Garden of Yesterday

The Garden of Yesterday is a typical Ohio kitchen garden from the 1840s when the Gantz farmhouse was built. Farm families planted herbs with fruits, vegetables and possibly ornamentals in such a garden. This garden demonstrates herbs with multiple uses, heirloom vegetables and old fruit varieties. Herbs used in cooking also may have medicinal and dye purposes.

The primary vegetables grown were those that could be preserved and stored for winter. The garden does not reflect the large crops that would have been necessary to feed a farm family. Instead, this garden includes a small quantity of many vegetables. Vegetables such as corn, squash and pumpkins, which require a lot of space, would not have been planted in a kitchen garden. Fences surrounded gardens of this era to keep out farm animals. The brick and gravel walks are uncharacteristic for a farm garden, but are incorporated to make the garden accessible to all visitors.