Comments on: First Lady Michelle Obama and Bancroft Elementary Fifth Graders Till the Soil for White House Vegetable Garden and BEE HIVE!

By: SunMan

SunMan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:40:08 +0000

The beehive is fantastic and incredible. We’ve got one here within 50 feet of the house. No problem at all. In fact, it’s common the bees are around outside water sources… birdbaths, garden hose, etc. and they don’t bother anybody. In fact, my father will take a chair and sit within 10 feet from the hive to watch them bring in pollen and do their work.

Don’t forget, these bees have jobs to do and the only time they become aggressive is when they feel threatened, as in you opening the hive to take their honey! But when guests come over, they will go and check it out, kids play within 20 feet… and we have no problems.

Said earlier by a writer… they weren’t sure what stung them. Of course you CAN get stung by a honeybee, but I believe the odds are high it was something else.

The h-bees are too busy and too domesticated to sting when not provoked.

Long live the bees!

By: Karen Ellis

Karen Ellis — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:09:11 +0000

We are planting a garden at our school, Forest Oak Elementary School in Newark, DE (Joe Biden’s state!!). The children are all very excited, as we have been focusing on vegetables and healthy eating throughout the school year. The Wellness Team received a grant from Hidden Valley Ranch, and as a result, we are planting a garden, creating a vegetable cookbook, and a fresh veggie bar is provided during lunch on a weekly basis. When my students heard about Michelle Obama’s garden, they decided to write letter to the First Lady to persuade her to come visit our school garden. I realize how busy Mrs. Obama is, but I am hoping she can find the time to write back to the students and encourage them to continue to focus on eating properly as well as praising their involvement in the whole process. We are so fortunate to have a First Lady who values education and learning outside of the classroom!!

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:55:14 +0000

Goodness, this is so great!

I’ve really enjoyed reading the comments here, too; it’s time for me to invest in a slow cooker, too, like Jackie, and it’s heart warming to know that Margaret Ingram’s class(es) have been gardening for a good number of years.

At some point I’ll give vegetable growing a go, but, to start I want to kick off with trying to grow sprouts, like mung bean, aduki, alfalfa, chickpeas, lentils and soya beans. I’ve bought bags of organic sprouts to put into my lunchtime salads; they are little nutritional powerhouses, and it’s time to try growing some for myself. It should (hopefully) be an easy start for a baby beginner like I am; no soil or sunshine needed, it’s done indoors, and the sprouts are ready to eat in 3-5 days…apparently!

Well, re: the bees, I’ve read that in both Britain and the U.S. there’s been a mysterious decline in their numbers over the past number of years. All kinds of reasons have been given including mobile telephone signals, but, I’m not sure whether anyone’s close to finding an answer. Oregonbeeman has it right re: the environment and the importance of bees. We need ‘em!

Looking forward very much to getting an update in due course on the White House garden.

By: emily

emily — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:56:50 +0000

i think michelle rocks!

By: Dana

Dana — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:56:15 +0000

Not only does gardening provide exercise, but also fresh food that doesn’t cost as much as the supermarket.

I really like this First Lady’s emphasis on good health and practical living.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:05:00 +0000

I can only echo what everyone else has said. Michelle has not stopped since she entered the White House, she’s struly unstoppable. I can spend my days just surfing for articles and pictures of her. Encouraging everyone to get back to basics is great.

The recession has really made me step back and think about money and how I spend it in my home. I recently bought a slow cooker and my family come home to warming stews and cassroles every evening that literally cost peanuts. As well as that I’ve gone back to the days when cake buying was a rarity in our house and my mother baked instead. I devote my lazy Sunday afternoons baking pies and cakes for my home and church. I haven’t started a vegetable garden yet but my herb garden is coming along lovely.

By: OregonBeeMan

OregonBeeMan — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:46:13 +0000

Honey Bees at the White House! What a great thing! Honey bees not only provide pollination for many of the foods we eat every day, they are truly the canary in the coal mine for the environment. Having bees at the White House will drive discussions about the use of pesticides, organic care of the White House grounds, etc. It’s a great thing.
And, for those of you that have been stung, likely it wasn’t a honey bee, and, regardless, that’s a small price to pay for an insect that brings so much value to our lives.

By: rikyrah

rikyrah — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:38:25 +0000

I’m on board with the garden.The bees? Um, nope.

By: Margaret Ingram

Margaret Ingram — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:14:28 +0000

Wow! I really connected with First Lady Michelle Obama and the Fifth Grade gardeners. My Fourth Graders have been gardening for about six years as part of the curriculum. They are growing some of the same kinds of vegetables such as: beans, peas, beets, corn, broccoli, spinach, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes. We also make our own compost using a tumbler located on campus. The students are growing a verity of lettuce in their hydroponic garden as well. It’s awesome! I hope their garden is as beautiful as ours. Good Luck!

We would love to connect with this group. Is it possible?

By: admin

admin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:06:21 +0000

@nursesnow where have you been hiding. This place isn’t quite the same without our resident critic . Has the First Lady done anything you approve of?