A Statement of Purpose




Since 2012 I have been responsible for
the garden at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on Antietam National Battlefield. The Pry House garden began as a 19th century style medicinal and kitchen garden, including medicinal plants, herbs, and vegetables. As close as possible, these plants mirrored those available to the Pry Family in the 1860s, meaning heirloom varieties. Since then, the garden has transformed to focus exclusively on medicinal plants, becoming an exhibit of the flora that was employed by military and civilian caregivers in the Civil War Era.

I am strictly an amateur, with no real experience in growing a garden. The purpose of this blog is to document my experiences as I learn by doing. It is anything but authoritative and I welcome any comments and advice for a greenhorn. Please be kind!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Load of Manure

Yesterday we began working outside in the Pry Garden. It was a beautiful day in Washington County, Maryland, sunny and warm. It's hard to believe it is the end of February! My co-worker Tom Frezza and I began adding essential nutrients to the soil in the garden's raised beds. Kent Geerling, Administrative Assistant for Institutional Advancement at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, was kind enough to provide the garden with a load horse manure from a friend's farm. Kent is also a farmer in his spare time, part owner of Fruitcake Farms, a local Maryland venture in Community Supported Agriculture. I also added some wood ashes from my parents' wood stove. They were only too happy to be rid of them.

Horse manure mixed with straw

Tom and I spent a couple hours shoveling the manure and ashes from one big pile and distributing it among the raised beds in the garden. It isn't glamorous, but it was good to be outside on a beautiful day.


Tom's dog Sawyer was very eager to help.


Our fertilizer did not quite stretch far enough to cover the whole garden, but it was enough for the beds which will be planted first in early spring. I will have to see about finding some more manure for the back beds, which will hopefully be planted with squash, gourds, and watermelon from transplants in May. It is very good to look down from second floor porch and see a difference in the garden. In the coming days I will have to begin tilling the soil in these beds. It is a daunting prospect to do this by hand, but hopefully I will have a little help from some friends.


Unfortunately this warm weather has brought some much more unwelcome activity to the Pry House as well. Our resident groundhogs have already begun digging furiously. I had a face-to-face encounter with one of these mangy mongrels yesterday. Not only are they a threat to the garden, but they are serious threat to the safety of historic buildings like the Pry House and Barn, where they have a tendency to burrow under foundations.

Where The Enemy sleeps



7 comments:

  1. We have pesty moles here in James City County which ruin our yard also. We built raised beds before the holidays and filled them also with manure, but haven’t yet planted any veggies…I need to get down to Lowe’s and the nursery and see what I can buy.

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    1. No evidence of moles here at Pry, but a huge problem with Groundhogs!

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  2. Congratulations! This seems like it will be an exciting and educational project. One technical caveat: You might want to get your soil tested before adding any amendments such as wood ash. They could tip the pH balance of your soil so that it's too alkaline. You should be able to get a soil test kit from your local Cooperative Extension service for a nominal fee. Plain old compost made from yard waste and kitchen scraps is usually safe. Best of luck!

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    1. I did a rough test of the soil earlier this winter and it came out just a little bit more acidic than ideal, so I hope the sprinkling of ashes won't throw things off too much and gives it some of the added potassium it needs. I am hoping to start a compost pile as well. I am not sure if kitchen composting was common practice in the 1860s, but it is still one that I intend to pursue if I can manage it.

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  3. If you need more manure -- I know two horses who would be glad to contribute. We have two manure piles that I was going to spread on the pasture, but if you need some, it's yours.

    Audrey

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    1. I would love to take you up on that offer. It's amazing how quickly you can grow to want something usually considered waste!

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  4. This is one time when you can give a Park employee a load of crap and have them say "Thank you." Good luck with garden.

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