In 1779, The Royal Danish agricultural Society in Copenhagen announced a prize. An author was to create a guide on how to maintain farm gardens. The instruction to be formulated in the form of a catechism with questions and answers, should be suitable for farmers. Vothmann thought that farmers from the “German provinces of Denmark” would be of little help with a work in the Danish language. Therefore, he participated with a German guide, which was submitted in January 1781 after the deadline. The guide was well received by the society, which covered the costs of printing. It received a second award.

It was probably printed in the autumn of 1782 but bore the year 1783 on the title page.

Johann Georg Vothmann was a German horticulturalist and author. He is known for his contributions to agricultural literature, particularly regarding the cultivation and maintenance of gardens specifically aimed at farmers and urban gardeners.