[March 14] This year we beat Michelle Obama--have some peas and lettuce in the ground. Apparently they aren't expanding the White House garden this year. Next year they should be able to have it be officially "organic"--wonder if they will?
[March 20] Here's Obamafoodorama's post on the planting. The post says they have 34 beds, which seems to be an increase from past years. However, because they've converted the raised beds, i.e., piles of dirt, into boxed beds with wood sides stained a rather obnoxious color they might have roughly the same square footage. I wonder about the wood--is it naturally rot-resistant or is it ordinary pine? The Reston community garden where my wife and I garden now bans preservative treated wood, so our neighbor guesses her new pine beds may last her 10 years or so. We installed our boxed beds before the ban went into effect, so the sides are original, about 30 years old. Contrary to concerns, I don't believe the leaching of preservative represents a serious health danger.
Unlike my neighbor, who invested in the fancy steel corner posts for making boxed beds, the White House seems to have gone with simple butt joints. One concern I'd have is the force of the soil inside against the sides may over time overpower the joints. But for now the garden looks good. The blogt explains the garden is visible to tourists, and thus must look good, hence the boxed beds. There's also the value of a clear separation between garden and non-garden, a big advantage when you're inviting urban kids who have little acquaintance with weeds or vegetables to work in your garden. Going to the boxed beds does mean a biggish investment in wood and labor.
Much of what was planted were started plants, cole crops. They did plant spinach and beets.
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