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Treehugger digs the White House garden

Ever since Barack Obama was inaugurated, and even before, there's been a movement afoot to pressure the new prez to install an organic garden on the grounds of the White House. Today Michelle Obama personally got out the shovel and broke ground on just such a garden on the South Lawn.

Ever since Barack Obama was inaugurated, and even before, there's been a movement afoot to pressure the new prez to install an organic garden on the grounds of the White House. Today Michelle Obama personally got out the shovel and broke ground on just such a garden on the South Lawn.

First of all, Earth to Philly must take a moment out to congratulate the President and First Lady for jumping on this, and the first day of spring is the perfect occasion to do so (even if, here in Philly, some of us awoke to a dusting of snow on the ground). This, the first presidential garden since World War II, will help garner more visibility and credibility for fresh fruits and vegetables in the mind of the public - something that's been sorely lacking among the past few presidents - as well as driving home the point that we can all keep better connected to our food and that many of us could produce more of it ourselves.

But there's also been a lot of debate about what the Obamas should grow in the garden and why and how. The best analysis of this that I have seen is from that reliable standby, Treehugger, where Meaghan O'Neill gets down to specifics such as swapping out the water-hogging lettuce in favor of cabbage, and provides many links to resources that, whether or not the Obamas avail themselves of them, will be handy to anyone who wants to start gardening.

Once they get the South Lawn garden under way, though, watch for Earth to Philly's campaign pressuring the President to start gardening on the walls of the White House!