Louisbourg Fortress Gardens

The former French Canadian fortress was abandoned in 1760 and restored after 1961. Buildings, yards, gardens and streets are recreated as they were during the 1740s. The area was rich, because of the cod fisheries, but the climate was cold and the soil poor. The effort therefore went into the potagers (vegetable gardens) used to grow herbs and vegetables, including mint, parsley, sage,thyme, cabbage, turnip, carrots, beans, and peas. Even aesthetically design beds were used to grow useful plants, as they had been throughout the middle ages, with occasional flowering plants for beauty.