The White House is Doing it: Start a Garden

Michelle Obama made headlines recently when she and a bunch of helpers dug up a section of the White House lawn in order to plant a vegetable garden. Gardens at the First Home aren't new (Eleanore Roosevelt had one in the 40s) but the Obama garden reinforces the idea that growing your own food is an economical and healthy option and, well, it's fun!

If you're new to gardening, I have a great link for you. Gardener's Supply offers six pre-planned 3x6 kitchen garden concepts. Start by clicking on options like "Salsa & Tomato Sauce," "High Yield," or "Plant it and Forget it." Up pops a garden plan where the garden is divided into 18 1-foot squares and you're told what to plant in each block. For example: The Salad Bar garden has 3 squares for tomatoes, 2 for peppers, 2 broccoli, 2 cucumber, 1 basil, etc. You are also shown the number of plants for each square (1 tomato per square vs. 8 peas), and then you get lots of tips for getting each little plant off to a good healthy start. If you don't see a concept that meets your culinary tastes, try the "design your own garden" section where you drag veggies onto the garden grid. You can get started here. BTW, Gardener's Supply emphasizes raised beds but all of these gardens can go into a regular garden plot as well.

Don't have space for a garden? Not a problem. Click here to read about community gardens on Green Daily. When I lived in an apartment and didn't have access to anything bigger than a flower pot, I used a community plot. I raised a bunch of veggies and met a bunch of great people.



Image credit: FRUIT AND VEGETABLE2 © Dragan Licina | Dreamstime.co