Obamas plant organic kitchen garden at White House

Want to know where the presidential produce comes from?

Washington's Bancroft Elementary School students help first lady Michelle Obama break ground on the garden.

Take a walk past the White House. The answer may be planted right in front of you.
First lady Michelle Obama helped break ground on a new White House organic "kitchen garden" Friday. It will be the first working garden at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a so-called "victory garden" at the height of World War II.
This time, however, the enemy is obesity. The first family is hoping to send a clear message to a fast food-driven nation that often seems to be losing the battle of the bulge.
"We're just hoping that a lot of families look at us and say this is something that they can do and talk to their own kids about and think a little bit critically about the food choices that they make," said Marian Robinson, the president's mother-in-law. Watch Michelle Obama tell students about the garden »
The first lady told a group of Washington schoolchildren on hand for the occasion that first daughters Sasha and Malia Obama were usually more willing to try fresh fruits and vegetables because fresh produce generally tastes better.
"What I found with my kids [is that] if they were involved in planting it and picking it, they were much more curious about giving it a try," she added.
"I've been able to have my kids eat so many different things that they would have never touched if we had bought it at a store because they either met the farmers that grew it, or they saw how it was grown," she said.
"They were curious about it and ... usually they liked it."
The idea of a presidential kitchen garden, used year-round with different seasonal crops, has been strongly promoted by advocates for organic and locally grown food. They argue that the White House garden may help set a positive example for families short on time and money, who are often tempted by cheaper, highly processed food.
The presidential garden will be used, among other things, for growing such staples as butterhead and red leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, carrots and peas.
It will also include a range of herbs, including sage, oregano and rosemary.
The garden is one of several additions to the White House South Lawn. A swing set for the first daughters was recently installed near the Oval Office.

ScottsMiracle-Gro and Local Students Bring GroGood Garden to Los Angeles

Local school garden is first in nationwide campaign

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 19 /
A group of public and private organizations teamed up with students at the Roy Romer Middle School in North Hollywood, Calif. yesterday to plant an edible garden that will create a harvest to share with local organizations to help feed the hungry.
The garden was designed to be planted and cared for by students, including many with special needs. The garden includes vegetables and herbs as well as special features to accommodate the students' needs such as raised beds. The project was coordinated by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, along with its partners Keep America Beautiful, the Garden Writers Association of America, Plant a Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Franklin Park Conservatory, the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Plant a Row for the Hungry and Feeding America announced that they have joined forces in an effort to provide fresh produce to the hungry this summer and to ask Americans to take the GroGood pledge: Grow a garden for the greater good. To launch the GroGood pledge campaign, ScottsMiracle-Gro will donate 1 million pounds of produce and call on Americans to help double that donation by pledging to grow and donate an additional 1 million pounds of fresh produce to help feed those at risk for hunger.
Led by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, students at the event pledged to "grow a garden for the greater good" as part of this nationwide effort to encourage communities to grow and share fresh produce with those in need. Through the new GroGood campaign, produce from the garden will be donated to local food agencies, helping provide the hungry in Los Angeles with healthy, fresh-grown fruits and vegetables.
"This garden will be a great boost to our students' educational experience," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "The Roy Romer school garden will give students hands-on opportunities to learn from nature, grow their own food and give back to the Los Angeles community."
Nearly 7 percent of Los Angeles County, or 740,000 households, is at risk of hunger. As more people struggle to feed their families, local service organizations are faced with a growing need for food donations. In fact, requests climbed an estimated 41 percent last year, according to a regional food agency.
Los Angeles is the first of five GroGood gardens ScottsMiracle-Gro and its partners will create across the country this spring to encourage neighborhood participation in food gardening and the GroGood campaign. In addition to the Los Angeles garden, other community edible gardens are planned for Miami, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Chicago.
"Edible gardening has become a way of life in America in light of today's economic needs and societal desires for greater sustainability," said Su Lok, director of corporate and community partnerships for ScottsMiracle-Gro. "As more people look to grow their own produce this spring, we hope they will share a portion of their harvest with those in need in their community."
For more information on GroGood, food gardening and how to locate a local food agency that accepts fresh produce, please visit: www.scotts.com/grogood.