Horticulture

Gardening

The emergence of horticulture in Siberia should be attributed to the end of the XVIII — first half of the XIX century. Sources mention successful gardening experiments among the Siberian merchants and exiled Decembrists. In the second half of the XIX — early XX century, the activity of Societies (and circles) of lovers of gardening and horticulture was noted. In 1879, amateur gardener Ivan Alexandrov brought grafted apple saplings from Saratov, about 2 arshins high, to Tobolsk, but the harvest was harvested only in 1898. All the apples (and there were three of them!) On the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, they were consecrated in the temple. However, Alexandrov’s experiments seemed interesting to many people, they began to join the Tobolsk circle of lovers of gardening and horticulture. In 1897, the circle had 74 members. Near the village Zhukova was the nursery of the circle.

On September 19, 1909, the Statute of Beekeeping, horticulture and horticulture was approved in Tyumen. The purpose of the society was defined as "the development and improvement of beekeeping, horticulture and the rational setting of horticulture." The concern of the society was "the development of the most correct ways of maintaining apiaries, gardens and vegetable gardens", the dissemination of both Russian and foreign experience useful for gardeners of the Tobolsk province, the creation of exemplary apiaries, gardens and nurseries.

Before the revolution, it was believed that industrial gardening in Siberia was not possible, although townspeople and peasants grew small-fruited apples (ranetki), cherry, red and black mountain ash, as well as raspberries and currants.

Gardens

Before the revolution, there were gardens in every Siberian city and very often in rural areas. They mainly grew apples in them, although some amateurs tried to grow grapes, plums, and cherries in Siberian gardens.

Since 1924, the taxation of personal gardens and vegetable gardens began, but not immediately throughout the country. That year, amendments were made to the Law on the Unified Agricultural Tax of the USSR, allowing the Council of People’s Commissars of the Union Republics to introduce conversion rates into arable land or sowing of orchards, vineyards and other intensive crops. The resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the RSFSR of June 12, 1925 on the taxation procedure expanded the actual application of increased conversion rates for the taxation of gardens and vegetable gardens. Further, these norms on taxing personal gardens and shrubs only expanded and increased.

In the 1930s, taxation of personal gardens and shrubs spread rapidly throughout the country. Taxation norms were regulated by the USSR Law "On Agricultural Tax" and regional by-laws. Facts and documents show that the tax on every bush and tree on the personal plots of Soviet citizens was introduced during the reign of Stalin. This type of tax has been in effect in the USSR partially since 1924, everywhere from about the mid-30s to 1953.

Under Khrushchev, taxes on collective farmers were reduced three times. But in the minds of ordinary people, the idea of cutting down gardens due to taxes in the post-war period was fixed. Nevertheless, Nikita Sergeyevich would not be a real communist if he did not strive to limit as much as possible the ability of people to develop a personal household. Under him, a policy was pursued aimed at limiting the area of household farms, enlarging collective farms by eliminating small villages. Under Khrushchev, it was also forbidden to keep cattle on citizens' land plots in cities and urban settlements.

Fruit orchards in Siberia

In 1920, Gosplan published information about the availability of gardens in the vast expanses of the Asian part of the country — about 300 hectares. These were small private gardens that had no commercial value. And it was only with the rapid growth of industry in Siberia and the growth of the population that the issue of providing food, including fruits and berries, arose. From 1930−1932, when collective farms appeared in Siberia, the first collective farm gardens were established.

The experience of creating the first stations in the Urals and Siberia — Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk — dates back to this time. The stations collected collections of varieties, identified the best ones for the open area. At the same time, wild plants of Siberia were collected and involved in breeding. The age-old dream of Siberians to have their own gardening has come true. New breeds have been introduced into culture — sea buckthorn, honeysuckle, chokeberry, viburnum. During the five-year plans, gardens appeared in most collective farms and state farms of the steppe and forest-steppe of Western Siberia (and partly in the taiga), mainly in the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions.

By the middle of the twentieth century, the total area of land under gardens in Western Siberia reached 20 thousand hectares. In some collective farms, the area of orchards and berry fields reached 50 hectares or more, and in suburban state farms there were gardens up to 200 hectares.

Small-fruited apples, large-fruited varieties of apples specially bred in Western Siberia, and cherries were grown. Raspberries, strawberries, strawberries, and currants provided a rich harvest. Red and black mountain ash and irga were also grown.

Suburban areas

Mass suburban construction began in the USSR in 1955, when Soviet people were already allowed to build small houses on the plots, adapted for living in them in the summer.

By the early 1960s, cottage construction began to gain momentum. The state and large enterprises allocated land plots free of charge to their employees, as well as pensioners, war and labor veterans. Most of the suburban areas were just a piece of land with borders marked with wire. Sometimes so—called "illiquid" lands were also allocated — for example, swampy areas. And then people had to first bring soil by cars to fill up the swamps. In 1960, lands were stopped being freely allocated and control over those already allocated was strengthened.

The houses were ordered to be built according to certain rules: no closer than three meters to the neighbor’s fence and no higher than one floor. The summer residents found a way to circumvent the second ban: they began to build up attics — in fact, a full-fledged second floor. Because of this, the country villages looked like a pile of diverse structures. Restrictions on the number of floors were abolished only in the 1980s.

The life of a Soviet person has always been modest, and the country life was doubly modest. Water was taken from wells and wells, there was a cesspool for drains, food was cooked on small tiles, cups and spoons were washed with cold water. Old sagging sofas, unnecessary dressers, slides, stools and dishes were regularly sent from the city to the country. In such "Spartan" conditions, summer residents grew vegetables and herbs, which then made traditional "preparations for the winter."

Разведение плодов и ягод

Разведение плодов было известно еще в допетровской Руси. Исследователь русского быта Александр Власьевич Терещенко (1806−1865) утверждал, что крестьяне долго не знали никаких плодов, а только овощи, но уже в XVвеке, выращивали вишни и яблоки. В XVII в. появились большие сады с яблоками, вишнями, сливами, смородиной, малиной, клубникой и пряными душистыми растениями. Первое упоминание о разведении плодов к Сибири относится ко второй половине XVIII века. К этому времени за Уралом уже существовали сады, разведенные представителями купечества. На рубеже XIX- ХХ веков огромную роль в распространении плодово-ягодных культур сыграли садоводы-любители. По всей Сибири создавались общества любителей сада и огорода. Весной шла бойкая торговля саженцами. Например, в Тобольске их продавали в Благовещенском сквере (Александровском саду). В мае 1907 г. саженцы тополя шли по цене от 15 до 30 коп. за штуку, сирени ‑ от 15 до 30 коп., акации ‑ от 12 до 25 коп., вишни ‑ от 20 до 30 коп., малины ‑ от 12 до 20 копеек. Сибирские крестьяне раньше других начали разводить у себя малину (из-за ее неприхотливости). Смородину собирали дикую (при хорошем урожае крестьянская семья могла собрать ее несколько ведер), также как и землянику. Новые сорта ягод и плодов высаживали на усадьбе и оберегали. В 1930-х гг. по Сибири создавались опорные пункты и опытные станции, призванные сформировать местный ассортимент плодово-ягодных культур. Осуществлялось научное руководство этими учреждениями, так на базе Алтайской опытной станции садоводства был создан НИИ садоводства им. М. А. Лисавенко. Создавались плодопитомники, в которых выращивали черноплодную рябину, иргу. Благодаря этим действиям в крестьянских хозяйствах распространились облепиха, жимолость и другие ягоды и плоды. В постперестроечное время ягоды и плоды в основном выращивали на территории коллективных и усадебных садов. По данным статистики, в 1996 г. в одной только Западной Сибири площадь плодово-ягодных насаждений составляла 60,3 тыс. га, с них ежегодно собирали более 150 тыс. ведер ягод и плодов. В настоящее время выращиванием ягод на своих участках занимаются сельские жители и владельцы дачных участков.