Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House
The big news is that Michelle Obama is starting a garden for her family on the White House grounds, with help from local school kids. Read all about it on the Organic Consumers Assoc. online newsletter: OCA Newsletter, March 20, 2009 (1) (Original article from the NY Times, by Marian Burros (3))
It’s not too late to think about your own Victory Garden for this summer. And its not too late to sign the OCA’s Victory Garden Pledge (2), and make your voice heard for sustainable gardening!
Related Topics
Victory Garden vs Pesticides: Michelle Obama’s White House Organic Garden is under pressure from lobbyists for the industrial chemical producers. See my post: Victory Garden vs Pesticides for more.
Compost: if you’re not already doing so, start saving your kitchen scraps for compost. [Adding meat scraps is a matter of choice: see comments for more on this.] See also our posts on Composting:
- Composting Yard Waste, by David Brown;
- Composting Kitchen & Yard Scraps, by Sally Janover;
- Composting Author Wanted, by ESP.
Starting Seeds Indoors: Read about this and other gardening topics on our Gardening Files page.
A Beginner’s Garden: Follow along as I, Catherine, work on my first veggie garden; I plan to make regular postings as the season progresses. See my first post: A Beginner’s Garden.
References
- OCA Newsletter: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17317.cfm
- OCA’s Victory Garden Pledge: http://organicconsumers.org/transitions/index.cfm
- NT Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html
Catherine,
my husband and I have this ongoing discussion regarding composting. I’ve always heard that you cannot put meat to compost. He says you can. What is the correct answer and why.
Thank you,
Shelli
Well, I’m not the expert; perhaps Sally Janover, our permaculture expert, will weigh in.
My understanding is that meat can be added to compost, but then you risk attracting unwanted attention to your compost pile from predators. Another concern is that meat and other animal waste can harbor parasites; however if your compost pile reaches properly high internal temperature, that should kill any parasites lurking in the contents.
This does not answer your question but it is interesting.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=802&storyType=garden
I have put meat in my compost bins before but I now prefer not to because the rotted meat smell attracts more flies and the aroma is not pleasant (worse than composting green matter)
Keith