What was it like to garden 150 years ago?

Come step back in time to an old farm. That is what Gammelgården means in Swedish. Thousands of visitors from Minnesota and around the world come every year to experience what it was like to be a Swedish immigrant at the Gammelgården Museum of Scandia.

The Washington County Master Gardeners partnered with the Museum in 2023. We continue offering visitors an opportunity to learn what foods were grown in the Heritage Garden and what native plants immigrants would have found upon arrival in the Pollinator Garden.

Food traditions brought from Sweden included growing a variety of root vegetables, including rutabagas (kålrot) also known as Swedes. Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist and physician, developed the taxonomy we still use today when classifying plants. He is credited with bringing the beloved rhubarb plant to Sweden. In the Heritage Garden, you will find it and many other traditional plants found in Swedish gardens. Gammelgården’s history extends well into the 20th century and the garden reflects how food choices changed over time and what was grown.

We invite you to learn more about Gammelgården’s historic past and gardens. There you will learn what is growing in both English and Swedish. Traveling to Sweden? Learn more about the many beautiful gardens in Sweden, including those near Scandia’s sister city, Mellerud.