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  • From: EarthNSky <erthnsky AT gmail.com>
  • To: Homestead List <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Homestead] The White House Garden
  • Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:55:51 -0400

I heard on the news that Michelle Obama has planted her second annual White House garden. Diane Sawyer announced that her first garden yielded a bounty of 1000 pounds of vegetables. The WHG has 'exseeded' expectations, so they report. I see a pattern of misleading statements, and it's bothering me because it is such a small thing, no reason to not be honest and forthright..

My issue is that this whole thing is misleading. For MO to state, “And do you know how much it costs to plant all this?’’ she asked. “A hundred-and-twenty-something dollars to get the soil ready, and about fifty-five dollars for all of these seeds. So for less than two hundred dollars we have planted enough food to feed not just the folks at the White House, but we’ve also given a lot of food to some of our neighbors, and we’re going to do that today.’’(interview made last Fall-end of October) If you look at the original plan, it was mostly leafy greens, herbs, lettuces and the like, Spring stuff. If they did buy all of those seeds, yeah, $55 was probably about right at $2 a pack or so. However, they grew summer crops, too, tomatoes, tomatillos, green beans, squash, sweet potatoes,etc. etc. Where is the cost for all of that? In October she seems to only be counting her startup Spring seed costs. Probably the Obamas did get 1000 pounds of produce out of their garden, but they certainly did not get 1000 pounds of produce from the $55 of seeds they planted.

The garden is called an organic garden, even though they know it is not certified organic, and I don't believe the following statement for a second:
The garden... is not certified organic; that process takes three
years. The White House did have the soil on the lawn tested, and
found that there were no chemical residues.
The White House has the finest 'lawn' in the world. Are they saying that no chemicals were used? Oh, wait, let me read that again...
The WH had the soil *_ON_* the lawn tested, I guess that would be the soil that was brought in for the raised beds by the mule-load(Kawasaki mule, that is)
Can you get certification on raised beds that are over and not separated from pesticide and herbicide laden lawn soils?
Does anyone here think that they might have tested the topsoil that was brought in, and not the actual soil from the lawn?
Why aren't they teaching about what it means to grow things organically? How products like Miracle Grow and Roundup aren't eco-friendly or sustainable?

And then there is this...

Under a brilliant blue sky, Obama, Vilsack, the students and a team
of White House chefs planted 25 varieties of heirloom seeds and
seedlings including kale, rhubarb, arugula and 10 kinds of herbs. One
bed contains plants favored by Thomas Jefferson, including Brown
Dutch and Tennis Ball lettuce, Prickly Seed spinach and Savoy
cabbage.

Has anyone besides me noted that when you see them planting and working in the garden, you see transplants everywhere? Where is the greenhouse that raised the Thomas Jefferson collection of seeds donated by Monticello?

Watch this video from this guy's blogspot..pictures are worth more than a 1000 words.
http://tomnelson.blogspot.com/2009/10/white-house-garden-typical-bs-with-real.html

Remember, $200...according to Michelle.. There is this image of all the poor schoolchildren tending the garden and learning about healthy eats but when the truth is revealed, you realize that there is a whole TEAM of people who are working here. You and I knew this, but most folks don't.
Check out the sod cutter, the Kawasaki Mule, spreaders(they are amending the soil to build a good base), tractors, tillers(note that depth of till), etc...
They are adding topsoil amended with crab meal and potash.....$120 or something, to get the soil ready...the topsoil they brought in...the topsoil not figured into the cost, contained by the lumber or whatever that also wasn't figured into the cost...manufactured by the labor team, etc. etc. etc. Oh, and I haven't even added in the bees and all that honey they produced from foraging on the vegetable garden. Jim Adams is the White House chief horticulturalist...chief..over how many others?
And then there is the very likable Sam Kass, an assistant White House chef and food initiative coordinator who is often seen out in the garden 'working'. Perhaps he is the chief of the 'team of White House chefs". There seems to be an awful lot of people working in this 1100 sf2 garden.

The thing is, I think the garden is a great idea. I actually applauded MO on her decision to plant one, as a symbol of the issues she personally cares about. But, I think they have been so worried about spin that they have lost sight of the real lessons, the lessons they say that are the reasons for the garden to begin with. They could have talked about how pollutants get into our soils, how we have depleted nutrients and need to modify traditional gardening. They could have talked about how the grass on the south lawn is unproductive, but a vegetable garden has value. They should have been honest about costs, and output and especially the labor involved. If they could have shown the world that yes, this is extremely labor intensive, but here are all the benefits, then it would be more realistic. They could compare, honestly, their raised bed veggies with store bought veggies for nutrient content and vitamins. They could have started the compost pile much, much earlier. There are a hundred things that they should be doing, (lasagna gardening, no till, etc.) but instead, the message is lost. All we see now is the spin, the pr, and her gardening wardrobe, which is getting as much attention as the food.

Lastly, I guess I am surprised by the lack of list commentary on this issue....this is, after all, a group of people with an interest in gardening and politics, right?

Bev

--
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Thomas Jefferson






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