Kitchen Garden (1801-1817)
During the massive landscaping episode of 1808-1812, Madison had his slaves create a series of terraces in the formal garden by cuts and fills. This garden--the Kitchen Garden--would eventually be planted with the vegetables and fruits that would grace the Madison table. The shape of this garden has been called a horseshoe--but is arranged as a hippodrome-shaped set of terraces facing the south. These broad semicicular terraces provided a sheltered warm environment for vegetables and fruits and allowed an extended growing season.