lspichkin

Biodynamic gardening respects the basics of organic gardening - no chemical fertilizers and pesticides, an emphasis on soil health through composting, rotating of crops, etc. - but it takes it up a notch by considering the effects of the moon, as well as other cosmic forces, on the vitality of the soil and plants.

For a more detailed explanation, as well as information about the "Preparations" that are key to enhancing soil and plant health, click here.

FlowerLuver

I've been looking at the Perelandra site recently and saw their video on their beautiful, natural gardens. Have you heard of it?

~Suzi

lspichkin

Looks like an interesting site, I'll check it out!

smgardener

I heard that biodynamic farming was created by the guy who created the Waldorf schools, and that some schools are actually practicing biodynamic farms!

mor

Biodynamic agriculture relies on the belief that a farm is actually one, giant, self-sustaining organism that contains the ingredients to ensure its own health and prosperity.

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hasse222

This week we applied biodynamic Prep 500 to all our beds. Prep 500 is composed of fresh cow manure that has been stuffed inside cow horns and buried for the six months between the spring and fall equinoxes. This picture, courtesy of Chez Pim, shows our cow horns freshly filled with manure last year and awaiting burial. While underground, it is infused with the energy of the earth, and decomposes into a rich, completely non-smelly elixir. The small photo is of the manure after it's been buried for six months. Isn't it beautiful? It is then ready to be mixed and applied.Prepinhand_2

Prep 500, also also called "horn manure," is a soil enlivener. In biodynamics, we recognize that soil health is key to plant growth. But Prep 500 is not like worm castings or manure or compost, which are all typically applied by the shovel-full. We use only a small amount, some would say a homeopathic amount. We begin with about three or four ounces of this manure-based substance, and mix it up into several gallons of water. We are making a medicine for the soil, so to speak, and every aspect of it needs to be a pure as possible.
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vinita

The basis for biodynamic gardening is the belief that the land – your back yard, the farm down the road, all land – is a living (dynamic) environment that thrives only when all the flora and fauna (biology) of the area are considered.

Big-business farming has become a monoculture in too many places. There are vast fields that cover miles and miles of farmland where only one crop (corn, for instance) is cultivated. The soil is treated with the synthetic nutrients that only corn needs and with pesticides to rid the fields of pests that feed on corn. Absolutely nothing else is allowed on these farms.
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herbgarden

Using biodynamic in your planting is just fine as long as you know how to do it. It works for plant that you grow even on indoors.

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sumana

Followers of the Biodynamic method call it "a science of life-forces", but believers in "intelligent design" say that it has scientific merit! Maybe they could be described as "Organic Fundamentalists" or an Extreme Organic movement!
The principles have some validity with scientific scrutiny. Light is essential for life and following the sun is understandable, but whether light from the moon, planets and stars has an effect is less believable. Certainly their orbits are predictable and regular so using their motion to determine the time of planting and harvesting is valid, but with our changing climate many of the indicators are no longer synchronous.
The gravitational effects of the moon are of great significance as they produce the tides. These had an even greater influence billions of years ago when the moon was much closer to the earth, creating massive seas which eroded the land mass to provide the raw materials for life to begin. Since then it has moved further away and continues to do so by about 38mm a year. Whether this has any effect on plant growth is what is being considered here. This could be an effect on ground water and the movement of sap.
Adding the Preparations to compost would provide some micronutrients, but the lengthy stirring and sprinkling them around has more of a ritualistic overtone than anything horticultural. The method of preparation has similarities to homeopathic remedies, perhaps it's 'homeopathy for the garden'.

texasgardener

biodynamic gardening sounds pretty interesting.

Not sure about the influence of the moon but maybe.

I am moving more and more organic, this is our third year with no pesticides (nematodes and ladybugs work great).

We setup an organic compost system to maintain it and made it a totally organic space.

Our garden thanked us last year by producing more vegetables than we got in the previous 3 years together. Actually we were pulling a bushel of tomatoes a week from 10 plants all the way until December (the first good frost ended that).

This year we built a greenhouse for our tomato plants. and are going to brew our own compost tea.

I will study more about this biodynamics is see if there is some science to it. I am always willing to learn more to help our gardening.

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