Michelle Obama’s White House Garden: What to Copy, What to Skip
(First lady Michelle Obama plants seedlings with Nare Kande, 9, and Marley Santos, 11. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
It’s gardening time at the White House!
Michelle Obama was joined on Wednesday by school kids from around the country to plant spinach, broccoli, lettuce, radish and bok choy in White House Kitchen Garden. It’s the seventh time Mrs. Obama has hosted this public garden party here at the first permanent White House kitchen garden since World War II.
This garden, which is now 1,500 square feet, does more than provide vegetables for the White House kitchen. It’s a centerpiece of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to encourage healthier habits, and its designed to inspire Americans to plant their own gardens they can use to grow their own healthy foods.
“I adore the White House garden; it really makes me proud,” says Rachael Narins, a Los Angeles chef and Master Gardener. “I love that it’s a functional, beautiful, learning space. It teaches the importance of healthy food, and how simple and rewarding gardening can be.”
The country’s most famous vegetable garden gets generally high marks from the experts, but they do have one or two quibbles. Here are their do’s and don’ts.
Timing Is Everything
“When choosing which plants to grow, plant for the season,” says Lauri Kranz of Edible Gardens LA, which builds, plants and sustains organic vegetable garden.
(First lady Michelle Obama at the White House Kitchen Garden Planting. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
And as the weather warms up in much of the country, it’s time to get planting. “Spring is a great time for gardeners to get their hands in the soil,” says Narins. “Where you live will determine what you can plant and when though, so find out what zone your garden is in and go from there. For instance, we here in Southern California put our tomatoes in two months ago, while most of the country should be starting seedlings indoors and moving them outside next month.”
The Layout
Kranz gives the White House Kitchen Garden high marks for what she calls its “lovely” layout (which you can check out here) “I really like the leafy greens grouped together with the flowers on the borders,” she says. “I like to add flowers like bachelor buttons, cosmos, and dahlias in the vegetable beds themselves as well as along the borders.”
But Kranz would do one thing differently from the White House. “I see that the kale and collards are planted together in the same bed,” Kranz notices. She says that’s pretty much a pest magnet. “Both of those vegetables are big draws for butterflies to lay their eggs on,” she says. When the eggs hatch, the baby caterpillars love the tender leaves of kale and collards and can decimate the seedlings quickly.“
(First lady Michelle Obama at the White House Kitchen Garden Planting. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Kranz’s suggestion: “I might separate those two plants from each other and pair each with a less appealing vegetable for butterflies and caterpillars like onions.”
What to Plant?
“Pick vegetables you feel you will use the most of, but also leave a bit of room to try something new,” says Kranz. “Beans, peas, corn, squash, melons, cucumbers, beans and carrots grow easily from seed. Vegetables like peppers and eggplant are much easier to grow from seedlings.”
And if you plan to be gardening 365 days a year, you should consider that, too. “To have a functional year round garden, you need to pay attention to the time it takes for your vegetables to go from seed to harvest, and if they are a single crop (think, carrot), or can be continuously harvested for a while (think chile peppers).” says Narins. “The best bet is to get to know what is in season when, and start there. Plant strawberries in the spring and start your eggplants in late spring. Also, know when to pull things out. By late summer, those tomato plants are done, so go ahead and commit them to the compost pile and put in your pumpkins and corn.”
Check your temperature
On the day of the White House Kitchen Garden planting ceremony, Washington, D.C. enjoyed temperatures in the mid-60s. “As long as it’s still cool where you are, try planting radishes, carrots, chard, sweet peas and spinach,” recommends Narins. “They mature quickly and can be harvested before the days get too hot. And don’t forget your citrus trees! There are several varieties available that can be grown in cooler climates.”
(White House Kitchen Garden back in 2011. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Also, don’t forget about the sun. Says Kranz: "When starting a vegetable garden, it is important to know which part of your outdoor space receives the most hours of sun per day.”
Let Us Address the Lettuce
The White House Kitchen Garden traditionally plants lettuce in raised beds around this time of year. “Lettuce is a cool-season crop that has shallow roots, and therefore does well in containers,” Narins says, noting that lettuce is extremely delicate and doesn’t always do well in the heat. “If you direct sow in warm weather, the seeds will stay dormant until the temperatures drop,” she warns.
What’s the secret to lettuce success? “Try sowing the seeds indoors and transplant in to your raised beds at 3 to 4 weeks,” says Naris. “And don’t just plant once and forget them! Sow a new batch of seeds every week for six weeks so you have a continuous supply.”
Narins likes loose-leaf varieties like Royal Green, Oak Leaf or Waldmanns Dark Green lettuce seeds (“They’re fast growing and taste great,” she says). And don’t forget to mulch. “It will keep in moisture and help keep your soil healthy,” says Narins.
Remember the Bees
Last year, for the first time, the White House planted a Pollinator Garden to support bees, monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The gardeners Yahoo Makers talked to think that’s a good idea. “Plants that attract pollinators are vital to a healthy garden,” says Narins. “Without our friends the butterflies and bees, most of our crops would never become food.”
To that end, Narins recommends planting lavender, flowering sage, borage, nasturtium and pansies (Kranz likes African basil). “If you keep your garden organic, you can eat all of those flowers, too,” Narins says.
Pests
Any garden is going to to attract uninvited guests. “Treat pests with care,” says Kranz. “Try hosing aphids off of plants with water first. If that is not successful, an organic neem spray works nicely.”
To rid yourself of pests, you don’t have to go on an garden killing spree. Says Kranz: “I hand-pick caterpillars off of leaves and place them away from the vegetable garden. There is no reason to harm them and it’s good to remember that when they turn into butterflies, they become a garden’s best friend. Slugs and snails can be treated organically with Sluggo or a small saucer of beer to catch them in.” Maybe Mrs. Obama can borrow some beer left over from her husband’s beer summit.
Your Garden Doesn’t Have to Be White House-Perfect
As the White House Kitchen Garden aims to show, gardening is something most of us can do. “If you don’t have space at home, there are community gardens all over the country, and seeds for sale everywhere,” says Narins. “As a matter of fact, SNAP benefits allow people to purchase seeds and edible plants, to grow food instead of buying it.”
But unless your garden resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, don’t worry if it’s not quite up to the level of Mrs. Obama’s garden. “The White House Garden is a living place, with people dedicated to tending to it,” says Narins. “Your garden might be a touch more wild.”
Besides, as Kranz points out, embracing imperfection is the key to gardening. “In gardens, as in life, there is no never and no always,” she says. “There will be successes and failures and always a new season to begin again.”
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