The Obamas plant a veggie garden :)

[Jenniffer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html

Debated as to whether to put it here or in current events, but here won out. Here is cozier :)

[BigTom]

Maybe I should call and see if they need a load of poop delivered?

[derricksonb]

What they've planted sounds alot like what most of us have in our gardens with a few cool exceptions:

"The Obamas will feed their love of Mexican food with cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil. A White House carpenter, Charlie Brandts, who is a beekeeper, will tend two hives for honey."

However it can't really be "the Obamas garden" since they won't be doing the work. "Twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help her dig up the soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot" "Mr.(Sam) Kass (an assistant White House chef) will oversee the garden." "The White House grounds crew and the kitchen staff will do most of the work, but other White House staff members have volunteered."

I wonder what kind of other fruits and veggies they'll plant. They have a big enough plot at 1,100 sq feet (about the same as mine) but I'm disappointed that they didn't mention corn, beans, and melons.

[newyacker]

I don't know DB, they mentioned even the POTUS will pull weeds. The only person exempt from working in the garden is Grandma. I'm sure the girls will spend alot of time out there, since their parents have a high regard for responsibility. :) Can't wait to see the pics as the summer goes on!

[derricksonb]

I have a hard time believing that President Obama could identify a weed without the help of his teleprompter. The only pics we'll see of the First Family tending the garden will be strictly ceremonial.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

I personally think that home gardens will be all the rage this year. You've never had a green bell pepper until you've had one you grew yourself, and let ripen on the vine. They are so good, and so green that it'll make you cry. Same thing goes for tomatos. I cannot stand store-bought tomatos.

This year, I'm getting back to my Iowan upbringing, and will be growing mad corn. Corn is a great plant because 4 rows deep provides an excellent barrier for privacy. I should get with Tom and get some soil pretty quick, because where I want to plant it now is pretty clayish.

Oh, and I highly recommend getting on down to the Home Despot and getting blueberry plants. We're swinging heavy into the berries this year. So far it's blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and dingleberries.

[newyacker]

Hey Chut, what the heck is mad corn? :confused: ...and why is it mad?

[JiveTurkey]

Oh, and I highly recommend getting on down to the Home Despot and getting blueberry plants. We're swinging heavy into the berries this year. So far it's blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and dingleberries.
I am ordering berries and grapes this evening. I'll leave the dingleberries up to Ralphie.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

Hey Chut, what the heck is mad corn? :confused: ...and why is it mad?

See, it gets a little angry because after you till the soil, you then have to cornhole the soil to drop the seeds into. So that tends to upset the kernels. All kernels live by a 'don't ask, don't tell' mantra...

The corn has also found out about a man named Doctor Scholls who seeks to remove unsightly corns using treated pads, and the corn doesn't understand why Dr. Scholls wants it to go away so badly. So that pisses it off a little more.

Then, when the corn is stalked (ha ha get it, stalked) by some jerk, the corn doesn't understand why the jerk comes up to it, rips it's clothes off and pulls it's hairs out one by one. Then, to top off that humiliation, the jerk thinks they're being nice by giving the corn a nice hot bath, but the hot water winds up killing it.

Not a pleasant life for corn.

[newyacker]

See, it gets a little angry because after you till the soil, you then have to cornhole the soil to drop the seeds into. So that tends to upset the kernels. All kernels live by a 'don't ask, don't tell' mantra...

The corn has also found out about a man named Doctor Scholls who seeks to remove unsightly corns using treated pads, and the corn doesn't understand why Dr. Scholls wants it to go away so badly. So that pisses it off a little more.

Then, when the corn is stalked (ha ha get it, stalked) by some jerk, the corn doesn't understand why the jerk comes up to it, rips it's clothes off and pulls it's hairs out one by one. Then, to top off that humiliation, the jerk thinks they're being nice by giving the corn a nice hot bath, but the hot water winds up killing it.

Not a pleasant life for corn.

I deserved that! :o But what is mad corn...really?

[pamperedchef]

We all know what he is REALLY planting!!!

[Nanuk]

Well I doubt that they'll be short for workers, now that Congress has just authorized the creation of the "Obama Youth", aka: "Mandatory volunteerism". (There's even a provision for uniforms... Wanna guess if they actually provide brown shirts?)

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1388

So let's hear from the people who thought that it would be a horrible idea for the government to force kids to do something for the country whether or not they wanted to. It's actually here now. K-12 kids need to start working on the straight-arm salute to the new "Dear Leader".

Apply quick and you may get assigned to weed Michelle's garden.

[grafxgirl]

Mad corn ... well, I suppose if you make it really mad and raise it's blood pressure it could become popcorn!:D

I'm excited about expanding on our garden this year. I have probably around 100 jars all cleaned out and ready for canning. I think veggies out of the garden have so much more flavor than from the grocery store because you can pick them and eat them immediately. Who knows how long the veggies in the stores sit? We planted grapes several years ago. The past two years our vines have produced grapes.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

The trick with grapes is that you have to cut them back each year, kinda like they do at the wineries. In other words, if your plant produces 100 bunches of grapes, they won't be anywhere near as good if the same plant only has to produce 20 bunches. Quality, not quantity.

[grafxgirl]

Yup, we keep them trimmed exactly like the wineries do.

[JiveTurkey]

The trick with grapes is that you have to cut them back each year, kinda like they do at the wineries. In other words, if your plant produces 100 bunches of grapes, they won't be anywhere near as good if the same plant only has to produce 20 bunches. Quality, not quantity.
Thanky there.

[Kensey]

Well I doubt that they'll be short for workers, now that Congress has just authorized the creation of the "Obama Youth", aka: "Mandatory volunteerism".

Last time I looked at this, there was nothing mandatory. Has that changed?