Acorn garden

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An acorn garden is a larger, often rectangular, modern moat for the cultivation of oak seedlings or other tree species ( fir , spruce ). The first such plant gardens were created in the 17th century. Until the early 19th century, especially the oak seedlings to plant lights oak forests for which one used forest mast of pigs, cattle, sheep, horses and other farm animals. In pre-industrial times, the forest mast was the most important forest use in addition to logging.

The acorn gardens

The plant gardens, which were mostly only used for a short time, were often bordered by low earthen walls of up to 1.5 meters high, which were usually still supported by wooden fences. The excavation trenches are often preserved in front of the ramparts of the predominantly rectangular structures. The size of the ramparts varies between about 60 × 30 and 150 × 80 meters.

In their layout, the gardens are strongly reminiscent of the numerous late La Tène period square jumps in Central Europe. The characteristic elevation of the whale corners can also be found in both soil monument types. This elevation was inevitably caused by the deposition of the excavated soil from the trenches that converged here at an angle.

Occasionally the acorn gardens are divided inside, sometimes several plants are next to each other. The tree saplings were pulled up to a height of about two meters and were protected from game and cattle bites by the wall and fences. After they were planted out, the gardens were usually abandoned. If necessary, a new garden could be created at another location quickly and inexpensively.

The similarity of the acorn gardens to the late Celtic square entrenchments could occasionally lead to confusion between the two types of monuments. Viereckschanzen are often exposed to esoteric interpretations. Here, for example, reference is sometimes made to the vegetation with old oaks, which in some cases probably goes back to its earlier use as an acorn garden. The conversion of actual four-cornered hills to plant gardens would also be conceivable here.

Comparable modern ramparts with inner trenches are interpreted as cattle enclosures . Field names like “Viehlager” or “Oxenstall” clearly refer to the earlier function of such objects, whose importance as landmarks has not yet been recognized everywhere.

literature

  • Klaus Sippel, Ulrich Stiehl: Archeology in the forest - recognition and protection of soil monuments . Kassel, Landesbetrieb HESSEN-FORST, 2005 online version (PDF; 4.7 MB)