Visit to Krisna-Völgy

On Monday we had our annual Zsámboki Biokert team outing. Last year we visited Virágoskút and the Rózsa family next to Balmázújváros. This year we visited Krisna-Völgy at Somogyvámos. For those who haven't been to the Krisna-Völgy, I recommend a visit. Probably autumn is the most beautiful time to visit, with the surrounding forests burning reds, yellows, oranges and browns. Krisna-Völgy has just celebrated 30 years since it was founded, Trees and gardens have been planted from the beginning, so an impressive arboretum is already established. I last visited about 10 years ago, and the whole valley (which includes the hillsides) has matured, so it is no longer an exposed, windswept prairie, but now has many pockets of shelter, sun and shade. We mainly went to visit the gardens, and we were warmly welcomed by Balamodaka, the market gardener. We had a full tour of the gardens, compost making and polytunnels. The scale of the operation is impressive, and the community has invested big-time in the market garden to kit it out with the most comtemporary tools for market gardening. It was a real treat to see many of the tools and equipment we dream of being used and displayed. Krisna-Völgy is on an unselfish mission to spread the word and practice of sustainable production methods, and we really appreciate having the chance to see, and have explained the methods they are employing to grow organic vegetables and other crops. We thank our friends at Krisna-Völgy for their hospitality and openess to share their experience and knowledge.