Farms Race: The Obama's White House Garden Has Given Fire to an International Movement

When Michelle Obama broke ground for her 1,100-square-foot garden on the White House lawn, the shock waves were felt around the world.

On her recent trip overseas, most of the press focused on the first lady's fashion statements. But world leaders, she said upon her return, wanted to discuss the statement her garden was making.

"Every single person from Prince Charles on down, they were excited we were planting this garden," Obama told the fifth-grade students who helped her seed it.

Reactions at home have run the gamut, from elation in foodie circles to Big Ag's revulsion at the garden's organic status. Meanwhile, the first garden has spurred a race among the gardening faithful to plant flags on other high-profile plots and lay claim to various other gardening firsts, like so many first ascents up mountaintops.

Jimmy Carter had his herb garden, and Hillary Rodham Clinton had a small rooftop garden planted in pots, but this is the first real vegetable garden planted at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden inspired millions of Americans to start victory gardens of their own.

Obama's garden has already exerted a similarly inspirational ripple effect. Politicians and advocacy groups are jumping on the bandwagon here in the U.S., and admirers as far away as Australia have begun clamoring for gardens on the grounds of their own houses of leadership.

"I'm beyond satisfied," says Roger Doiron, founding director of Kitchen Gardeners International. In early 2008, Doiron organized an initiative, dubbed "Eat the View," to gather signatures encouraging the next first family to replace a section of the White House lawn with a vegetable garden. Worldwide, more than 100,000 people signed on.

In foodie circles, Doiron has been applauded as the dog that caught the car, but he wears his success lightly.

"I'm more the good food roadie," he says, "making sure the microphones are on, and amplifying the voice of the people."

While not certified organic, the first garden is billed as organic in practice -- and that's a dangerous precedent to be amplifying, according to the Mid America CropLife Association, which represents agribusinesses like Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Crop Protection.

Following the announcement of Obama's garden, MACA sent the first lady a letter expressing concern that no chemicals will be used to help the crops grow and fretting that consumers might get the wrong impression about "conventionally" grown food.

After sending the letter to Obama, MACA forwarded it to organization supporters, one of whom forwarded it Jill Richardson of the La Vida Locavore blog. The leaked letter came prefaced with the following introductory note:

"Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an "organic" garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama's [sic] and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I [Bonnie McCarvel] shudder."

There were probably more shudders in the big-chem corner when Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack celebrated Earth Day by announcing plans for a 1,300-square-foot organic garden -- USDA-certified, of course -- to be installed in the National Mall.

"The garden will help explain to the public how small things they can do at home, at their business or on their farm or ranch, can promote sustainability, conserve the nation's natural resources, and make America a leader in combating climate change," Vilsack said in a statement.

As the garden's ripples continue, plans for me-too governmental gardens are popping up like weeds. Maryland first lady Katie O'Malley is planning a garden at the governor's mansion in Annapolis. Maria Shriver, first lady of California, has plans for an organic garden in Sacramento's Capitol Park come May. A group of Vermont gardeners calling themselves the Association for the Planting of Edible Public Landscapes for Everyone (APPLE), not only has designs on the statehouse lawn in Montpelier, they're trying to beat Shriver to the punch.