The Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Garden. . , The Missouri State Capitol was located here from 1821-1826 before moving to its permanent site in Jefferson City. The buildings are restored to their original form. Keeping the landscaping as original as possible is equally important. All plantings within the grounds of the state historic site are researched for authenticity and appropriateness to the timeframe of the early 19th century (1800-1830)., The vegetable, or kitchen, garden was a necessity for early settlers in Missouri. Although trading posts like the Peck Bros. Dry Goods Store had the staples needed for survival, fresh produce was still homegrown. In addition, gardens provided items for medicinal purposes, cleaning and other everyday uses., The permanent plantings include asparagus, black raspberries, hops, gooseberries, grapes and several varieties of fruit trees. Trees include persimmon, wild plum and pawpaw. A variety of gourds are grown for making baskets, bowls and other useful household items. The vegetables grown vary from year to year. Many of the vegetables are started from seeds harvested in previous years. This lets us interpret the variety of plants that may have been available at the time of the First Missouri State Capitol.