Colonial gardens

Do you like to garden? It’s fun to watch plants and flowers grow. Family gardens were once necessary. In the early Colonial days, every family grew their own food.

Wealthy families grew large gardens. They needed many workers. Some had fancy gardens with paths down the middle. Some formed shapes of squares, diamonds, and circles. These Colonists paid gardeners to cut the shrubs and bushes. In warm weather, they invited friends over to sit in their gardens. The gardens were beautiful and peaceful.

Most families tended their own gardens. The gardens were used to grow food to feed the family. Apple and peach trees were grown for fruit. Cabbage, turnips, carrots, pumpkins, and beans were vegetables they grew.

Herbs were grown in the gardens to be used for medicine. Herbs could also be added to food to give it a better flavor.

Extra fruits and vegetables were grown in the summer. The extras were then saved and dried. They were stored for the winter months when fruits and vegetables were scarce.