Michelle Obama’s organic green thumb is rubbing off on a very important lady in England — Queen Elizabeth.

The two women met in April and have kept in touch since then. They hit it off with two of their common interests — fashion and gardening. And after Michelle Obama planted an organic garden at the White House with her own two hands, the queen is following suit — although we’re not quite sure Her Majesty had her own hands in the dirt! For the first time since World War II, ornamental plants and vegetables will grow at the palace, but this time, they will be organic. Veggies like runner beans, leeks, beetroot and an endangered variety of climbing French beans called Blue Queen will grow in the back of a 40-acre plot at the London palace, says the BBC.

While her husband may be pushing health-care reform, these are just some of the ways the First Lady is touting healthy eating and giving business to local organic farms. Obama this week invited 36 kids from a local Washington school to help her harvest — and eat! — lettuce and snap peas in her summer vegetable garden. White House chefs were on hand to help teach the kids how to cook healthier options. But we’re talking about Washington, and nothing is without its critics — even an organic garden.

Politico reports on how conventional agriculture is fighting back against Michelle’s message of herbicide — and chemical-free foods and cooking. Fertilizer and pesticide companies have written letters to the White House touting the necessity of their products. And since the number of people planting their own veggie gardens has spiked in the past two years, particularly after the First Lady vocalized her support of it, the stakes are even higher. 

"There’s a lot of pushback we’re hearing, a lot of whining out of that community about the First Lady doing her garden," Larry Mitchell of the American Corn Growers Association, which represents both organic and conventional farmers, told Slate. "They’re getting awful squeamish on this thing."

We guess everyone and everything is going to have its critics. But what do you think? Is Michelle Obama’s organic garden a good idea? And should others try to follow suit?

Here’s video of Michelle Obama talking to the kids helping her harvest her organic garden: