ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

The Victorian Kitchen Garden

Imagine a big garden outside your house where your parents grow lots of different fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Now, the Victorians who lived a long time ago also had a garden like this, but it was much bigger and more important to them. They called it the "Victorian Kitchen Garden".

This garden was very special because it provided all the fresh ingredients needed for cooking meals at home. There were no big supermarkets back then, so people relied on their kitchen gardens to grow everything they needed to eat. The Victorians spent a lot of time and care on this garden; they planted different types of fruits and vegetables in separate sections of the garden, so that they could grow well and they were easier to care for.

In the garden, there were lots of different plants like tomatoes, peas, carrots, strawberries, apples and more! The garden had a special area just for herbs and spices. These were plants like basil, mint, rosemary, and thyme, which were used to add flavor to meals.

Maintaining a Victorian Kitchen Garden involved lots of work. The plants needed to be watered, weeded and pruned every day. Gardeners used special tools like rakes and hoes to keep the soil healthy and soft, so the plants could grow strong and produce a lot of produce. They made sure the plants were getting enough sunlight and air so they could grow well.

When the fruits and vegetables were ready to be harvested, they were picked from the kitchen garden and taken straight to the kitchen. That's why it was called the "Kitchen Garden". The fruits and vegetables were used to make delicious meals for the family. The Victorians took great pride in their kitchen gardens, and it was a huge part of their daily life.

In summary, the Victorian Kitchen Garden was a big garden that people used to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs for their meals. It needed a lot of care and work, but it provided fresh and healthy ingredients for their food.