Governor's House vegetable garden is in!
Maryland's first lady, Katie O'Malley, has opened her at the governor's house in Annapolis again this season.
Master gardeners from the University of Maryland and students from the Cedar Chapel Special School in Worcester County helped plant the first summer vegetable seedlings late last week from plants the students grew in their school greenhouse.
The garden is part of the state’s “Grow It, Eat It" campaign to encourage one million state residents to eat healthy and to grow their own vegetables, fruits and herbs.
“Backyard gardening teaches young people the value of the work it takes to grow something, the perseverance to see it through to harvest, and the joy of tasting something delicious that they grew themselves,” said Mrs. O’Malley.
“We look forward to growing out the seedlings and expanding the garden offerings as an example of what all Marylanders can do whether they have a patio with planters or a larger backyard garden to improve their health and fitness and to being a part of the State’s backyard gardening promotion.”
Planted in the garden are vegetable plants including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, Swiss chard, and herbs. Additionally, Sue Langley, beekeeper for the Government House bee hive, is raising bees for honey. Now, in its second year of production, the Government House hive will be harvested for honey this summer for the first time.
More information on the campaign and the University of Maryland’s Master Gardener program can be found at www.growit.umd.edu. The web site also provides a blog and list of vegetable gardening classes and events by county.
Maryland is one of the first states in the nation to have a backyard food garden at the Governor’s home. The vegetable garden sets a realistic example of what Maryland families can do in their own backyards.
Cedar Chapel Special School is a unique, alternative learning environment, located in Snow Hill (Worcester County). The school prepares students with moderate and severe disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 to be included in regular schools, to be gainfully employed, and to be self-sufficient at home and in their community. www.cedarchapel.org/
At the event, the First Lady also announced that the signature kick-off event for the statewide Buy Local Challenge Week (July 23-31) will be held at Government House on July 21. The campaign encourages all Marylanders to eat at least one local product each day of the week.
Comments
Good article with some excellent points. Gardening is a good activity for young people to take part in.
That's also a nice list of vegetables to grow in your garden as they're quite easy to grow.
Posted by: kendell | June 11, 2011 3:33 PM