Fort de Chartres Jardin Potager

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Fort de Chartres Jardin Potager

Updates and information about the Fort de Chartres heirloom French colonial kitchen garden. The garden is curated by volunteer, Carol K***z.

Site directions can be found at: http://www.fortdechartres.us/contact-us/. Message Carol for jardin info. The Fort de Chartres Heritage Garden Project is an independent demonstration garden curated by volunteer Carol K***z and the kitchen garden is located at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, in the village of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2022. This heirloo

m jardin potager has been planted in the style of a French habitant kitchen garden and was generally tended by the women of the Illinois Country. The accounts of the era remarked that the gardens contained a variety of the finest vegetables which were cultivated in raised beds, intermingled with herbs, flowers, and shrubs, located next to small orchards containing a variety of the choicest fruits. It was noted that l’habitants needed a substantial garden in order to be able to lay in a supply of vegetables and fruits for the winter months, along with the seasonal produce to be enjoyed during the growing season. These recipes are enlightening, as their ingredients would have been the basis of the vegetable and fruit choices cultivated locally. Heirloom seeds and plants have been planted to reflect this unique French Colonial garden style and the varieties that might have been cultivated in the eighteenth-century in the Illinois Country. This heritage garden’s mission is to share our region’s rich heritage with the public through garden demonstrations and the sharing of heirloom seeds.

08/12/2026

Thank you to Kathy, Sabre, Dan, and Daisy for their garden help and to Sabre and Kathy for these photos of the jardin while I am away with family on the lakeshore in Ontario. So appreciate them along with Jennifer and Dave all taking turns to water the garden during the high heat currently in the Illinois Country-hoping the temperatures cool soon. With their assistance, there is the possibility of having something alive in the raised beds of the garden upon my return after these days of excessive heat!🤞

08/04/2026

Currently our southwest corner of Illinois is experiencing a temperature break from “the dog days of summer.” The origins of the term as expressed in French, ‘la canicule,” comes from the Latin “canicular,” little dog. The meaning and use of that term stretch through millennium, with the ancient Egyptians associating the warm mid-summer with the Dog Star, Sirius, or Canicula, because of the often-accompanying heat extremes. The star rises and sets with the sun between 24 July and 24 August, a period of time that often exhibits these significant increases in temperature. This year’s periods of high heat have certainly proven to be a challenge to the garden.
As we struggle with elevated temperatures, work in jardin focuses on watering and weeding the raised beds, the harvesting of the heat-surviving crops, and the clearing of the debris of the finished crops. While the garden continues to produce the centuries-old traditional crops of summer squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, red onions, beans, carrots, and cabbages, the produce quantity is certainly fluctuating with the weather. The planting for the fall season will begin soon should cooler temperatures prevail. In the meantime, the garden continues it seasonal journey, allowing work in the jardin to continue-the collection of seed, produce, herbs and plants for drying and/or preserving, while welcoming site visitors of all persuasions, whether human or insect, to this Pays des Illinois habitant kitchen garden at Fort de Chartres, during “la canicule” season.

Photos July-August 2026 CK

07/18/2026

Last week Fort de Chartres Site Superintendent, Jesse Walter, reached out with the very sad news that our good friend, Tim Helms, passed away. Tim was the seasonal site staff person at the Fort for the last 7-8 years and put his heart and soul into his work at the site. April thru September or October, Tim was always on a mower and was a major reason the site grounds looked their very best. Such a hard worker not only for the site but the FdC Heritage Garden Project as well, helping to water and clearing garden debris from weeding and pruning, while spending his personal time helping build anything the garden needed, including six of the new garden beds. Tim was a good friend to Nick and I personally, as well as to the jardin. Rest in peace, Tim. You have earned this rest after living a life filled with hard work, always leading with a big heart, and befriending so many. I will miss our visits in the garden each week and we will just have to catch up on down the road. Sweet dreams. Fais de beaux rêves.

Photo CK

07/17/2026

A perfect way to end a morning/early afternoon spent gardening at the Fort in the kitchen garden-a lovely summer thunderstorm.

06/28/2026

"Work to be done in July.
Continue to Sow Peas, to have some Green in October. Also, French- Beans to eat Green in Autumn; And
Endive against Autumn and Winter. The Beginning of this Month look over your Peach- Trees, to take away the useless Shoots.
Sow Spinage , but no great Quantity, because 'twill be apt to run to Seed; however, if the Gardiner take care to water it, twill come to be fit to gather, without growing up to Seed.
_ Likewise Milan-Cabbage: continue to water the Fig-Trees in Cases, and the Sallating and Kitchen-Herbs,
as often as is required. Trim and Dress the Cucumbers which have been Planted out into Plain Earth."
-Le jardinier solitaire. 1706 Gentil, Francois, Gardener

As the month of June approaches its final days, the sultry heat normally found in the Illinois Country in July is now upon us. The last of the spring crops will be finished as we reach the temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-90s. The heirloom beans, crookneck and cymling squashes, and cucumbers seeds that have been planted in June now begin their heat-fueled summer growth cycle. And recent storms should help the immerging melon/corn/winter squash seedlings as they break the soil surface. The melon/squash bed was prepared with the help of Fort staff this year and their effort was so helpful and appreciated. Now that the garden’s summer is fully underway, its success will depend on receiving enough water to sustain itself in the near 100-degree temperatures that begin this weekend. With a eye to more favorable temperatures, look for the announcement of the next volunteer work day to be held this July. In the meantime, this solitary gardener will continue her Illinois country journey, nurturing and harvesingt produce in the habitant garden at Fort de Chartres.

Photos-juin 2026 CK

06/15/2026

Interested in learning first hand about the jardin and help transition the garden into summer? Trying to fit in a volunteer work day this week in the jardin potager at Fort de Chartres before the next round of expected storms. Meet me this Tuesday, June 16 at 10 a.m. in the Fort garden and bring along your favorite garden hand tools and gloves. Another garden work day will be scheduled next week after a good look at the weather forecast-so keep checking in! Questions? Just send me a message, merci.

Photo CK

Address

1350 State Route 155
Prairie Du Rocher, IL
62277

Website

http://www.fdcjardin.com/, https://fortdechartres.net/contact-us/

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