TOM'S GREEN THUMB

Thomas Jefferson was an ardent planter and an agricultural expert, growing hundreds of varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs and trees at Monticello, his 5,000-acre estate in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jefferson's gardening philosophy, ranging from plant selection to garden design, are back in vogue as more people return to gardening with an emphasis on 'green.' Jefferson knew the value of native species, which require less maintenance and are far more likely to survive. Jefferson's garden journal spanned sixty years and is supplemented by letters about his experiences cultivating the gardens, orchards and vineyards of Monticello. His answer to European criticism of North American native plants as inferior was "The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture."

The New Garden by Raymond Betancourt.

Vegetables were a favorite of Mr. Jefferson and he cultivated two hundred and fifty varieties of seventy species of vegetables in his 1,000-foot-long garden. He was passionate about peas, growing twenty-two varieties, and challenged his neighbors to a competition every spring to see who could get the first English peas to the table. Jefferson ate little meat, filling his plate with vegetables and using flavorings such as tarragon vinegar and sesame oil. He regarded weeds as green manure and today use of organic fertilizers, natural pesticides and irrigation parallel what Jefferson did in the 19th century. This includes using brush for the staking of peas and building composted hills for squashes, melons and beans. In Notes on the State of Virginia he wrote "Cultivators of the earth are the most virtuous and independent citizens."

"I never before knew the full value of trees. My house is entirely emblossomed in high plane-trees, with good grass below; and under them I breakfast, dine, write, read, and receive my company. What would I not give that the trees planted nearest round the house at Monticello were full grown." Jefferson to Martha Randolph 1793. Well they're full grown now, Mr. Jefferson! While serving as Minister to France between 1784 and 1789 Jefferson proudly distributed seeds of North American trees to friends in Europe. He has been described as "the father of American forestry" for the planting of white pine and hemlock in 1804. Two months before his death, at the age of eighty-three, he designed an arboretum for the University of Virginia. Said Jefferson, "Too old to plant trees for my own gratification I shall do it for posterity."


President Thomas Jefferson also used trees metaphorically, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." In the years leading up to the war, the British made the Liberty Tree an object of ridicule. British soldiers tarred and feathered a man named Ditson, and forced him to march in front of the trees. During the siege of Boston, about the last day of August 1775, a party of Loyalists led by Job Williams defiantly cut the tree down in an act of spite, knowing what it represented to the colonists, and used the tree for firewood. This act only further enraged the colonists. As resistance to the British grew, flags bearing a representation of the Liberty Tree were flown to symbolize the unwavering spirit of liberty. These flags were later a common sight during the battles of the American Revolution.

It appears Mr. Jefferson was our First Treehugger!