Dear Kitchen Gardener,

Who says that digging an organic garden in front of a White House can't be done?  I recently dug a new one in front of my white house in one day, so it can't be that difficult*.  You can see for yourself in our new "This Lawn is Your Lawn" video which is directed at the next "Landscaper-in-Chief."  I'm biased, but I think you're going to have a toe-tapping, good time watching it. 

As you've already gathered, I continue to be very focused on White House garden project which is part of our "Eat the View" campaign to plant gardens in "high-profile, high-impact places".  As your usually humble kitchen gardening servant, I hope you agree that this is good use of KGI's limited resources.  If, together, we can get edibles growing again at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it will send a powerful wave of gardening goodness rippling across the country and the world.  If, together, we can get the next President not only buying into the benefits of local foods, but biting into them, many exciting new things become possible. So, please bear with me over the course of the next few months as the campaigns (political and horticultural) reach maximum ripeness.  Better yet, look for ways of getting involved in our campaign by identifying a high-profile landscape in your town, state, or country in need of an edible makeover, signing our White House garden petition, signing yourself or your group up to the "Eat the View" website, or joining our Facebook group. Or perhaps you have a skill or talent you can contribute to the cause? 

If you enjoyed watching the video linked above, I'd like to invite you to play a starring role in the sequel.  Kitchen Garden Day will soon be upon us. This year, I'm proposing that KG Day be not only a "day of celebration" but a "day of eat the view audio-visual action".  Last year, we produced a simple video which I'm sure we can improve upon in terms of energy and creativity if we get enough people participating. 

So, here's what I propose.  Whether you are planning a group celebration or a private one, please record it in photos or video footage that make some link to the "Eat the View" campaign.  For photos, for example, you might consider playing off our Obama/McCain picture by sharing a picture of yourself or KG Day celebrants biting into a part of your own view like my favorite vegetable models are doing below .  Alternatively, you might have some fun creating banners or posters with slogans that play off of the campaign themes or "This Lawn" video ("I'm eating the view. Will You?", "It's My Lawn Too!" "Don't Just Mow it, Sow It!" etc.).  As for video, you might record your group shouting out "Eat the View" or singing "This Lawn is My Lawn" in four part harmony. Let your imagination roam free. 

Whatever you choose to do, please keep it fun, light, and either bipartisan or nonpartisan.  Although we kitchen gardeners may be used to working in the mud, it doesn't help our cause to sling it. 

One of the many cool things about our new website is that it's very easy to upload your own photos and videos.  So, once you've got some things to share, please use the site's upload tools.  We're also interested in group and action photos from Kitchen Garden Day from different parts of the world.  KGI was founded on the belief that gardens and gardeners offer a bridge between cultures. Imagine the impressed faces of foreign dignitaries dining at the White House when they learn that their salad greens were harvested earlier that day from the South Lawn!

To motivate you, we're going to offer a $200 gift certificate to Johnny's Selected Seeds to the person or group that uploads the most interesting and engaging content.  We'll begin the judging on September 2nd, so please upload your photos and videos by the end of the day, Monday, September 1st.  Please tag your content with "ETVcontest" (without the quotes) so that it's easy to find. 

Stay tuned.  We've got more big news planned for September!

Under a warm and dry (for now) Maine sky,

*For those of you thinking of starting a new garden or expanding a current one, there's a much easier way to transform lawn into garden than the symbolic, cinematic approach I took of removing the sod. All you need to do is place several layers of newspapers and/or untreated cardboard down where you want your new garden to be and then cover it up with thick layers of compost and/or mulch. Mother Nature will do the rest. Late summer and autumn are a great time for using this technique (known as "sheet mulching").  A garden started this way now will be ready for spring planting.