Of its 8,000 acres, only half of Biltmore Estate is readily seen and accessible for guest experiences. The other 4,000 acres is where much of the magic happens that makes the estate’s operations possible.
The west side of the estate is where “very few guests get to see, and really and truly most employees never get the opportunity to see,” said Biltmore gardener Sarah Woodby. “The estate’s divided almost perfectly in half by the French Broad River,” she said. “It’s a well-kept secret.”
Woodby, who’s been with the estate for nearly three years, is one of the few with access to the gated-off side of the property that’s largely dedicated to agriculture and commercial forestry. Woodby has an essential role in managing three hydroponic greenhouses and harvesting crops that eventually end up on the plates of diners across the estate.
“It’s the cultivation of plants that, in our case, without the utilization of soil,” Woodby said. “Statistically, you can rely on a 40-40-40 rule. Hydroponic plants grow about 40% faster than traditional grown crops, they have the potential to get about 40% larger than traditional grown crops, and they use about 40% less water.”
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