First Lady Katie O'Malley's vegetable garden
Sun photos: Susan Reimer
It is the season for first families and vegetables.
Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley and her staff overcame the challenges of well-shaded Government House in Annapolis and planted herbs and vegetables Saturday, with the help of master gardeners and some school children.
"I'm going to take very good care of it," said Mrs. O'Malley.
The governor was on hand as well, remembering growing up in Rockville and the garden his father, Tom, planted in the family backyard.
"He would say, 'OK, boys, time to plow the back 40.' In fact, it was no bigger than two cemetery plots," said the governor. "He always had a vegetable garden going and he took great delight in what it produced."
Sons Will and Jack were on hand to help plant, although the governor acknowledge that neither is a big vegetable eater. "Their idea of the food groups is chicken fingers, french fries and ketchup," said O'Malley.
However, the O'Malley's teen-aged daughters, Grace and Tara, are vegetarians. "We have to plead with them to eat protein," said the governor.
Mrs. O'Malley happily recalled the flower gardens she used to plant in Baltimore with her daughters. "But then the two boys came along and Martin was elected mayor and something had to go," she said.
Overseeing the planting was Government House chef Medford Canby, who said he expects the garden to produce enough for both family and official meals.
"What chef wouldn't want something like this in his backyard," said Canby.
For a slideshow of the planting of the First Lady's vegetable garden, go to baltimoresun.com.
And for a diagram of the Mrs. O'Malley's garden, go to plangarden.com
Comments
Keep the high-profile gardens coming!
Posted by: NotableM | April 25, 2009 3:52 PM
Gardens are wonderful things; growing anything is good for the soul. However, I'm not sure that gardens and politics really mix. Maryland taxpayers will pay for the O'Malley garden's growth and tending, just as we are paying for the Obama's garden. It has been calculated that the Obama's lettuce, fully costed for use of government labor, will cost $40/head. I don't know the price of the O'Malley's lettuce, but it certainly will be higher than the cost of lettuce purchased in the store. In this economy, what premium should we be willing to pay so that politicians can use our tax dollars to tend their gardens?
Posted by: bev | April 26, 2009 2:54 AM
Heck
They are doing nothing new that I haven't done in 25 years.
The only thing new is they get to be on the news.
One thing I do when my garden reaps it's rewards is I give my veggies away to those in my neighborhood for EVERYONE to share.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the O'Malley clan plans on keeping the entire bounty for themselves.
Posted by: Carole | April 27, 2009 9:17 AM
I think think this is wonderful way to promote gardening and healthy eating. I'm sure the O'Malley's will share with family and friends.
Posted by: Maureen | April 27, 2009 10:42 AM
bev, if the O'Malley and Obama gardens are tended during the regular workday by groundspersons who are already on staff (and both the Staehouse and the White House have lots and lots of groundspersons) then they are not costing taxpayers anything extra. If, in fact, supplemental groundspeople are required to tend the vegetable gadens, the cost per head of lettuce needs to be figured at the staffer's hourly rate less the cost of unempoyment compensation.
Posted by: Eve | April 27, 2009 12:49 PM
Wow there's a world crisis and they are concerned with gardening, what is gardening the only thing they can do?
Posted by: Oleg Polejaev | April 27, 2009 4:54 PM
It's a GARDEN for pete's sake! Lighten up!
Posted by: RayRay | April 28, 2009 8:16 AM
The garden is being tended by volunteer Master Gardeners from the University of Maryland's Home and Garden Information, www.hgic.umd.edu, mastergardeners.umd.edu, with some watering help from groundskeepers. The Master Gardeners got so many calls over the winter from residents asking for help on how to start a vegetable garden that they initiated the grow it eat it educational/gardening campaign. www.growit.umd.edu
It's great the O'Malleys are helping to raise awareness about backyard food gardening so others can tap into the Master Gardeners' expertise and learn how to do it themselves.
Posted by: sue | April 28, 2009 11:38 PM