Spanish Colonial Orchard and Vegetable Garden

Mostly planted in February and March of 2012, the fruit trees in this orchard were the first plants in the contemporary Mission Garden. They are a living legacy of the trees that once grew here during the Spanish colonial period, and beyond.

The orchard currently consists of 167 heirloom fruit trees and 36 grapevines. They include the varieties introduced into this region through the colonial agricultural system, and that thrived in our climate and soil conditions, eventually becoming a part of our region’s unique agricultural and culinary traditions. The stock for the trees and vines has been collected from historical sites in Southern Arizona and propagated through the Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project by ethnobotanist Jesús García of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. The orchard contains different cultivars of many trees, including:

•  Quinces (Membrillos)  
•  Figs (Higos) 
•  Pomegranates (Granados) 
•  Apricots (Albaricoques) 
•  Loquats (Nísperos) 
• Pears (Peras)
• Mulberries (Moreras)
• Plums (Ciruelas)
•  Sweet limes (Limas dulces) 
•  Sour oranges (Naranja amarga) 
•  Valencia oranges (Naranjas Valencia) 
•  Grapefruits (Pomelos) 
•  Pomelos (Citrones) 
•  Grapes (Uvas) 
•  Olives (Olivos) 

Based on an interview with Jes´ús García Research Associate at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum December 2021

One of the main features as we started creating Mission Garden was to grow an orchard of fruit trees. These trees are a product of a project that started back in 2000, when the idea of some scholars here, a geologist, a botanist, and an archaeologist started thinking “What happened to the fruit trees that the Jesuits brought starting in the late 1600s to this part of the world, and what are those trees?” So, that was the birth of what we now call the Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project. We call it Kino after Father Kino since we know that the history of this region, in terms of the colonial and European entrance into this area, starts with Father Kino, Eusebio Francisco Kino. It is well documented that he brought many varieties of trees into this region. That’s the reason we call it the Kino Trees Project. And as you start reading the accounts in journals, there is essentially a list of trees that he brought: quinces, pomegranates, figs, peaches, apricots, grapes, and olives. So that was the original inspiration to start looking for these trees, to see if these trees were still around. There were a few attempts back in the 80s by some botanists, especially at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. There was a little bit of funding here and there to investigate. Botanists, historians and local farmers all agreed that these trees were not here anymore. This is too long, 300 years ago. Eventually the story kind of circled back to me. I was lucky to get involved with this project when my friend, who got an original grant from the National Park Service to study this question, had to give it up. I was able to get into the project and put a little bit of my personal experience it.

I was born and raised in Magdalena, Sonora, and as a kid, I remember seeing these fruit trees not only in people's backyards, but also out in the fields on the floodplain of the Magdalena River. That river flows right through my village and I grew up right next to it. So my input kind of ended up being quite important because I realized that the answer to that question—Are these trees still here?—was yes, because we realized that these trees are actually clones. That was a revelation that made us kind take a different direction in the process. We realized that these trees are typically not grown from seed. They are grown from cuttings, and people have cloned them. And essentially, what we have is the same germplasm of these varieties that came with the Jesuits. And they're still here. So no, in other words, we're talking very, very old varieties of fruit trees still being grown. The question was, where are they? And we realized that in the last 100 or 150 years, the water table has dropped dramatically in the rivers, not just here, but also in Mexico. Agricultural fields and orchards that would have been the mecca for these crops are not here anymore; they're gone. So we have to resort to looking at old houses, old homesteads, historic places, abandoned ranches, and even springs or mining towns in the surrounding area that potentially would have these trees.

That was the case. We started reading histories of mining towns that had boomed in the 1920s and 30s, and were now completely abandoned. Some of them are ghost towns near springs with camps at mining sites. We thought, well, let's go and visit those sites. And indeed, that's how we ended up finding that some of these trees were still alive. And that was the essence to start collecting plant material to regrow these trees. One of the first sites was the Sosa Carrillo house, which is a museum now. It's one of the oldest houses inn downtown Tucson where the architecture inside has been preserved. It was spared after the Convention Center was built. This house, indeed, had in the back, two fruit trees, a very old pomegranate, that they called the golden pomegranate—essentially the Sonoran White—and a very, very old black mission fig.

Those were the first two trees that we collected. And once we found some historical evidence, like photographs from the 1930s, that these trees were already there, that gave us the the first initial idea that yes, these trees are here. And once we learned the process, the horticultural process to grow them by cuttings, in some cases by grafting, in some cases by seed, depending on the variety, we were able to bring these trees back. We started at Tumacácori National Historical Park back in 2007. That was the first orchard that we established, particularly with figs, pomegranates, and quinces, and then later on, we started the Mission Garden project, which was just about 10 years ago, about a decade ago. We were able to bring these varieties back to life right here.

Small plots of annual vegetable crops are often grown inside a Spanish orchard to take advantage of available space. During the winter, when fruit trees are defoliated, the seasonal crops benefit from extra light. Minimum tillage increases soil aeration, and legume crops boost fertility. The root systems of the perennial trees further increase the health of the soil, while the foliage provides habitat for beneficial insects, including pollinators. The mission-style orchard and garden is an oasis in the desert, a “food forest” combining European-introduced and indigenous species of vegetables, as well as culinary and medicinal herbs, and ornamental flowers. Together, the small-scale orchard and vegetable garden are referred to as the huerto.

Jesuit missionary Phillip Segesser served the Spanish Crown in this region, which the Spanish colonists called the Pimería Alta. In 1731 he sent a letter to his family in Switzerland requesting many seeds for the mission garden, including hemp, flax, turnip, carrot, beet, fennel, caraway, anise, sage, mint and plum. At the time, mail was delivered by pack train overland to and from Mexico City, and shipped overseas on galleons. So it took four years for Segesser's package of seeds to arrive. Not surprisingly, almost all the seeds were spoiled; only three flax seeds germinated. Nevertheless, by 1744 Segesser wrote home that he had plenty of flax, as well as lettuce, but could they please send him seeds for hemp, chicory, sugar beet, garlic, celery, chives, marjoram and cauliflower. There was no answer to this request until 1758, fourteen years after he had dispatched it! In other letters home, describing his life on this remote frontier of the Spanish empire, he wrote about garbanzos, grains and maize growing at the missions.

A typical mission vegetable garden could also include vegetables and legumes like spinach, squash, cabbage, artichoke and cardoon, fava beans, melons, potatoes, leeks, peas, radishes, and carrots; and medicinal and/or culinary herbs like chamomile, calendula, basil, borage, dill and parsley.

"This particular huerto is very dear to my heart. As I’ve helped it grow over the past ten years, it’s been a constant reminder of so many generous paisanos, friends and neighbors in rural Spain— where I lived the better part of my adult life. They shared with me their skills and knowledge, enabling me to cultivate delicious food for my family. It’s a connection to all the kind elderly ladies who shared seeds and cuttings from their favorite plants with me, to beloved friends like María, who taught me that gardens have memories. Seeds from crops sown in previous years will lie still in the ground, biding time until the moment is right. Then they will pop up, reminding us that the land is a precious treasure holding untold layers of history and endless promise of future gifts."

- Dena Cowan, Curator of Collections, October 2021

• Aloe vera
• Anise (Anís)
•  Basil (Albahaca) 
•  Beets (Remolacha) 
• Broccoli Rabe (Rabiza)
• Borage (Borraja)
• Cantaloupe (Melón)
• Caraway (Alcaravea)
•  Cardoons (Cardos) 
• Cauliflower (Colifor)
•  Corn (Maiz) 
•  Celery (Apio) 
•  Chamomile (Manzanilla) 
•  Chard (Acelga) 
• Coriander (Cilantro)
•  Cabbage (Repollo) 
• Collard Greens (Berza)
•  Carrot (Zanahoria) 
•  Cowpea (Habichuela) 
• Cucumbers (Pepino)
•  Dill (Eneldo) 
•  Eggplant (Berenjena) 
•  Fava beans (Habas) 
• Fennel (Hinojo)
•  Garlic (Ajo) 
• Green bean (Judía)
•  Lettuce (Lechuga) 
• Leeks (Puerro)
•  Mugwort (Estafiate de Castilla) 
• Marjoram (Mejorana)
• Onion (Cebolla)
• Oregano (Orégano)
•  Peppermint (Hierba buena) 
• Parsley (Perejil)
•  Pot marigold (Caléndula) 
•  Padrón pepper (Pimiento de Padrón) 
• Rosemary (Romero)
• Rue (Ruda)
•  Sage (Salvia) 
• Santa Claus melon (Melón Piel de Sapo)
• Sweet Potato (Boniato)
•  Sugar cane (Caña de azúcar) 
•  Turnips (Nabo) 
•  Tomato (Tomate) 
•  Watermelon (Sandia) 
•  Wheat (Trigo) 

Ornamentales / Ornamentals

•  Hollyhock (Malvarosa) 
•  Rose (Rosa) 
• Zinnias (Cinia)

Ana María Noriega S. Published in Pueblos de Sonora Mágica. No. 6 September 2014 Translated by Dena Cowan

Oh mi huerta tan querida como te voy a extrañar cuando de ti me despida

Siempre te he de recordar agua clara que en la acequia corre limpia y tranquila. El cantar de los cenzontles, ´águila brava que acecha A las tranquilas palomas.

Fresno, zaus y nogal que en la acequia se cobijan junto al membrillo y nopal güerigo y eucalipto dátil y albericoque, naranjo, Granada y sidra, durazno, manzana y limón.

El pasado se detiene, el presente aquí te grita, vivo unión con mis ancestros que por hoy recobran vida tesón, fe, generosidad, bondad, amor y alegría.

Sangre de Buena cepa que en el corazón se queda ejemplo para la vida una eternal primavera.

///

Oh my beloved garden how I am going to miss you when I bid you farewell

I shall always remember you clear water that in the acequia runs clean and calm The song of the mockingbirds, brave eagle who tracks the tranquil doves.

Ash, willow, walnut that line the acequia, taking shelter alongside the quince and prickly pear cottonwood and eucalyptus date and apricot, orange, pomegranate and pomelo, peach, apple and lemon.

The past takes pause, the present shouts out to one here, a living union with my ancestors who today come back to life with resolve, faith, generosity, goodness, love and joy.

Blood of good stock, that remains in the heart as an example for life, an eternal spring.