The Obamas' White House garden harvests sweet potatoes for the first time

November 18, 2014

For those who don't know, some American presidents have had the opportunity to have their own gardens within the White House though some didn't grow gardens, but Eleanor Roosevelt, Clinton and now, the Obama's have their gardens in the White House.

Michelle Obama started her own garden, which is the biggest White House kitchen garden so far, when her daughters Malia and Sasha were not receiving nutritious meals. They had been eating out a lot and the family's pediatrician recommended a diet change. This was revealed in Michelle Obama's book entitled "American Grown: The story of the White House Kitchen Garden".

This year, the kitchen garden, as it is called, for the first time included orange sweet potato, a root vegetable that is rich in vitamin A that most Nigerians and Africans are conversant with. The sweet potato was chosen to highlight its role in improving the nutrition and health of millions of children and women throughout Sub-Saharan Africa by providing this essential nutrient.

Under First Lady Michelle Obama, the White House kitchen garden has been expanded and reinvigorated to include a wide range of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. It serves to educate people, especially children, on the importance of good nutrition and the role that vegetables and fruits can play in improving health. The sweet potatoes that were planted in the garden were provided by North Carolina State University (NCSU) and include Covington, a variety developed at NCSU, and Beauregard, a variety developed at Louisiana State University.