Vegetable gardening comes to Capitol Park this week when California first lady Maria Shriver officially unveils the first edible garden at any statehouse in the nation.
Dubbed "WE Garden in Capitol Park," the 800-square-foot project is designed to inspire schoolchildren to learn about food and nutrition as well as agriculture.
"We're very excited," said Francisco Castillo, Shriver's spokesperson. "Maria has been trying to get an edible garden at the Capitol since 2004 when she first met with Alice Waters and got inspired."
Waters and celebrity chef Guy Fieri will join Shriver for the dedication Thursday morning. The event also will feature a food fair with free samples, cooking demonstrations and healthy recipes.
Located in a 30-foot-diameter circle formerly occupied by bearded irises and annuals, the new garden got its initial planting Friday with the help of students from Galt High School. In the first crop will be tomatoes, garbanzo beans, zucchini, beets, sunflowers and cilantro. Food harvested from the demonstration garden is expected to go to local food banks.
"It's a wee garden – it's small," said Bill Maynard, who helped supervise its creation and supplied the strawberry transplants from his own yard. "The students started a lot of the seedlings. Soil Born Farms also contributed quite a bit along with other donors."
Vegetable gardening got a much higher profile this spring, including at the nation's most famous residence – the White House. In March, first lady Michelle Obama helped schoolchildren plant a 1,100-square-foot organic garden on the White House's south lawn, featuring 55 varieties of vegetables and herbs that will be used in meals for the first family.
"We actually planned this long before Michelle Obama's garden," Maynard added of the Capitol garden. "This is not a copycat."
Said Castillo, "(Capitol Park) is a historic site and a state park, and it took a long time to get this approved. It's not like planting a vegetable garden in your back yard. And there's no governor's mansion in Sacramento."
Shriver has made promoting school gardening a personal mission, Castillo noted. Since she became first lady in 2003, the number of California school gardens has doubled to about 6,000.
"When first ladies take an interest, it's huge," he added. "We're all putting emphasis on healthy eating and healthy living through better nutrition. … This may be a small garden, but it's a good start. The fact that we have it is a big step."
Call The Bee's Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075.
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