Snow Hill in Worcester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Kitchen Garden
In the 1800s, Families maintained small garden plots for food, medicinal uses, flavoring, preserving, and dying. The plots were steps from the kitchen, where the wife working in the house could instantly have access to ingredients needed throughout the day. The Kitchen Garden's layout was based on geometric patterns. The most basic design was the four-square garden with raised beds.
Rural families relied on their kitchen gardens to produce a year-round supply of vegetables. Farm wives selected vegetables that their family not only preferred but also grew well in their garden and were easy to store or preserve. Almost all herbs and vegetables grown in the gardens were preserved, dried, pickled, or stored in a root cellar. Unlike agricultural fields, kitchen gardens were smaller in scale, contained a variety of crops, and were generally enclosed. Given the limited market access, the kitchen garden was essential to a household's subsistence.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Settlements & Settlers • Women.
Location. 38° 12.286′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mt. Zion School House (a few steps from this marker); Mansion House (a few steps from this marker); Cropper Wash House/Print Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Wagon Shed (within shouting distance of this marker); In Honor of Kathy Pierce Fisher (within shouting distance of this
Credits. This page was last revised on October 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 43 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 19, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
