White House garden underway

The first lady has begun building an organic kitchen garden on the White Houses south lawn.

Setting an example to US citizens, Michelle Obama and 26 Washington schoolchildren started working on the 1,100 sq ft plot on Friday (March 20th).

Mrs Obama explained that kids can revel in the fun of growing their own fruit and vegetables and will be more inclined to eat healthy food if they had a hand in producing it.

"My girls like vegetables more if they taste good," she said.

"Especially if theyre involved in planting it and picking it, they were willing to give it a try."

Some of the food produced in the garden will go to the White House kitchen and will be served to the first family.

The rest will be used at Miriams Kitchen – a nearby soup kitchen where the homeless really will be able to eat like a president.

Growing your own food has been touted as an excellent way of putting healthy food on the table with minimal costs.

The environmental benefits of the garden will also be important to President Obama, who has already outlined his plans to introduce a carbon cap and trade system in the US.