Blossoms, Berries, and Bygone Days: Calvin Fletcher’s Garden Diary

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This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:

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June 2, 1859

On this day, dear fellow gardeners, let us take a delightful journey back to the mid-19th century, where we shall bask in the horticultural observations of one Calvin Fletcher.

This esteemed gentleman, known for his varied pursuits as an attorney, banker, farmer, and state senator in Indianapolis, Indiana, has left us with a most charming entry in his diary.

Imagine, if you will, the verdant landscape of Indiana in the late spring of 1859.

The air is filled with the promise of a bountiful harvest, and Mr. Fletcher's garden is a testament to the joys of careful cultivation.

Let us peruse his notes with the keen eye of a seasoned gardener:

This a beautiful day.
My early corn one foot high.
Early potatoes set for blossom.
Early tomatoes six and eight inches high.
Grapes in full blossom.
Strawberrys Ditto.
Two messes of green peas.
The grass in the yard cut one week ago.
Raspberrys nearly full grown.
Currants ditto former good size latter small.

Oh, what a delightful snapshot of a garden in full swing!

Can you not almost taste the sweetness of those strawberries, dear readers?

And the promise of those early potatoes, their blossoms a harbinger of the delicious tubers nestled beneath the soil!

Mr. Fletcher's corn, standing proud at a foot high, speaks to the care and attention he must have lavished upon his plot. One can almost hear the rustle of the leaves in the warm Indiana breeze.

And what of those tomatoes, reaching skyward at six to eight inches?

In our modern gardens, we might scoff at such modest heights, but remember, dear friends, these are early tomatoes. Their very presence in a mid-19th century Midwestern garden is a testament to the skill and dedication of our esteemed diarist.

The grapes and strawberries in full blossom paint a picture of promise - of sweet fruits to come as the summer progresses.

And those "two messes of green peas" - oh, how I envy Mr. Fletcher his fresh spring peas!

Let us not overlook the mention of the grass "cut one week ago." Even in the midst of his bountiful vegetable and fruit garden, Mr. Fletcher maintained an eye for aesthetic appeal. A well-manicured lawn was as much a point of pride then as it is now.

The raspberries and currants, nearly full grown, round out this picture of a garden in its prime. One can almost see Mr. Fletcher, perhaps wiping his brow after a morning of tending his plot, surveying his domain with well-deserved pride.

As we tend to our own gardens today, let us take a moment to appreciate the timeless nature of our pursuit.

Whether in 1859 or 2024, the joy of watching our plants grow, bloom, and bear fruit remains unchanged.

Mr. Fletcher's simple observations remind us of the quiet pleasure to be found in the daily progress of our green spaces.

So, dear readers, what does your garden look like today?

Are your tomatoes reaching for the sky? Your strawberries promising sweet delights?

Take a page from Mr. Fletcher's book and jot down your observations.

Who knows?

Perhaps in 165 years, another gardener might read your notes with the same delight we find in Calvin Fletcher's diary.

Calvin Fletcher
Calvin Fletcher

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