White House Garden Contaminated by Sludge, Organic Status Out of Reach

How many of us have struggled with gardens that just won't grow? Soil conditions that mess with our veggies and foil our efforts to grow the perfect squash. Bugs, black spot, and fungus that make us cry even as the dirt under our nails begin to dry and flake. First Lady Michelle Obama is right there with us in our struggles!

I have been applauding the efforts of the Obama family to lead the way in gardening for exercise and nutrition. As has been reported and reported recently, the Obama family has planted a lovely kitchen garden on the grounds of the White House. For the planting, school children were invited to help. Community members have been brought in to watch and learn from this effort to grow an organic garden in the middle of Washington D.C. The First Lady and her beautiful daughters have been lovingly tending the garden in loads of photo opportunities over the course of the entire summer.

Unfortunately, the garden will not be certified as a shining example of organic gardening. Testing of the soil in the garden shows a higher than normal level of lead. While the garden is still considered completely safe, the level of lead in the soil averages 93 parts per million. The acceptable level of lead in the soil according to the EPA is up to 400 parts per million. In spite of the fact that it is still considered completely safe, the increased lead levels are enough to keep the garden from being labeled "organic".

The story becomes more interesting when you discover that the reason the lead levels are higher than normal on the White House lawn can be traced back to the presidency of William Clinton. During the time the Clinton family lived in the White House, sludge-based products were used to fertilize the lawn.

Sludge based fertilization is simply using the sewage from a home or business to fertilize lawns. It is a completely safe practice, and is considered to be quite "green". Problems only arise with the practice because everything that goes down a drain is not strictly human waste. Cleaning supplies, drain cleaners, everything that goes down a drain is routed to fertilize the lawn or garden. This can lead to higher levels of lead and other contaminates.

The unfortunate flushing habits of the White House toilets during the Clinton administration have created a situation in which the garden will remain lovely and productive, but not organic. The only way the White House vegetable garden is going to get an organic rating is if the First Lady can convince the President to offer the poor polluted garden a presidential pardon. This is the nature of gardening. As summer stretches on, gardeners all over America dig the soil out from under their nails and mutter under their breath, and wait to try again in Spring.