First it was the Obamas. In March they ripped up a section of the White House lawn and planted an organic kitchen garden, the first of its kind since 1943 when Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden in defiance of the US Department of Agriculture.
Then the Queen decided to join the Grow It Yourself revolution. Hers is a ten by eight metre “allotment” full of heirloom varieties with regal names like tomato Queen of Hearts and the beans Blue Queen and Royal Red. Like the Obamas, the Queen has eschewed the use of toxic chemicals, preferring home made compost and seaweed extract as fertilisers. It’s also the first vegetable garden at Buckingham Palace since World War II and though Her Majesty won’t don wellies and a scarf to work the garden personally, the vegetables are being harvested for use in the Palace kitchen.
Now it’s British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s turn. He’s planted a garden at 10 Downing Street. Though it’s mostly tended by the Royal Parks Agency, Brown’s wife Sarah and their 5-year-old son John, are particularly relishing the opportunity to grow berries and tomatoes. The produce harvested from the garden is sold in Downing Street’s cafeteria.
But what about our own Prime Minister Kevin Rudd? Is he joining the Browns, Obamas, Queen Elizabeth II and thousands of Australians by ripping out a section of lawn at The Lodge and planting an organic vegetable patch? Vegie growing legend and 2009 Australian of the Year nominee Peter Cundall proposed the idea to Kevin Rudd personally back in January, suggesting that he was willing to help the PM establish a six bed rotational garden similar to Pete’s Patch in Hobart.
“I’m looking around and I can see lawn and rose bushes,” said Pete. “I said to Mr Rudd, ‘I can’t believe it. What a disgrace! Where’s your vegie patch?”
At the time, Mr and Mrs Rudd apparently expressed a keen interest in the project. Cundall said to the PM that he’d like to see him digging spuds. But the self described farmer’s son, who likes to remind us of his frugal, agrarian roots, has since scotched the idea, citing Canberra’s ongoing drought as making the project impractical.
Following the exchange between Pete and the PM in January, the campaign for a vegie garden at The Lodge has grown legs. A “Kev’s Patch” website has been set up with the tagline “C’mon Kev, plant some veg.” Renowned cook Stephanie Alexander has offered her support. She is on a mission to set up kitchen gardens in school playgrounds right across the country, and argues that “it would be a great model for the rest of the country if they did follow the Obamas’ example and create a show garden that could be seen by the public.”
Here are three simple reasons why Kev’s Patch is a great idea. For one, it sets an example to the Australian public, and example setting is the most potent aspect of leadership there is. In Peter Cundall’s words, The Lodge “becomes a famous garden. It publicises the urgent need for people to grow their own. Let everyone see what can be done and it will inspire them to do the same.”
Second, Kev’s Patch would help elevate the global food crisis to the prominent position it warrants. The industrial food system is under severe strain around the world, yet in our country, it’s an issue that tends to go largely un-noticed, at least until the price of your favourite brand of cheese jumps by 10 percent compared to last week. Lots of people are on the hunt for solutions, yet the silver bullet is right under our noses – Grow It Yourself (GIY). Kev’s Patch would send a powerful message.
Finally, Kev’s Patch could offer a model of practical sustainability. The Obamas and the Queen haven’t chosen to go organic for the feel good factor. They want their gardens to demonstrate that it’s genuinely feasible to grow at least some of your own food by means that are energy efficient, water wise, and free of toxic chemicals.
I’m not silly enough to seriously believe that Mr and Mrs Rudd will get out and work in the patch themselves. They’ll need helpers. But you watch the volunteers emerge from the woodwork if they decide to give it a go. This is a project whose time has come. So c’mon Kev, plant some veg.
For more info on the Kev’s Patch campaign visit www.kevspatch.wordpress.com.
First published in The Chronicle 8th August 2009. Image courtesy Downing Street.
