By
the turn of the nineteenth century London had almost
ten thousand acres of market gardens serving the hungry
metropolis.
The
gardens were richly fertilized with the dung from the
streets and stables from London - each acre had sixty
cartloads of manure spread over and dug into it each
year. This contrasts with regular farming land about
London which, during this period, was only manured once
every three or four years. (During September to October.)
As well as dung, the market gardeners made copious use
of marl, dug up from Enfield chase to the north of the
city. A by-product of marl production were thousands
of fossilised dinosaur bones, to be sent down to the
newly developed British Museum (although many, no doubt,
were crushed for the market gardens as well).
Manure
and/or marl was ploughed in by a clumsy swing plough,
and harrowed once ploughed over.
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Working
the gardens began soon after Christmas. Once the weather was
favourable, the market gardeners began by sowing the borders
with radishes, spinach, onions as well many seed crops.
By
February the gardens were thickly planted out with cauliflowers
(which had been growing in cold frames for at least 6 weeks
prior). By this time the radishes were ready to be sent off
to the markets and gentlemen's tables of London.
Once
the cauliflowers were ready they were sent off to market as
well, and sugar-loaf cabbages planted in their place, to be
followed in turn with endives, celery (both from the seed crops
planted out in February).
Each
acre was said to produce above £200 per year in sales
of vegetables, of which £120 was sheer profit.
By
the early nineteenth century the combined annual income of London's
market gardens was £645,000, plus another £400,000
per year earned from the fruit gardens.
As
well as fruit and vegetables, the agricultural land
immediately surrounding London also supported many dairy
herds, usually comprised of Holderness cattle, which
supplied London's milk. In 1810 the numbers of these
Holderness cattle (the breed originally came from the
East Riding of Yorkshire) were approximately 8,500.
Each
cow produced on average nine quarts per day. Cow-keepers
were paid approximately 1 shilling ninepence per eight
quarts, but by the time the milk arrived in London's
markets it had increased dramatically in both volume
and expense - retailers usually adulterated the milk
with river water (which accounted for some of the epidemics
in London of this time). For further information, read
a description of dairy farming
in London at this time.
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One
example of the market gardens in the Georgian and regency period
were Neat House Gardens above Chelsea, which had served London
since medieval times, eventually being overrun by the suburban
development of Chelsea during the nineteenth century. Covering
about 200 acres, they formed a small part of the almost 10,000
acres of market gardens which served London.
You
can see the plans and layout of Neat House Market Gardens by
following this
link to the 1792-1799 Horwood Plan on the Old London Maps
site. Click on the map for greater detail. If you browse through
the Horwood Plan you will find many other examples of market
gardens.
See
also Preserving Garden produce (as
relating to the 18th and 19th centuries)
