Michelle Obama setting 'grow your own vegetables' example

16:50 13th January 2010

Growing vegetables in a garden is an easy and cost-effective means of adopting a healthier lifestyle.

That is according to the First Lady of the United States, who is using the White House garden as an example of the potential benefits of 'growing your own'.

Michelle Obama unveiled her new-look garden to reporters this week, confirming that it has been fitted with protective coverings, while a temporary greenhouse has also been set up to keep sensitive seeds protected from the winter chill.

According to the Associated Press, the First Lady and her team have planted a number of healthy crops - including lettuce, carrots, spinach and cauliflower - in the grounds of the White House, with much of the produce to be donated to local soup kitchens when it is ready.

The news agency has also revealed that the Obamas' vegetable garden, which is the first of its kind since Eleanor Roosevelt lived at the White House, only cost $200 to set up, and that the First Family are already in profit given the produce they have grown.

The first vegetable garden at the White House can be traced back to the presidency of John Quincy Adams at the start of the 19th century.