Let’s Grow Together!

A Chino Valley Homestead Story

Back in the ‘90s Chris and Elaine Vang moved to Chino Valley. They bought a small house on one weedy packed-earth acre. Chris says, “This is what we could afford.” I meet them on their front porch under an arching trellis of golden fall leaves, greeted by their slightly goofy black bull mastiff. Then we took a tour of the property.

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Chris and Elaine use half their acre for a lush, rich garden and orchard, with fruit, vines, vegetables and animals. It includes several large shade trees, 15 fruit trees, including peaches, almonds, apples, pears, apricots and cherries, many trellises of elderberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, and a full archway of grapes, 15 raised-bed and container gardens for vegetables and greens, thirty chickens in a comfortable chicken house, raised for eggs, three goats in a nice pen for milk and cheese (think ricotta, mozzarella, chevre and yogurt), and 16 Muscovy ducks, which have a pen but are allowed to roam because they eat bugs.

Also in the garden is a greenhouse, a couple of hoop houses and high tunnels made from stock panels (welded steel mesh), and some peaceful, cozy relaxation spaces with garden furniture. It’s a stunning garden oasis.

In this space Chris and Elaine grow most of their own food. Chris explains wryly, “We are ever so addicted to gardening. We smoked it the first time and got hooked.” Elaine adds, “We’ve always had a garden.” But the garden hasn’t always been the same. In the past few years they retired their original “in-ground” garden, with its nasty, invasive bindweed and elm roots, for a different design.

After 32 years of gardening in Chino Valley, Chris and Elaine changed their ways. Inspired by the Back to Eden documentary film (BackToEdenFilm.com), they restructured their growing areas with two principles in mind: sustainability — conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources, and permaculture — an approach to life and growing food that copies the way things happen in nature to inspire ways for us to live without damaging the environment.

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They changed their soil and watering treatment to include a deep mulch that starts with a layer of cardboard, then a layer of wood chips, and finally a layer of composted soil. This holds moisture, discourages weeds and brings up worms (which happen to love cardboard). It’s a no-till, self-mulching system.

They laid out the property incorporating several Food Forest layers: Layer 1 is shade trees (not necessarily edible); 2 is fruit trees and fruit-bearing bushes; 3, vines and shrubs; 4, annual and herbaceous plants, including vegetables; and 5, root plants, like potatoes.

They built raised beds filled with a bottom layer of logs for drainage, then mulch and composted soil. The beds improve soil fertility, water retention and soil warming. At the Vangs, this system of raised beds has gotten an enthusiastic response from both asparagus and sweet potatoes (recently they harvested forty pounds from a four-by-four-foot bed!).

These changes have made for an easier adjustment to the record heat and drought caused by climate change. Chris noted a ten-degree difference in temperature in the shade between the old in-ground garden and the new permaculture area.

I ask Elaine for beginner garden advice. She says “Start small. That’s how we developed this property.”

She adds, “The benefit of animals far outweighs the costs. Because of the animals we can be very efficient. Nothing is wasted. Leftover feed and bedding material and kitchen scraps go to the chickens. Chickens are excellent composters. The Muscovy ducks are expert bug-hunters, they do not disturb the plants, and produce lean, tender, red meat reminiscent of beef. And they are quiet. Manure from the animals builds the nitrogen base of compost that goes in the garden beds and on the trees. It’s a circular, self-sustaining, closed system.”

Elaine described it as her “happy place.” She gets so much fun and satisfaction out of the garden that she wants to share, so five years ago she set up the Let’s Grow Together! Facebook group focusing on local gardening. It now has loads of local gardening tips, stories, and advice. Two years ago she set up another Facebook group, Let’s Make Sourdough!, focused on local sourdough baking. (You'll find links to these pages in the Resources, below.)

All spring and summer Chris and Elaine grow and harvest their highly productive gardens. Elaine methodically stores the bounty for winter, canning, dehydrating or freezing. Lately she’s doing something different and better — freeze-drying. Elaine says the process is easier and results are more delicious, nutritious, storage-stable and convenient. She freeze-dries just about everything — fresh and cooked vegetables, soups, sauces, stews, meats, yogurt, cheeses, cheesecake, even guacamole! Elaine sparkles proudly before her shelf of bright, filled Mason jars.

You probably know that I’m also addicted to gardening in a big way. I’m impressed with Chris and Elaine’s approach, and I’m looking at my garden differently. I like the ease and quality of home freeze-dried foods. Thanks Chris and Elaine for the vision, the inspiration and the creativity.

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Photos by Molly.

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