Downing Street is growing vegies too

Vegetables in the Downing St garden

Soon Mr Rudd will be the only world leader without his own vegie patch. Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has got one now. Watch out, Kev, you’ll get left behind!

I read on Treehugger that Mr Brown has had a vegetable patch planted at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK’s PM. Apparently Sarah Brown, his wife, is very excited about the project and keen to see some strawberries soon.

The garden is actually run by the Royal Parks Agency, and the produce is on sale in the Downing St cafeteria so staff can benefit from having freshly picked vegetables.

What’s interesting to me is that it was his Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn, who committed him to the project. And he only put the idea forward because the Organic Trade Board and the Soil Association put him up to it.

So I feel a letter to our own Environment Minister coming on… when I send it I’ll post it here for you to see and copy if you like.

Photo credit: official Downing St Flickr account.

Pete’s Patch

Peter Cundall is the bright spark who came up with the idea of PM Kevin Rudd having a vegie patch at The Lodge. He asked the PM about it when he was visiting The Lodge as part of the Australian of the Year ceremony in 2007.

But you might know Cundall better from his work on Gardening Australia, where he was a presenter for many seasons until his retirement last year. Cundall loves his vegie gardens, and was responsible for Pete’s Patch, the demonstration vegetable garden at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

Pete’s Patch shows us how it’s possible to have a proper 6-bed crop rotation system going in the space of the average Aussie backyard. It doesn’t take much room at all to grow enough veg for a 4-person family. You can see updates on how the Patch is going on Gardening Australia’s website (with photos going back to 2007), or visit it yourself if you live in Hobart.

Don’t you think it’d make a great model for Mr Rudd to copy at The Lodge? Everything’s been worked out already, it doesn’t need much maintenance, and it wouldn’t take up much room at all. Perfect for a busy man!

One of the garden beds at Pete's Patch, May 2009

The Queen has a backyard vegie patch

As reported in The Guardian, via the Ethicurean blog.

As a 14-year-old, she picked up a spade and joined with the rest of wartime Britain in the Dig for Victory campaign. Seven decades later, though no longer wielding the spade herself, the Queen, 83, has again embraced the “grow your own” movement.

For the first time since the war, fruit and vegetables are to be found in an allotment-sized plot in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.

If Her Majesty can get a vegie patch organised, I think our PM shouldn’t have any trouble either!

Update: You can also watch a video tour of the garden.

The White House kitchen garden

The Obamas have famously planted an organic vegetable garden on the lawn of the White House in the US.

The idea was first posted at OnDayOne.org, a site collecting proposals for the new president to undertake upon entering office. It was picked up by newspapers and media, and quickly became the most popular proposal on that site. The web site EatTheView.org served as a focal point for the movement.

The Eat The View proposal eventually went on to be voted the grand prize winner of the On Day One contest.

On 20 March 2009, the Obamas started their new White House Kitchen Garden. They’ve even published the layout as an example for others.

This simple action is inspiring families all over America to do the same, which can only be a good thing for their health and budgets!