First lady launches garden tour as final year initiative

First lady Michelle Obama made a very big announcement Thursday morning on TODAY. FLOTUS is hitting the road this spring on a garden tour in honor of one of her very first initiatives: the White House Kitchen Garden. Planted seven years ago, the presidential plot of land sparked a national conversation around health and wellness — and inspired her legacy campaign. "Since we planted our White House Kitchen Garden and created our 'Let's Move!' initiative to help kids grow up healthy, I've heard from people across the country who've been inspired to grow their own gardens and change how they think about the food they eat," Obama said. "And in my final year as first lady, I plan to get out and visit some of these folks." Mrs. Obama will travel around the country to help share the stories of local gardens — at schools, backyards or less conventional spaces. "I'm so excited to tell their stories and thank them for the amazing work they're doing," she said. "And that starts today!" TODAY's own Al Roker is joining the effort, too. "I'll be tracking her progress closely," he said on Thursday's broadcast. "And — just maybe — I'll be swinging by a few stops along the way to lend her a green thumb." SURPRISE! The First Lady dropped in to surprise unsuspecting gardeners in Washington, DC. Here's @MichelleObama with Eriks Brolis and Linda Bilsens, who have made gardening a family and community effort. Get ready for us to share more stories of gardens in backyards, schools, and more throughout the year! A photo posted by White House Kitchen Garden (@whkitchengarden) on Mar 3, 2016 at 4:17am PST Follow along in the fun yourself: @WHKitchenGarden is officially on Instagram! TOP