It's official, there will be a White House garden!

About a year ago joined forces with Kitchen Gardeners International to rallying in support of the White House planting a garden.

The Rationale behind a garden in the White House was that 1) there used to be one back in Washington's day and 2) it would be a symbol to the world that America cares is committed to making local, fresh food a priority for American citizens.

But this did not happen in a day. Kitchen Gardener has been at this project for a while now, they report: Launched in February 2008, Eat the View proposed that the Obamas replant a White House Victory Garden while planting a few extra rows for the hungry. The campaign used viral videos and social networking technologies like Facebook to grow a large support base, attract international media attention and help inspire a larger grassroots effort. In January, 2009, Eat the View won the On Day One contest sponsored by the United Nations Foundation, beating out 4,000 other entries and resulting in thousands of messages being sent to the White House in support of its proposal.

Many posts back I wrote about Kitchen Gardeners petition to prompt the White House to put in a garden. 100,000 people signed the petition asking the Obamas to replant a Victory Garden and now the NY Times is reporting that it is going to happen!

On Friday, March 20th, 2009, 23 third graders will join First Lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn of the White House to break ground on an 1100 square foot kitchen garden that will provide food for family dinners and formal dinners.

"The Obamas’ garden will have 55 varieties of vegetables grown from organic seedlings started at the executive mansion’s greenhouses. Almost the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said laughing."

These gardens should also inspire everyday citizens to plant their own gardens. By doing that they can teach their kids where their food comes from and help them understand the importance of fresh local produce. Plus, things you grow yourself taste better anyways.

To read more about this historic event and to see where the garden will be planted (and what will be planted), click here.