Our Gardens
For food, rest and play, the Remick gardens are rooted in history.
Gardening on the Remick Property in Times Past
Three distinct vegetable gardens can be seen in our learning gardens area, each representing a garden that was typical during a given time period:
- Early Republic: 1790s to 1840s
Defining features: gardening for subsistence; rectangular beds; orderly design; plants in rows; veg/flowers/herbs all growing together in the same bed. - Victorian Garden: 1860s to turn of the 20th century
Defining features: more decorative, not purely functional; fancy and exotic plant varieties; lush, ornate, patterned design—looks chaotic and overwhelming at first, but has an underlying order known to the gardener; accessories (e.g.: sundials, birdbaths, etc.). - Victory Garden: Early 20th century (WWI, WWII)20
Defining features: Back to subsistence and functionality over aesthetics, things that can be canned/preserved; everyone chipped in to do their part.
CURRENTLY CLOSED: An accompanying exhibit, “Where Home Meets Harvest,” can be viewed in the Museum Center. It includes features on the history of gardening, technological and scientific advances that changed the way we garden, gardens and our health, heirloom seeds and seed saving, native vs. introduced crops, and food preservation and preparation. An interactive portion of the exhibit features information used by permission from the blog “Eat or Toss?: Fighting food waste and solving kitchen conundrums.”
Our Vegetable & Herb Gardens
The plants grown in our vegetable and herb gardens supply our educational programming.
- As much as possible, we sow heirloom seeds:
- Heirloom seeds are seeds that are open-pollinated and developed before the 1940s, passed down from one generation to the next.
- Heirloom vegetables are not always perfect looking but the plants are reliable, adaptable and give us valuable clues to how our ancestors ate.
- Heirlooms are generally more resistant to adverse growing conditions and are more likely to thrive on their own without chemical fertilization, irrigation or pesticides.
- Each year we try new varieties of vegetables to see what might work best for our growing conditions or to support a particular educational focus.
- To help educate visitors about country doctor history, we also grow a Medicinal Herb Garden.
- Heirloom seeds are seeds that are open-pollinated and developed before the 1940s, passed down from one generation to the next.
- We are located in Hardiness Zone 5a: The average first frost is between September 1–10, while the average last frost occurs between June 1–10. [The average high temperature in Summer is 78°F, while the average high temperature in Winter is 29°F.
Children’s Garden
A colorful spot in our upper-right garden, where children can explore using their five senses.
A colorful spot in our upper-right garden, where children can explore using their five senses.
- Hands-on fun, such as watering plants with pink-piggy watering jugs.
- Simple in-garden games.
- In-garden activities change from year to year.
Marion Remick Memorial Garden (1996)
A shady, quiet garden located on the street side of the Museum Center Barn, next to our front entrance.
A shady, quiet garden located on the street side of the Museum Center Barn, next to our front entrance.
- Planted in honor of Marion Remick, “Doc” Remick’s wife, who loved gardening and was a member of the Tamworth Garden Club.
- The garden’s layout is based on the original 1930’s design.
