Compost Tea

Compost tea is compost that has been mixed with water and fermented.  The benefits include a biodynamic culture of healthy bacterial and fungi that not only feed the plants with nutrients but also ward off bad bacteria, molds and fungi. While the jury is still out on whether or not it is better than using regular compost we decided to give it a try.  At the very least there are asthetic benefits to using a tea rather than sprinkling compost or fertilizer on our lawn :)

I found the directions to build a fermenter online here http://www.care2.com/greenliving/guide-to-compost-tea.html.  It cost me about $25 in parts and 15 minutes to put it together and start it up.  After letting it run for about 4 days (the weather stopped me from doing it any earlier) we opened the lid and were greeted by the very pungent aroma of fermented, decayed plant material...yum.  We strained it and used a watering can to sprinkle the new grass coming up on the lawn.  We also plan on adding it to the soil of our vegetable garden before we put in our new seedlings.  The directions also recommend using the tea on the folliage to prevent diseases.  I'll keep you posted on how it works out.  In the mean time we think compost tea is a great way to get living micro organizims back into the soil.

Our Terraced Garden

Ok, so this is part 3 of our series on terraced gardening.  In this post we wanted to show how we have used our terraced garden to plant our community victory garden.  As you have read earlier we have only planted peas, lettuce, arugula, garlic, onions, swiss chard, fava beans and potatoes so far.  Many things have already sprouted! The rest of the plants have been started in a greenhouse and are kept warm at night with a heating pad.  They are doing beautifully and will be ready to put into the ground as early as April (if the weather cooperates)

Here is the link to a drawing of our garden and the plants we are growing http://www.hiddenvalleyspa.com/images/garden2011.jpg.

Sorry about the blurry pics but you get the idea, stuff is growing!

Arugula

Strawberry

Peas

Radishes

Hunza Garden

This is part 2 of our series on terraced farming.  Dr Jensen was equally inspired by the people of the Hunza Valley not only for their healthy diet and longevity but also for their resourcefulness.  They farmed an area that was was abundant in nothing but rocks.  Similarly, Dr Jensen named the rockiest garden of the Hidden Valley the "Hunza Garden".  We do have some native vegetation that makes it's homes among the rocks and hard soil, mostly succulents, native grasses and of course weeds.  Which leads me to another similarity between HV and Hunza, everything is done by hand.  Hunzakuts had a very "labor-intensive culture" and we too have experienced clearing, planting and cultivation all done by our callused yet loving hands.  Lastly the Hunzakuts were crazy about apricots and mulberries, both of which thrive abundantly on the property.  They dried the apricots for winter consumption, a note right out of Dr. Jensen's books.  The more we learn the more we realize Hidden Valley is a melting pot of cultures from around the world and everything was done with purpose.

The Incas really had it going on!!

 In the midst of our planting season we have done a bit of research and we are going to be sharing a three part blog about terracing.  Dr. Jensen was really inspired by the Incas and once you see our property you will see why... like Dr. Jensen these people were able to use the terrain that was presented to them. Living high in the Andes Mountains the Incas were able to create step like terraces into the mountains and grow all sorts of delicious crops. By using the natural formation of the land they were also able to minimize erosion, as well as preserve soil quality.

Our Victory Garden 2011

Life up at Hidden Valley has been keeping us very busy. We just cleared six tiers in preparation for our new garden. As you might remember we were pretty successful last year with our organic vegetable garden,  and we have decided to expand on this. We are planning on taking advantage of our long growing season and Mediterranean climate by starting our garden early with peas, fava beans, garlic and Italian Chicory. Same as last year we cleared it by hand, but were introduced to a Hula Hoe. Makes weeding easier. We cleared it in half the time. We built our bean poles. We'll show you a picture next week. Hope you can make it out to visit us and enjoy some of natures best organic vegetables.

Intimate Weddings

Looking to plan a small intimate wedding?  Need ideas and information that is not designed for a 200 person wedding?  Visit http://www.intimateweddings.com/.  Christina there has blogged about fun and creative ways to make your small wedding truly unique.  She also shares stories about what other brides have done at their intimate wedding. Click here to see her current posting about us!

Propagating Geraniums and Roses!

So, at Hidden Valley we are always trying to find ways to keep our grounds as beautiful as possible. We like to see our gardens green and full of color with the wide variety of flowers and plants we have. An easy way we’ve been keeping it green is by propagating the many colors of geraniums we have around the property with very successful results. Every time we trim a geranium we stick the stem into the ground and a new plant will grow. Just lately, we decided to expand this project to propagating the many heirloom varieties of roses that Dr. Jensen planted. We did not realize how easy it can be to propagate roses, with just one extra step it can be as easy as propagating geraniums. You cut at least a 6” piece of stem, preferably one with new growth, dip it in root hormone and plant it in potting soil. Covering it with a mason jar to create a mini green house is optional depending on the weather. How wonderful is that?!

We will keep you posted on how our cuttings do!