In Praise of Michelle Obama's Garden 
                                        by Chris Winslow
 
From my point of view, as a vegetable gardener, the top story of 2009
was First Lady Michelle Obama’s gardening project on the White
House lawn.

When I turned to the pages of the Austin American Statesman on new
year’s day, I found an editorial by Susan Reimer supporting my opinion.
She had placed it at the top of her list.

Some facts: the First Garden is 1,100 square feet, and cost $175.00 in
soil amendments, plants, and seeds. That’s .16 cents per square foot as
a starting cost.

Even in Washington D.C., an area far colder than Austin and with a
shorter growing season, they managed to harvest over 1,000 pounds of
vegetables.

Now let’s do the math again: that’s an average of just less than .18 cents
a pound. I asked my wife Diane about the current price of tomatoes in
the store. “Over two dollars a pound for those tomatoes strip-mined
somewhere in Mexico,” was her response. Every vegetable, she says,
costs well over a dollar a pound.

What other backyard endeavor can we take on that is so financially
rewarding and beneficial to our lives, giving us exercise, fresh air and
sunshine?

This news is inspirational! And the better news is that we live in Central
Texas where some vegetable crop or other can be planted ‘most any
day. We can have four seasons of success with just a little planning and
a good gardening calendar

Don’t forget also that you can store vegetables quite easily. Can those
tomatoes, peas, beans, and okra and keep them fresh for later use. Onions
and potatoes can last for months when placed in a cool, well-ventilated area.
                                     Happy Gardening everyone!

Visit the website at www.itsaboutthyme.com  Visit the
nursery at 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 Tel. 512 280 1192