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##The White House Kitchen Garden

The Obamas have famously planted an organic vegetable garden on the lawn of the White House in the US.

The idea was first posted at OnDayOne.org, a site collecting proposals for the new president to undertake upon entering office. It was picked up by newspapers and media, and quickly became the most popular proposal on that site. The web site EatTheView.org served as a focal point for the movement.

The Eat The View proposal eventually went on to be voted the grand prize winner of the On Day One contest.

On 20 March 2009, the Obamas started their new White House Kitchen Garden. They’ve even published the layout as an example for others.

This simple action is inspiring families all over America to do the same, which can only be a good thing for their health and budgets!

Update: The Queen of England has also recently started a vegie patch! So what’s stopping Kev?

So Why Not The Lodge?

In January, the finalists for 2009 Australian Of The Year gathered for a morning tea at The Lodge (the Canberra residence of the Australian Prime Minister). Looking at the lawns and rose bushes, Peter Cundall (one of the finalists, and an Australian gardening legend) put it to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that he needed a vegie patch. Mr Rudd and his wife were apparently interested – he was raised on a farm in Queensland.

Peter would like to set up a 6-bed rotational organic garden at The Lodge, similar to the one he set up at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens that is regularly featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia. He has lined up Joyce Wilkie and Michael Plane, experienced organic farmers from nearby Gundaroo, to help manage the vegie patch.

Pete had Pete’s Patch, so why not Kev’s Patch?

Stephanie Alexander, founder of the Kitchen Garden Foundation, restaurateur and author, has also called on the Rudds to set up a vegie garden at The Lodge. Stephanie has been working tirelessly to get kitchen gardens set up in schools across Australia, with gardening and cooking the produce incorporated into the curriculum.

So far, though, nothing has happened.

So let’s get some interest stirring in this project!

If you have a blog or web site, write a post calling for Mr Rudd to start a vegie garden. Pitch the idea in any online forums you frequent (feel free to copy stuff from this page, but please link back here if you do!). Talk about it at garden clubs, SeedSavers meetings, community groups, etc and see if you can get them to write him a letter. The more people that get behind this idea, and the more places it’s seen, the better the chance that it will actually happen.

You can even leave a message for Mr Rudd at the PM’s official web site (I did!).

And don’t forget to come back here and check for updates. I’ll be posting more information, sample letters, links to supporters, etc as I get the time.