Growing Healthy Families

The goal of Hidden Villa's Healthy Foods, Healthy Families program is to provide a consistent source of fresh produce from our certified organic farm directly to low-income individuals and families primarily residing in Mountain View, CA and surrounding neighborhoods. Funding for this program enables Hidden Villa to grow produce for the Community Services Agency of Mountain View's Food and Nutrition Center. Fresh fruits and vegetables are delivered twice weekly throughout the growing season of May to November and the CSA of Mountain View clients are able to select food that will best serve their families. 56% of those served by this program are children and youth under the age of 18 and seniors over the age of 60.

The Hidden Villa Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program has started their tractor engines for the Spring 2017 season! We wanted to bring you an inside look at some of the progress we are making on the farm.

We have started to till the winter cover crop into the soil . Cover crop is a mixture of plants that we grow during the winter time that reinvigorate the soil and increase soil fertility and nutrient content. The benefits for an organic farm are tremendous! Here are some bullet points:

• Suppresses weeds
• Protects soil from rain or runoff
• Improves soil aggregate stability
• Reduces surface crusting
• Adds active organic matter to soil
• Fixes nitrogen
• Suppresses soil diseases and pests

We expect the cover crop to support the growth of all produce for the Spring, Summer, and Fall season!

We have had several volunteer groups from local organizations and corporations come out to help us with the greenhouse and starting plants, planting them into the soil, and weeding the rows of crops. This is a true community effort and we look forward to continue this amazing work and ensure our community's local food security!

Enjoy the photos :)

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