Katie O'Malley and son Jack visit the vegetable garden last summer: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer
Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley will be overseeing the installation of her second vegetable garden at Government House Saturday at 11 a.m., with the help of Master Gardeners and young volunteers.
Last year, Maryland became one of the first states to have a backyard food garden at the Governor's home.
There are kids, dogs, rabbits and a lot of shade testing this garden, which makes it a pretty realistic example of what Maryland families can do in their own backyards.
Mrs. O'Malley will also announce the first-ever Master Gardener/Government House Gardening Lecture Series to teach more Marylanders how to create their own backyard gardens and grow their own food.
The lecture series begins in May and will be held once a month through October.
Mrs. O'Malley is partnering with University of Maryland Extension's Home and Garden Information Center and Master Gardeners program to promote the "Grow It, Eat It" campaign, which encourages Maryland families to improve health and save money by growing fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs using sustainable practices.
The campaign hopes to encourage 1 million Marylanders to produce their own food this year. More information on the campaign and the University of Maryland's Master Gardener program can be found at www.growit.umd.edu.