George Washington: First in War, Peace, and Farming

At first, he devoted his energy to growing tobacco. A labor-intensive and fickle crop, it proved unsuited to Mount Vernon’s clay-heavy soil. Problems with weather and topography yielded tobacco leaves that were mediocre in quality, fetching poor prices and causing mounting debt.
Beginning in the 1760s, Washington phased out tobacco and experimented with rotating different crops. His scientific observations in this field rivaled those of Thomas Jefferson, who was conducting his own experiments at Monticello. Washington carried around a pocket-sized notebook, keeping a daily diary where he meticulously noted the outcomes. By the end of his life, these observations totaled more than 700 pages.
He eventually tested 60 different crops. In his diary entries from 1785 to 1786, he lists many of these varieties, ranging from barley, clover, and flax to pumpkins, potatoes, and turnips.
Not all of Washington’s planting experiments were geared towards hard-headed economic considerations. He was also one of America’s early breeders of ornamental flowers. He had, in particular, a passion for roses. He planted a variety of species, including Old Blush, Eglantine, and Damask roses.
Washington would finally get his wish, retiring from public life in 1797. He returned to Mount Vernon, resumed direct control of agricultural production, and continued to experiment. He built a distillery that became one of the largest in the country and, in the last year of his life, was the most profitable business venture on the estate.
When Washington died in 1799, he freed his slaves and left Mount Vernon to his wife Martha. The grounds, in all its former glory, can still be visited today.
Among Washington’s innumerable contributions to his nation, his pioneering role as a founding farmer remains a vital, if often overlooked, aspect of his enduring legacy.