Tools and Repairs

Before the invention of plastic, the tools and equipment used in gardens were intended to be reused many times. Until the mid 20th century all plant pots were made from terracotta or wood, and plant labels were usually made of wood or metal. By the end of the 19th century you could buy zinc labels pre-stamped with plant names. On large country house estates, each gardener usually had his own set of tools which he would have to clean and maintain at the end of each day, often kept in a dedicated tool room. An 18th-century gardener’s contract from Marble Hill, in London, required that ‘all tools … shall be constantly kept & repair’d by him’.

If tools became worn or damaged beyond repair the head gardener would have to ask the owner or estate manager for permission and money to replace them. In 1818 at Audley End, Essex, the blacksmith, Richard Spicer, billed the land agent 6d. to repair a spade by replacing a rivet in the handle.

Today, reusing pots and labels made of sustainable materials, and repairing tools and equipment rather than replacing them, are all ways we can aim to garden more sustainably.

Pests and Diseases

Historically, poisons and chemicals, such as arsenic, mercury and strychnine, were used to control pests and diseases. Most are no longer in use because of their detrimental effect on the environment and human health. However, other more environmentally friendly methods of pest and disease control were also used in the past, and we can learn from these today. This includes mechanical methods (such as nets and traps) and frequent inspections of plants.

John Evelyn’s reference to a ‘net to preserve seedes from Birds’ in 1686 is one of the earliest references to using nets to protect plants in English gardens, although it was probably a much older custom. From the 18th century onwards pests were also eradicated by syringing infested leaves with water. Women and garden boys were employed to get rid of butterfly eggs and caterpillars by hand, and the garden boy was often also responsible for scaring birds and picking slugs. In March 1874 a gardener at Audley End recorded covering cauliflower with ‘netting to protect from birds’ and in June the same year a ‘boy came in garden for frightening bird from fruit’.

Seeds and Storage

In the 19th century advances in selective breeding meant that gardeners could produce varieties that flowered and fruited earlier or later in the season. For example, at Kenwood in 1819 they purchased seeds for ‘early’ purple broccoli and ‘late’ purple broccoli. The previous year’s seeds were also stored in seed cabinets or dedicated seed rooms.

As well as storing seeds, it was important for houses to be able to store their homegrown fruit and vegetables for the winter months. Before the late 18th century, rooms over stables, sheds and lofts were used for storage. After that, on larger estates, custom built storerooms were created, often in the sheds behind the kitchen garden. Potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables were stored in cellars divided into stalls (like wine cellars) and kept in casks or jars, or left in heaps of sand and covered with straw to retain moisture.

Specialised fruit rooms were built to store the eating apples and pears on racks of shelves, as well as pineapples, melons and peaches. Cooking apples and pears were kept in heaps under the shelves or stored in the cellar. Some vegetables (such as onions, gourds and cabbages) kept better in light and airy lofts. Belsay Hall in Northumberland and Osborne on the Isle of Wight both had dedicated storerooms for fruit.