Last week I stepped back in time a few hundred years. Gardening was quite different back then and the contrast became quite vivid during a recent trip to historic Williamsburg for a taping of GardenSMART. We featured gardens and gardening practices from the 1700’s. The modern conveniences we enjoy today were not an option in those earlier days, so they did things the “old fashioned” way. Thoroughly prepping the soil, adding compost and manure and proactively monitoring their garden was simply how it was. Natural fertilizers and organic pest control methods kept their gardens looking good, beneficial insect populations high and food crops pesticide-free. Today, with the time-starved demands of our hectic schedules, we’re lucky to even have a garden, let alone take the time to proactively cultivate, monitor and protect it organically.
But back then, having a garden wasn’t a given either. In fact it was a sign of status. The things we take for granted today, like turning on the spigot for instant access to water wasn’t in existence then. Instead, water had to be brought in from the closest source. Even if you were fortunate enough to have a well, pulling it up the shaft at 25 pounds per fill was an exhausting endeavor for anyone. In either case, getting water to the garden was time consuming and labor intensive. Without hired help to keep the gardens hydrated, many gardens were abandoned by mid summer.
Imagine life without tomatoes. Back then they were still a crop of suspect and rarely grown. If they were part of the garden, there may be only one or two plants since space was precious and reserved only for the most productive crops. Tomatoes were never eaten as we would enjoy them today but rather exclusively in sauces and only then on occasion. However, the tomatoes we enjoy today have evolved substantially in two centuries. I would imagine if they could have grown varieties such as Sweet 100, Beefsteak or Brandywine, perhaps their gardens would look a lot more like ours.
Something else they didn’t have back then were the arsenal of chemicals we use today without a second thought. Fertilizers back then were compost and manure and it was the primary ingredients needed to keep plants healthy and resistant to many pests and diseases. There’s something else they had a little more of back then; time—time to pay attention to the important things like staying in touch with how their garden was growing. Today we divide those same 24 daily hours a thousand different ways. It’s no wonder we reach for the “quick fix” without much thought as to the price being paid to long-term health of our garden and beyond.
JL