor not present in sweet basil, and its flavor is more stable under high or extended cooking temperatures than that of sweet basil...
. Former presidents favorite produce will also be sown such as President Thomas Jefferson’s preferable vegetables “Brown Dutch and Tennis Ball lettuce, Prickly Seed spinach and Savoy cabbage” but beet
Beet
The beet is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family which is now included in Amaranthaceae family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is the purple root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet...
s will not be grown as the current President does not like them. Along with the vegetable garden two bee hives will be added near the chef’s kitchen that will be overlooked by Charlie Brandts, a beekeeper and White House carpenter. The contributing gardeners responsible for the early stages of the garden include the first lady herself, White House Horticulturist Dale Haney, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
, a team of chefs, and fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington. These twenty –three fifth grader advocates, who have grown a garden at their school, will help with digging up the soil, planting, harvesting, and cooking of the crops produced. Project facilitator Michelle Obama has made the vegetable garden a priority by requiring hands on assistance from all the family members. Some gardening tasks may include weed pulling by the President which is something Mrs. Obama states the family will be doing “whether they like it or not.”
Purpose
Mrs. Obama, who had no prior experience in gardening, was motivated to start a garden when she realized her daughters Malia and Sasha were not receiving daily nutritious meals. The young girls' diet that would sometimes consist of dining out three times a week with occasional sandwiches for dinner was recommended to modified by the family’s pediatrician. Mrs. Obama found growing a garden would be an easy way to get more fruits and vegetables in her daughters' diets. The emphasis on the vegetable garden movement is to encourage Americans to increase healthy food choices. The First Lady believes that changes could be made by cooking more at home, eliminating unhealthy foods, and consuming more fruits and vegetables. Furthermore the garden will take a leading role in educating children about the benefits of local grown produce in attempt to decrease the rising cases of obesity and diet related health issues effecting the nation. Mrs. Obama is confident that by educating the children of this generation then "they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”Environmental and economic benefits
Foodies and Environmentalist are elated with the produce garden growing at the White House. Michael Pollan, author of the "Omnivores Dilemma" and advocate of sustainable agriculture, believes the garden is not only practical and efficient "but just as important, it teaches important habits of mind -- helping people to reconnect with their food, eat more healthily on a budget and recognize that we're less dependent on the industrial food chain, and cheap fossil fuel, than we assume." By growing a vegetable garden at the White house emissions set off through the transportation as well as the additional costs from the purchasing of food products will be reduced. The non chemical fertilizers used in the plot are made with “White House compost, crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. Ladybugs and praying mantises will help control harmful bugs." The project has also proved to be cost efficient by the roughly two hundred dollars spent on the cost of seeds which will provide a continuous supply of fresh produce year round.Political implications
The vegetable patch has become a symbolic representation that has encouraged change within current government policies. For example, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is now lobbying Congress to review The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act in order to change current school lunches. Vilsack will try to persuade the USDA to provide more funds to make more fruits and vegetables accessible to children. The vegetable garden supporters believe the Obamas' role modeling of local sustainable gardeningSustainable gardening
Sustainable gardening comprises a disparate group of horticultural interests that share, to a greater or lesser extent, the aims and objectives associated with the international post-1980s sustainable development and sustainability programs...
will have a positive effect. The White House’s Executive Chef Walter Scheib is enthusiastic about the fresh ingredients and states, "There has always been a small garden at the White House, but this commitment by Mrs. Obama to a local and freshly grown product is a progressive move forward that will raise the profile and awareness of local and sustainable food both at the White House and nationally to an unprecedented level.”