Thomas Jefferson was quite a gardener (of course, his 200 slaves had quite a hand in the success of things on the plantation in the late 1700's). Apparently there were more than 330 varieties and 70 different species of vegetables in the garden at Monticello in his day. Today, two full-time gardeners tend the show-gardens and the produce is given to employees of the Jefferson Foundation. Visiting on a crystal clear day, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the mountain top vegetable garden and surrounding vineyards and orchard, taking the opportunity to gaze out across the rolling Virginia landscape from the observatory where TJ himself often stood overlooking his beloved Monticelo.