Your source for fruit and vegetable news
Historic gardens in Surry County show ancient planting style
By Bobbie Whitehead
In the mid 1600s, English immigrants in Virginia grew various fruits and vegetables to supply food for their families.
To learn more about what these early diets may have included, visitors can tour the 17th century gardens at Bacon’s Castle in Surry County.
Just as then, today gardeners at Bacon’s Castle, one of only a few Jacobean “great houses” in the United States, grow beans, peas, strawberries, and beets, among many other produce items considered to have been staples in the early settlers’ diets.
All of the crops are heirloom varieties, said Valerie Balentine, Bacon's Castle gardener, who cultivates and attend to the central planting and border beds in the grid-style garden.
“We don’t really know exactly what the early residents grew in this particular garden, but we grow as old of variety as we can find,” Balentine said. “We know they had beans.”
The 17th century garden follows a grid plan, which was typical of ancient gardens through the 18th century, according to a brief history written by Rudy J. Favretti, landscape architect for the Garden Club of Virginia.
In the mid 1600s, English immigrants in Virginia grew various fruits and vegetables to supply food for their families.
To learn more about what these early diets may have included, visitors can tour the 17th century gardens at Bacon’s Castle in Surry County.
Just as then, today gardeners at Bacon’s Castle, one of only a few Jacobean “great houses” in the United States, grow beans, peas, strawberries, and beets, among many other produce items considered to have been staples in the early settlers’ diets.
All of the crops are heirloom varieties, said Valerie Balentine, Bacon's Castle gardener, who cultivates and attend to the central planting and border beds in the grid-style garden.
“We don’t really know exactly what the early residents grew in this particular garden, but we grow as old of variety as we can find,” Balentine said. “We know they had beans.”
The 17th century garden follows a grid plan, which was typical of ancient gardens through the 18th century, according to a brief history written by Rudy J. Favretti, landscape architect for the Garden Club of Virginia.
Bacon's Castle garden has numerous fruits and vegetables, including cabbages, carrots, turnips, and beets, among many others.
In evaluating the Bacon’s Castle garden, researchers noted that the grid pattern garden had walks around the beds, which were 74 feet wide.
With evidence of a brick wall at the north end of the garden, Favretti wrote that the gardens may have served as a nursery for starting plants. “The wall acted as a solar collector and a wind barrier, making the growing area on the South side of the wall an ideal place to start plants early,” Favretti wrote.
Adjacent to the walkway that surrounds the central planting beds were border beds that had an opening, allowing for people to enter the garden.
“There is no archeological evidence of what was grown in these [border] beds,” Favretti wrote. “Typically, such beds were devoted to small fruits, flowers, herbs, and some trees, probably fruit rather than ornamental.”
The castle was built by planter Arthur Allen. His home received the name Bacon’s Castle in 1676 after Nathaniel Bacon and his men “drove Allen’s son, Major Arthur Allen, and his family from their home” during Bacon’s Rebellion, according to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. But researchers write that the gardens date to 1680.
Whatever the early residents of the Bacon’s Castle ate, the current garden has rows of corn, strawberries, different types of greens, beets, onions, turnips, carrots, and garden peas, among many, many produce items. Fruits and vegetables are grown in six central planting beds surrounded by sand walkways. Border beds of the gardens contain the perennial plants, small fruits, herbs, and ornamentals.
Once ripe, vegetables and fruits are divided equally among the house staff and the garden staff, Balentine said. Any leftover crops are donated to various groups such as the Share the Harvest, she said.
“We also use some of the leftovers for compost,” Balentine said. “Nothing here goes to waste.”
The Garden Club of Virginia maintains the garden and what is grown in it, said Marshall Blevins, Bacon’s Castle interpreter. The gardeners plant fruits and vegetables that would have been grown in the area by the early English at that time based on research by the garden club, he said.
Bacon’s Castle, located on 465 Bacon’s Castle Trail, is open April through October from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 757-357-5976.
With evidence of a brick wall at the north end of the garden, Favretti wrote that the gardens may have served as a nursery for starting plants. “The wall acted as a solar collector and a wind barrier, making the growing area on the South side of the wall an ideal place to start plants early,” Favretti wrote.
Adjacent to the walkway that surrounds the central planting beds were border beds that had an opening, allowing for people to enter the garden.
“There is no archeological evidence of what was grown in these [border] beds,” Favretti wrote. “Typically, such beds were devoted to small fruits, flowers, herbs, and some trees, probably fruit rather than ornamental.”
The castle was built by planter Arthur Allen. His home received the name Bacon’s Castle in 1676 after Nathaniel Bacon and his men “drove Allen’s son, Major Arthur Allen, and his family from their home” during Bacon’s Rebellion, according to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. But researchers write that the gardens date to 1680.
Whatever the early residents of the Bacon’s Castle ate, the current garden has rows of corn, strawberries, different types of greens, beets, onions, turnips, carrots, and garden peas, among many, many produce items. Fruits and vegetables are grown in six central planting beds surrounded by sand walkways. Border beds of the gardens contain the perennial plants, small fruits, herbs, and ornamentals.
Once ripe, vegetables and fruits are divided equally among the house staff and the garden staff, Balentine said. Any leftover crops are donated to various groups such as the Share the Harvest, she said.
“We also use some of the leftovers for compost,” Balentine said. “Nothing here goes to waste.”
The Garden Club of Virginia maintains the garden and what is grown in it, said Marshall Blevins, Bacon’s Castle interpreter. The gardeners plant fruits and vegetables that would have been grown in the area by the early English at that time based on research by the garden club, he said.
Bacon’s Castle, located on 465 Bacon’s Castle Trail, is open April through October from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 757-357-5976.
