White House Kitchen Garden

The current White House Kitchen Garden was planted on the lower South Lawn by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2009. The garden provides locally grown vegetables, fruits, and herbs for the first family and White House guests.The garden continues a long tradition of growing vegetables and fruits on the White House Grounds. Even before President John Adams moved into the White House in November 1800, he requested that a vegetable garden be planted. During the mid-19th century, the White House produced much of its own fresh fruit and vegetables on a one-acre kitchen garden. During the Civil War, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln regularly visited local hospitals to distribute strawberries and other fresh fruits to wounded Union soldiers.   During World War II, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden encouraging Americans to grow their own food to supplement food shortages during the war. In the late 1970s President Jimmy Carter planted a small herb garden. First Lady Jill Biden added a floral cutting garden to the north end of the current garden in 2021 in order to continue her tradition of bringing fresh cut flowers as gifts when she travels.

The National Park Service cares for the White House grounds including the Kitchen Garden. Our team of dedicated professionals, many of whom have cared for the White House grounds for decades, maintains the soil, plants the crops, tends the garden, and harvests the crops with the White House kitchen staff. The best times to get a close-up view of the White House Kitchen Garden are during the Spring and Fall Garden Tours, as well as the Easter Egg Roll. Outside of these special events, you can catch a glimpse of the garden from outside the South Lawn fence. When standing within view of the White House near the Zero Milestone, look to the left to spot the garden and the apiary.