Heirloom Pioneer Garden: One of Dorris Ranch's Newest Projects
The Heirloom Pioneer Garden, complete with a hand-built cabin, will recreate a typical homestead of the mid-1800s. Among the few treasures that early pioneers brought with them to help tame the West were favorite plants and seeds.
Five Sections of the Garden
There will be five sections of the garden:
The Medicinal Section Contains
herbs such as purple coneflower, lemon balm, feverfew, lavender and yarrow
to name a few.
The Vegetable Section Contains a wide variety of heirloom
vegetables.
The Culinary Section Contains oregano, chives,
thyme, parsley, sage and basil.
The Tea Section Several
varieties of mints as well as lemon verbena, monarda, and mountain mint.
The Cosmetic Section The pioneers also had to rely on
herbs to create items for cosmetic uses. Some of the plants they used for
these include: soapwort, calendula, chamomile, scented geraniums, costmary,
tansy, and rosemary.
Click
here to view a photo album of the heirloom garden.
What is an Heirloom Vegetable
While people have been talking about heirloom vegetables for more than a decade, they have yet to reach an agreement on exactly what an heirloom variety is. So far, experts in the field agree that heirloom vegetables are old, open-pollinated cultivars. In addition, these varieties also have a reputation for being high quality and easy to grow.
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed to help establish an heirloom pioneer garden outside our reconstructed 1850 circa log cabin. Help us plant heirloom vegetables, and teach both young and old about the history of some of the first vegetables cultivated in the Willamette Valley. Garden tenders, educators, researchers, and green thumbs please call or e-mail Scott Dano at 954-7213 or scottd@willamalane.org. Poke bonnets and straw hats provided! 2007 growing season; 6 week commitment.