Today, first lady Michelle Obama will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the new White House organic vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s World War II victory garden.
The garden will have a twofold purpose; to provide organic vegetables to the White House kitchen and to help educate children about healthful, locally grown fruits and vegetables. In an interview given to The New York Times, Mrs. Obama said, “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”
Students from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help tend the 1,100-square-foot plot. The school has had their own garden since 2001, and the students will help plant, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries and herbs.
The garden will include 55 kinds of vegetables and fruits, chosen from a wish list put together by White House chefs. There will also be two hives for honey tended by a White House carpenter who is also a beekeeper. The chefs will use the produce to feed the first family, as well as for state dinners.