The Blauer farm is located at 1,350m altitude, directly below the Geisler Group in St. Magdalena in the Villnöss Valley with a postcard view. The farm includes meadows, forests and, since April 2023, 1/4 hectare of cultivated land. It is part of the Lüsnerhof and regularly supplies our fresh cuisine with everything that grows and thrives there. Our garden guru Raphael and his family are responsible for this little land of milk and honey in the Villnöss Valley. We spoke to the passionate gardener on site.
A garden at an altitude of 1,350 m, surely there are some challenges that you could avoid in the valley?
RAPHAEL: “Definitely! The weather is always a huge factor, of course, but that's the case everywhere. Here, the conditions are perhaps a little tougher. Due to the altitude, we have an extremely short season because the cold period takes longer. For example, when others' tomato plants already bloom, we usually put our first tomato plants in the ground.”
How do you manage to ensure that everything grows and matures quickly enough in this shortened time?
RAPHAEL: “Good planning is everything! Even if it didn't all go by plan, we can use each bed up to four times a season. An example: We start with spinach, then kohlrabi, followed by lettuce and finally the winter radishes. Or we work with interseedings, so-called “interplantings”. This means that when the chard is halfway up, we sow carrots in the inter-rows. This allows the carrots to germinate and grow until they get enough light as soon as the chard is harvested.”
So we can say goodbye to the idea that your off on winter, with no to dos after you harvested everything?
RAPHAEL: “On the contrary! The harvest is followed by preparing for the winter: Preserving, fermenting, drying, recycling. I also simply note everything down in summer: when to sow, when to harvest, how much yield... I then evaluate this to find gaps where I can still grow something. I usually spend the whole winter doing that.”
Are there any advantages to this location?
RAPHAEL: “Definitely! For example, the lack of heat. It's always a little colder than in the valley. Certain crops are much nicer and easier to grow here and simply taste better in the end - in my opinion ;-)”
Is there something that grows particularly well for you?
RAPHAEL: “Actually, everything grows really well! And we are running the garden without any pesticides or plant protection measures. We have the best spring water, pleasant temperatures and benefit from extremely good soil, which is in short supply in other places.”
...and he adds:
“Artichokes, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, ... even all of the plants that needs a lot of warmth develops splendidly here thanks to a few little tricks. Above all cabbage plants grow particularly well: Broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage, etc. And of course we also have a lot of fruit: plums, pears, Indian bananas and all kind of berries!”
He laughs: “I just got everything I possibly could: Strawberries, gooseberries, currants, jostaberries, blueberries, bilberries...”
Do you follow a specific idea for the cultivation, or do you do it “on the fly”?
RAPHAEL: “We do a mixture of permaculture and market gardening here. Permaculture is hardly possible with vegetables, as they are mostly seasonal. However, we do practise a type of permaculture with trees, shrubs, flowers and herbs on around 1/3 of the area. This area mainly serves as a habitat for beneficial insects and birds.”
Market gardening means “back to the roots”. Biodynamic, no machines, etc. Isn't that - excuse us - a "hell of" a lot of work?
RAPHAEL: “In my opinion, market gardening isn't really much more time-consuming than a mono-culture. The difference is that we work with physical strength and hand tools and try to use every available space. But the time and energy required is almost the same. The value of the machines is replaced by variety and muscle power.”
TASTE THE DIFFERENCE
If you want to experience the taste of the organic harvest for yourself, it's best to try our fresh cuisine, which is included in all our offers.
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST...
... Our weekly program also includes a guided hike where we visit the Blauerhof and ...
... At the Blauer Farm house we offer a vacation apartment with plenty of space, nature and tranquillity for an unforgettable quiet stay.