The Heritage Garden

The Heritage Garden. . , The heritage garden here at Jackson's Mill exhibits a garden similar to the type that was used during the early to mid-1800s. The garden was one of the most important parts of any farmstead and would normally be planted before homesteaders built their permanent homes. Without the bounty of the garden, winters could be tough, or even deadly. A settler's food for the winter was mostly preserved from their garden, and some of the seeds would be saved to plant the garden for the following year., Settlers cultivated many different plants in this region, such as tomatoes, carrots, peppers, radishes, potatoes, corn, squash, beans, brassicas, and melons - to name a few. In addition to the plants commonly associated with gardens, settlers could have also cultivated plants such as peanuts, various types of mint, horehound, sorghum, and other herbs for medicinal use., Often, a fence was built around the garden area to discourage wildlife and livestock from eating the produce out of the garden. Two types of fencing were commonly used-split rail fences, such as the fence around the heritage garden, and the spaced stockade fence like the one around the McWhorter cabin.