Encyclopedia
Garden Book
Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book is a rich, annotated collection of his records, notations, and letters on the gardens and gardening for nearly 60 years.
Gardening
Jefferson had a lifelong enthusiasm for gardening, from agricultural experiments with fruits and vegetables, to flower propagation and ornamental landscape design.
“ no occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, & no culture comparable to that of the garden”
Monticello's Gardens
Monticello's gardens served as a botanical showpiece, a source of food, and an experimental laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world.
Plantation Agriculture and Technology
Plantation Agriculture
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![Jefferson's earliest record from what became his Garden Book lists the blooming dates of various plants at his birthplace, Shadwell, in 1766.]()
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![Green stalks of tree onions with garlic-like tips stand at crossed angles in Monticello's Vegetable Garden.]()
EncyclopediaNineteenth-Century Vegetables and Cultivation Techniques
Learn more about Thomas Jefferson's vegetable garden, his scientific approach to gardening, and the cultivation techniques he used.
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![Photo of a recreated plant nursery at Monticello.]()
EncyclopediaNurseries and Fruit Propagation
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![Aerial of the Vineyards and 1,000-foot-long Vegetable Garden Terrace on the south side of Monticello mountain.]()
EncyclopediaVineyards
Monticello's vineyards were restored in 1985 and 1993 and planted to reflect Jefferson's interest in cultivation European and American grape varieties.
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![AI generated image of a tobacco plant from an original Monticello photograph.]()
EncyclopediaTobacco
For nearly the first twenty-five years of Jefferson's ownership of the plantation, tobacco was Monticello's main cash crop and the primary activity of the enslaved workforce.
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![Drawing of a Hessian Fly on a single leaf alongside drawings of Hessian Fly winge and the wing of Lebanon Wheat-fly.]()
EncyclopediaInsects
A selection of references to insects in Thomas Jefferson's correspondences compiled by Monticello researchers.
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![A 20th-century painting by Nathaniel Gibbs depicting a wheat harvest at Monticello]()
EncyclopediaCrops, Produce, and Livestock
Information about the types of cash crops, produce, and livestock raised at Monticello and when certain crops were cultivated.
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EncyclopediaFarm Book
A collection of detailed entries about plantation accounts Jefferson recorded about his farming and industrial operations.
Plantation Technology
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![Jefferson''s drawing for the Moldboard Plow of Least Resistance]()
EncyclopediaMoldboard Plow
Thomas Jefferson considered his design for a "Moldboard Plow of Least Resistance" one of his more important contributions to agriculture in his time.
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![Jefferson''s drawing for the Moldboard Plow of Least Resistance]()
EncyclopediaPlowing
An article by Monticello researchers on plows and plowing at Thomas Jefferson's plantations.
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![A schematic drawing of the parts and assembly of a threshing machine of the same model as one Jefferson used at Monticello.]()
EncyclopediaThreshing Machine
Read about Thomas Jefferson's use of threshing machines to help improve the profits from wheat harvests at Monticello.
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EncyclopediaWater Supply
Getting water to Monticello's mountaintop was a persistent challenge. A well dug through 65 feet of rock failed repeatedly, leading Jefferson to add rainwater cisterns in 1808 — an imperfect solution that took years to refine.
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![Drawing of Jefferson's mill house and water wheel and other buildings along the Rivanna River and showing a post-Jefferson train track running alongside.]()
EncyclopediaGristmill and Canal Operations
A once-thriving area of activity at Monticello
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![A topographic map of part of the larger Monticello plantation showing the main house on the far left and the location of the sawmill to the far right near the Rivanna River.]()
EncyclopediaSawmill Operation
A mill powered by canals from local streams and the Rivanna River.
Create Your Own Garden
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![A ten-section, glass-lidded, rustic cedar box with seed varieties from the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants: Rouge Demi-Longue de Chantenay Carrot, Long Red Cayenne Pepper, Bull Nose Pepper, Cherokee Purple Tomato, and Long Green Improved Cucumber.]()
ShopHeirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
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![Cups, books, t-shirts, and quill pens decorated with elements of the Declaration of Independence and on a display in the Shop at Monticello.]()
PageThe Shop at Monticello
Find reproductions, historic plants and seeds, games and toys, wines, gourmet food products, collectibles, books, and souvenirs at the Shop at Monticello.
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