More public vegetable gardens

1. Despite grumbling in the background by Chemical Ag defenders, Vilsack (Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack) gives small demonstration plot big symbolic importance.

People's Garden on the grounds of the USDA headquarters in D.C., taking the extra step to get officially certified as organic - oh, yeah! In fact, they're getting their compost from the Rodale Institute itself - and Rodale's very, very happy about that. Their farm director Jeff Moyer delivered the compost himself, and here's how that came about (via Treehugger):

"Moyer was instrumental in making the connection with the People's Garden and negotiating the delivery. Moyer, as chair of the National Organic Standards Board, learned of the garden and its organic status in conversation with Barbara Robinson, acting chair of the USDA’s National Organic Program. He offered the compost, and Rodale received the OK to deliver it."
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20090407/gw1

2. According to Janet Kenoyer, GSA's top horticulturist, another organic veg garden will soon be installed in D.C., this one in a courtyard at the EPA. Big Chem's shudders may soon progress to full convulsions.

AT 64 OTHER FEDERAL LANDSCAPES IN DC
Oh, it gets worse (if you're Big Chem, that is). In 2008, to little notice, the government's building management agency switched to 100 percent poultry manure for all its fertilizer needs. We're talking 64 sites covering 84 acres. Maybe the move went unnoticed because it didn't threaten conventional food-growing, just synthetic landscape products. Or maybe it was because nobody even knows what the General Services Administration IS.

And you won't be surprised to learn that this move to organics was done by land managers on their own initiative, not under orders from any political appointee. (It's nice to be under the radar.) Here's more about GSA's landscape program.

General Services Administration greens ALL its grounds
http://www.greenthegrounds.org/general-services-administration-greens-all-its-grounds.html


3. For those following what's planned for the White House Garden, there is a free 19 page download link of plans: http://citiesgogreen.com/2009/04/15/greening-the-grounds-of-executive-mansions/