Re: WHITE HOUSE GARDEN

**c* d* <c*@frontiernet.net>**

You are missing the point.  What you said is very true for the home  
veg gardener. ( and I was one for twenty years). The WH garden is  
being cared for by public employees who are paid (not the homeowner  
who is not).  We should support all the organic growers out there who  
are trying to make a living and have to pay taxes on their land and  
have a cost of the money invested in land and equipment, mortages and  
loans to pay.  The WH garden paid for by taxpayers is a costly show  
piece which may inspire more home gardeners to to one also but maybe  
they will be inspired by the money they will save and the taste of  
the veg produced rather than trying to copy someone else.   You can  
be very sure Michele Obama and the girls will spend little or no time  
out in the garden weeding, etc. in the heat and humidity of a
Washington summer.  I did that and it was exhausting.
On Apr 15, 2009, at 10:55 AM, Miranda Smith wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 10:40 AM, caroline dewilde  
> <cdewilde@frontiernet.net
>> wrote:
>
>
> I THINK IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO TOTAL UP WHat this organic garden
> is going to cost and find out what the cost to produce the vegetables
> is going to be,
> ----------------------------------------
>
> Hi,
>
> Were residents of the White House to continue to garden in that  
> spot, costs
> would decrease substantially over the years. A lot of the costs  
> associated
> with their garden are first-time costs. The longer you manage an  
> organic
> garden, the less expensive it gets. Once the soil develops a balanced
> system, pests and diseases decrease dramatically--along with pesticide
> costs. If they cover crop it and it's big enough for a rotational
> scheme--they might have to enlarge it for that to be true--costs of
> amendments go down. If they compost the wastes from that enormous  
> kitchen,
> that will also cut the cost of amendments. Given they are in DC,  
> they may
> need fairly steady inputs of lime for a number of years, and maybe  
> some mag
> and boron every few years. But even so, it would be great to keep  
> track of
> the costs for that garden on a year-by-year basis because it would  
> show the
> real economic advantages of organic gardening.
>
> It's important to remember that the value of gardening goes far beyond
> economics. Although you can't quantify it, its educational and  
> emotional
> value is worth a great deal. The activity itself can take the place  
> of other
> kinds of recreation and the exercise has to be worth at least one gym
> membership.
>
> Miranda
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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caroline dewilde

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