John 18:1. He went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden.
Gardens were made outside of the cities. The rabbins assign as a reason for this the foul smells which arose from the weeds and from the manure which was necessary for fertilizing. “Upon this account there were no gardens in the city, (some few gardens of roses excepted, which had been so from the days of the prophets,) but all were without the walls, especially at the foot of Olivet” (Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae, Matthew 27:60).