Russians Share Michelle Obama's Love of Veggie Gardens

First lady Michelle Obama is in Russia this week, but Russians don't want to talk about what she thinks of living in the White House. They show no interest in her views on philandering politicians. And -- thank God -- no one has even broached the subject of sleeveless dresses in her wardrobe. What they do want to talk about, The Washington Post's Robin Givhan reports, is her gardening, specifically, for food.

Household food gardens are a mainstay for Russian families, but Americans have relied on them less. The Christian Science Monitor recently noted that in urban areas of Russia alone, 56 percent of households had a food garden. Compare that to a recent study by the National Gardening Association showing that 31 percent of U.S. households had a food garden in 2008. That figure is on the rise, though, with a projected increase of 7 million more U.S. household gardens in 2009.

So who -- besides Michelle Obama -- gardens for food in America, and why do they do it? The NGA paints a picture that is (literally) all over the map, with gardeners spread across the country, but mostly college-educated, married and without children. And, unlike farming, where men outnumber women -- though the latest census figures show women are on the rise there, too -- more women than men garden for food.

It makes sense that gardening for food in America is ready to undergo a resurgence as people become more interested in where their food comes from. But what about charges that the burgeoning food movement is elitist and focused on the wealthy? It's true that less than a quarter of the gardeners surveyed were making under $35,000 annually and the costs associated with gardening and having the space to garden -- advances in urban gardening and community gardens in the heart of cities notwithstanding -- can pose some significant challenges. Still, the costs of gardening may also considerably offset the cost of otherwise purchasing healthy food. In fact, 62 percent of those who garden for food said that the recession and the worsening economic climate were at least part of their motivation for gardening.