Horticulture was a major occupation of the Wampanoags from the spring
until fall. Chief among their crops was the native American corn,
_Zea mays_. Historical sources mention a number of colors—red, blue,
yellow, and white.[78] Of the squashes and their relatives (all
grouped into the family Cucurbitacae) there are mentioned pumpkins
and cucumbers.[79] Also cultivated was the native American variety of
tobacco, _Nicotiana rustica_.[80]
Gardening was work done by women, except for tobacco growing, which
was the business of men.[81] The implements of cultivation were
such things as clam shell hoes, and fish were used for fertilizer.
During the time that the corn was growing the women would weed
it and protect it from birds. Watch houses might be built in the
fields where the gardener or her older children would sit all day to
frighten away birds.[82] Sometimes hawks were captured, tamed, and
kept nearby the house in order to chase the other birds away from the
corn fields.[83]
Corn might be harvested green or allowed to ripen in the fields,
depending upon the use for which it was intended. Green corn seems
to have been a favorite food, and to get as much as possible two
plantings might be made during a summer.[84] At harvest time the
women gathered in the corn and prepared it for consumption or
storage.[85]
When preparing a new field the first step was to remove the forest
cover. Trees were cut down, leaving only the stumps; the branches
were burned on the spot. Ashes left from the burning enriched the
soil. Gardens were then planted between the stumps.[86] A field thus
prepared would gradually diminish in fertility over a period of years
of continuous use, despite the addition of organic fertilizers (fish)
with each planting. When this happened, the field was left fallow
for a period of time, during which a cover of weeds and brush would
develop. This cover was then burned off, the ashes worked into the
soil, and the field planted again.[87]