The Heritage Garden

At Jackson's Mill, a heritage garden resembles the kind used during the early to mid-1800s. The garden was one of the most important parts of any farmstead and was normally planted before homesteaders built their permanent homes. Without the garden's bounty, winters could be tough or even deadly, since much of a settler's winter food was preserved from the garden and some seeds were saved for planting the following year. Settlers in this region cultivated many plants, including tomatoes, carrots, peppers, radishes, potatoes, corn, squash, beans, brassicas, and melons, and they also grew peanuts, various kinds of mint, horehound, sorghum, and other herbs for medicinal use. A fence often enclosed the garden to discourage wildlife and livestock from eating the produce, and common types included split rail fences and spaced stockade fences.

West Virginia · United States