Often we will read of a fine estate where the home farm and kitchen gardens supply much of the food stuffs for the household.
But what did a kitchen garden in the Regency era look like?
Generally held by many contemporary authorities to be between three and five acres in size, the kitchen garden of a country estate would vary according to the number of hands able to work it. It may also include or be supplemented by a fruit orchard, supply fruits for the family and household staff. Finer households would undoubtedly have a hot house for growing fruits and vegetables year round.
Near the estate, and typically separate from ornamental or flower gardens its placement ideally would be close enough to storage and the stables, where manure could serve as fertilizer.
As to what was grown, a very useful encyclopedia from 1808 gives us step by step instructions. The general plan is thus:
The encyclopedia gives us month by month instructions for planting and tending, which is a very useful resource for those interested in home farm gardening.
For a selection of various plans for the country gentleman, including where to put the kitchen garden John Miller 1810 book should be useful.
