Students from across the country happily braved colder than average temperatures last week to participate in the annual White House Kitchen Garden planting. The Kitchen Garden, which supplies fresh produce for White House events and Obama family’s meals, is the first garden to be planted at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden in 1943. Both potent symbols for food growing, the Victory Garden and Kitchen Garden exemplify how gardens can supplement one’s food supply while supporting healthy food choices.
From the White House to our house, food growing has never been easier in and around our nation’s capital.
The Capital Area Food Bank provides training for its broad network of partner agencies to start gardens and educate clients about gardening and food growing. This spring, two exciting gardening workshops will be offered:
- Getting the Most Bang for your Buck through Gardening teaches our partners the value of food growing and how to make the most of their time and resources. Topics explored include how to save money on materials, how to choose the best plants to grow, and how to maximize garden yield.
- The day-long Grow Your Own Workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the basic principles of gardening while teaching participants how to grow their own food. Partners learn together how to plant and care for vegetables in any space.
You can’t teach about gardening without getting your hands dirty. The food bank’s Urban Demonstration Garden will serve as the outdoor learning laboratory for its food growing workshops. Partners will contribute to the growth of the garden and find inspiration in the innovative food growing techniques being demonstrated.
Keep checking the CAFB blog for updates on the building of the Capital Area Food Bank’s Urban Demonstration Garden and learn how to get involved.
Abbie Steiner is the Capital Area Food Bank’s Resident Food Growing Expert. Follow her on Twitter at @redheadgardener.