Edison Heritage Garden

Edison Heritage Garden. In Memory of Thomas and Mina Edison. This garden area has been created to reflect the Edison original plan for the Estate landscape. It commemorates the legacy of Thomas and Mina Edison and other groups and individuals involved in the cultural landscape of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates., According to his original 1885 landscape sketch, Thomas Edison intended for his Estate property to include not only homes, a laboratory and outlying buildings, but also areas for growing fruits and vegetables which could be eaten, given to friends and family, or sold by the staff via “truck gardens,” which literally meant selling produce out of the back of a truck., Edison’s plan listed pineapples, citrus, peanuts and other edible plants that could be cultivated in the tropics. He frequently created raised beds and container gardens to efficiently produce and research his plants. He also employed innovative practices for irrigation, propagation and fertilization such as using seaweed as a fertilizer and rainwater for irrigation., In keeping with the Edison tradition, today the Estate uses organic plant food and soaps, as well as supplementary rainwater., The Estates horticulture staff encourages volunteer participation in the care, propagation and sale of an ever-changing variety of heritage plants which reflect the lifestyle of the Edisons. The Estates is also an official site of the University of Florida Extension Service Master Gardener program, and volunteer service applies., Heritage plants for sale and classes throughout the year encourage public involvement and knowledge of the unique horticulture and gardening interest of the Edisons.