The Compleat Gard’ner

1693

De Beer Ec 1693 L

London: [Printed for Matthew Gillyflower and James Partridge]

Lawyer-turned-gardener, Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie (1626-88), transformed the ‘Stinking Pond’ near the Palace of Versailles into a vegetable garden – ‘un potager’ – for Louis XIV in 1678. On nine hectares, La Quintinie made use of raised beds, glass cloches, and walled gardens to provide the King’s kitchen with a year round supply of produce. Using newly developed growing techniques, he was able to produce most fruit and vegetables out of season. Described as ‘something between an outdoor laboratory and an early example of agribusiness’ (Thompson, 2006), La Quintinie oversaw 30 gardeners, who helped him grow, amongst other things, the King’s favourite – peas. This translated edition shows the layout of the potager with central water reservoir.