Weeding with the Kardashians

The Kardashians, reality TV's brashest brood, have taken up a decidedly more mellow pursuit: gardening. The women of the family--matriarch Kris Jenner and daughters Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie--got their hands dirty earlier this month when they planted vegetables gardens at their home in Los Angeles. (See inside the new 6-bedroom, 8-bath house right here!)



But in this respect, the famous family is hardly trendsetting. In fact, maybe they picked up on the idea from some other notable women.

First Lady Michelle Obama and a group of schoolkids broke ground on the White House's first vegetable garden since World War II in March. Obama is growing 55 types of fruits, vegetables and herbs--but not beets, which the president hates. Obama said every family member, including the president, is responsible for helping with the weeding--"whether they like it or not." She made her first harvest in June and plans to use the veggies for family dinners. See the First Lady at work in the garden and get tips on growing your own.

Also earlier this year, Julia Roberts discussed the organic garden at her solar-powered house in Malibu. It's more of a DIY supermarket than a hobby, because Roberts feeds her 4-year-old twins and two-year-old with the garden's bounty. "I think when children know their food sources they're more inclined to eat what they're growing because they're so proud of it. To watch my kids eat kale is a pretty proud moment for me as a mom," she told Britain's Daily Mirror.

Or maybe the Kardashians were inspired by Nicole Kidman, another of Hollywood's elite who's been bitten by the gardening bug. After her marriage to fellow Australian and country music star Keith Urban, Kidman moved to Tennessee. "We have a farm there, and I have an organic vegetable garden," she told Vogue last year. "This is a path I'd not taken before. My mum's always gardened. My sister gardens. And I've now conformed to the Kidman women's hobby of gardening. And it is just a hobby. I'm not feeding the troops."

So now that the TV family has jumped on the bandwagon, who's next? You? Read about the health benefits of gardening and why Britney Spears may be nurturing her green thumb.