the fall of last year was fine. the first snow fell the 20th. of December, but did not lay a day. the day before Christmas the weather set in cold. Christmas night a snow fell 22I. deep. and from that time till the 7th. of March was the coldest weather & upon the whole the severest winter remembered. from the 20th. Dec. to the 6th. of March fell ten snows to cover the ground, and some of them deep. the 9th. of March I think was the first rain in this year. the rivers all that time so low that there could be no water transportation above the falls. the 10th. of March is the first day we can do any thing in the garden. scarce any appearance of vegetation yet. except in some daffodils
Garden Book, page 20
by Thomas Jefferson
by Thomas Jefferson
1777.
March. 10.
sowed a patch of forward & a patch of latter peas.
11.
sowed Cavolo Romano Paonazzo (purple cabbage) in lower division of the uppermost triangular bed. sowed Neapolitan cabbage in the division next above. & Cavolo Romano a broccolini (Cabbage) in the next above that. sowed also lettuce & radishes.
12.
planted 2 beds of strawberries.
sowed in an upperlong bed Cavolo nero (Coleworts)
in the one next below it Russia curled greens.
13.
planted another bed of strawberries.
21.
peas up.
26.
sowed patch of peas. qu. whether forward or latter. in N. Westermost beds.
April 1.
Peach trees & Cherry trees at Monticello begin to blossom. sowed a square of peas, of one kind only. qu. what?
7.
sowed a bed of peas.
8.
peas of March 26. up.
9.
sowed radishes, lettuce, endive, & red mustard.
14.
sowed bed of peas.
19.
planted Cucumbers, Lima beans, Irish potatoes
June 4.
forward peas of March 10. come to table.
July 6.
cucumbers come to table.