WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama is going all-out to make sure the White House kitchen garden that she created in 2009 and expanded twice doesn’t get plowed under by the next first family.

With less than four months left in the Obama administration, Michelle Obama on Wednesday dedicated an expanded and improved garden with the hope that it will continue regardless of who takes office come January.

‘‘This little garden will live on as a symbol of the hopes that we all hold of growing a healthier nation for our children,’’ she told a crowd gathered at the garden to celebrate the dedication. ‘‘I am hopeful that future first families will cherish this garden like we have, and that it will become one of our enduring White House traditions.’’

The garden’s size has grown from 1,100 square feet to 2,800 square feet. It has a new wooden arbor for an entrance, wider bluestone walkways, wooden tables, and benches.

There’s even an inscribed stone that reads: ‘‘White House Kitchen Garden, established in 2009 by First Lady Michelle Obama with the hope of growing a healthier nation for our children.’’

And, to bat away any pesky questions about how to pay for the garden, she announced private donations of $2.5 million to maintain it.

This collection of raised beds is much more than a garden to Obama: It’s her legacy, at the heart of her quest to fight childhood obesity and promote healthier living.

Calling the garden ‘‘my baby,’’ she said she’d first dreamed of it while sitting at her kitchen table in Chicago before her husband had even been elected.

Students join her Thursday for the Obamas’ final fall harvest, bringing in eggplant, okra, tomatoes, and herbs. In coming weeks, the beds will be covered with plastic hoop houses to allow broccoli, kale and collard greens to grow through the winter — and into the next administration.

Associated Press