Does the country feel a little healthier today to you? A little more frugal? Maybe it's because First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground on a White House "kitchen garden" today. Maybe you're inspired by that -- or just by skyrocketing seed sales all across America. Either way, here's a quick guide to get you started growing your own food.
KITCHEN GARDENING TIPS
1. Tap into your community. People around you can help answer questions specific to your area. Ask at your local nursery or farmer's market about what will grow well in conditions you have access to -- and make sure it's something you'll actually eat!
2. Start small. If you've never gardened before, or if you don't have much room to work with, try this great guide to growing strawberries at home.
4. Composting helps your plants, helps you connect to nature and helps cut down on waste! There are tons of guides to this. Try starting here.
5. If it's still too cold where you are, you can start your plants indoors -- and you can even use the help of ultra-efficient LED lights.
And Treehugger has a whole set of gardening tips directed at the Obamas, too!
Here's Michelle Obama starting the project:
WHAT WILL BE IN THE OBAMAS' GARDEN?
According to AP, the White House kitchen garden is pretty ambitious, with "spinach, broccoli, various lettuces, kale and collard greens, assorted herbs and blueberries, blackberries and raspberries."
I can only hope that the first lady's next project is on the White House roof -- she did look at a few exhibits on solar power and rooftop gardening, after all!