• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipMichelle Obama

What Will Happen to Michelle Obama’s White House Garden?

By
Danica Lo
Danica Lo
and
Food & Wine
Food & Wine
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Danica Lo
Danica Lo
and
Food & Wine
Food & Wine
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 15, 2016, 12:02 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama encourages a youngster with a pitchfork as they harvest vegetables in the White House Kitchen Garden in Washington
First Lady Michelle Obama (C) encourages a youngster with a pitchfork as they harvest vegetables in the White House Kitchen Garden, where she is promoting healthy eating habits by the nation's youth, in Washington, U.S. October 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Theiler - RTSR3XUMike Theiler — Reuters

This article originally appeared on Food&Wine.

As the White House takes its first steps towards transitioning the imminent Donald Trump administration, there are a few logistical questions that remain to be answered about its grounds: namely, the fate of Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden.

The garden provides fruits and vegetables for White House events as well as supplementing local non-profits with its extra harvests. Luckily, Mrs. Obama took steps earlier this fall to make sure the future of her garden remained intact. In October, she secured $2.4 million in private funding, and the National Park Service will be looking after the patch of green after the Obamas leave office—that is, unless the Trumps decide to dig it up (which, apparently, they are well within their rights to do).

“I take great pride in knowing that this little garden will live on as a symbol of the hopes and dreams we all hold of growing a healthier nation for our children,” Mrs. Obama said at an event in October. “I am hopeful that future first families will cherish this garden like we have.”

For more on Michelle Obama’s speech, watch this Fortune video:

While we have some trouble imagining the incoming first lady, Melania Trump, taking an active interest in tilling land and growing vegetables, it’s great news that the Obamas’ garden’s future is secure. Vegetable gardens a longtime White House tradition—the first was planted by John and Abigail Adams in 1800, who preferred to grow their own fruits and vegetables rather than buying them at the store. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Franklin Roosevelt also cultivated White House gardens while in office.

First Lady Michelle Obama’s 1,100 square foot vegetable garden was planted in 2009 on the White House’s South Lawn and grows arugula, cilantro, tomatillo, hot peppers, spinach, chard, collards, black kale, berries, lettuce, anise hyssop, and Thai basil. It broke ground in March that year with the help of teachers and students from a local school and, to this day, continues to work with the community, donating some of its 2,000 pounds of produce each year to local organizations.

About the Authors
By Danica Lo
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Food & Wine
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
'I just don't have a good feeling about this': Top economist Claudia Sahm says the economy quietly shifted and everyone's now looking at the wrong alarm
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 31, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Ford CEO has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with up to 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: 'We are in trouble in our country'
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 31, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Ryan Serhant starts work at 4:30 a.m.—he says most people don’t achieve their dreams because ‘what they really want is just to be lazy’
By Preston ForeJanuary 31, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Alexis Ohanian walked out of the LSAT 20 minutes in, went to a Waffle House, and decided he was 'gonna invent a career.' He founded Reddit
By Preston ForeJanuary 31, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Meet the first CEO of the IRS: A Jamie Dimon protege facing a $5 trillion test this tax season
By Shawn TullyJanuary 31, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Startups & Venture
Silicon Valley legend Kleiner Perkins was written off. Then an unlikely VC showed up
By Allie GarfinkleJanuary 31, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Leadership

C-SuiteRetail
Meet Walmart’s new CEO, John Furner: Once an hourly worker, today he takes charge of the top company in the Fortune 500
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 1, 2026
1 hour ago
SuccessOlympics
U.S. Olympic gold medalist went from $200,000-a-year sponsorship at 20 years old to $12-an-hour internship by 30
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 1, 2026
2 hours ago
dewar
CommentaryLeadership
The AI adoption story is haunted by fear as today’s efficiency programs look like tomorrow’s job cuts. Leaders need to win workers’ trust
By Carolyn DewarFebruary 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Workplace CultureProductivity
In the age of AI, better meetings might be your company’s secret weapon
By Claire ZillmanFebruary 1, 2026
6 hours ago
SuccessCareers
Despite Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Steve Jobs praising micromanagers, a new survey ranks them among the most annoying coworkers
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 1, 2026
6 hours ago
CommentaryLeadership
How Trump helped Harvard: 5 ‘Crimson’ leadership lessons on standing up to bullies 
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian and Stephen HenriquesFebruary 1, 2026
7 hours ago