BioDynamic Method
Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that emphasizes the holistic development and interrelationships of the soil, plants and animals as a self-sustaining system, with cosmic references in that it takes into account the movements of the planets through the zodiac, in particular of the moon.
Biodynamic Gardening
The development of biodynamic agriculture began in 1924 with a series of eight lectures on agriculture given by philosopher Rudolf Steiner in Silesia.
The lectures, the first known to have been given on organic agriculture, were held in response to a request by farmers who noticed degraded soil conditions and a deterioration in the health and quality of crops and livestock resulting from the use of chemical fertilizers.
The one hundred and eleven attendees, less than half of whom were farmers, came from six countries, primarily Germany and Poland.
An agricultural research group was subsequently formed to test the effects of biodynamic methods on the life and health of soil, plants and animals.
Today biodynamics is practiced in more than 50 countries worldwide. Demeter International is the primary certification agency for farms and gardens using the methods.
Read more in the Wikipedia article
Know your Moon Cycles
There are 3 different moon cycles that the biodynamic method takes into account, when it comes to what type of plants to sow & transplant.
One is the procession of the moon through the constellations of the zodiac, & the other two are:
A lunar month refers to the time period between successive full moons, a mean period of 29.53059 days.
An anomalistic month refers to successive returns to perigee*, a period of 27.55455 days.
Hence:
14 x 29.53059 days = 413.428 days
15 x 27.55455 days = 413.318 days
This time period is equal to about 1 year, 1 month, and 18 days.
Lynette West, of the Biodynamic Education Centre, shows biodynamic gardening methods to the gardeners at Garden Organic, Ryton. Learn with them the vortex to chaos stirring technique; how to make biodynamic compost and understand the biodynamic preparations; how to make and use manure concentrate, horn manure (BD500) and horn silica (BD501); how to work with the sowing and planting calendar and much, much more...
The aim of biodynamic practice is to revitalise the soil and make it open and receptive to all the forces of the cosmos. In 1924, at the request of German farmers concerned about the decline in soil and animal fertility, Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist, gave a series of lectures suggesting ways to work with the energies of the earth, moon, sun and planets as well as plants such as yarrow, chamomile, nettles, oak bark, valerian and dandelion to heal the earth,
In biodynamics it is believed that there is nowhere quite like your garden. It has its own combination of soil, microorganisms and micro climate. Nobody else can produce fruit and vegetables quite like yours. What could be better than eating food grown in your own unique garden? 'Biodynamic Gardening -- the tools and techniques to nurture your garden' will help you have a bumper harvest!
The full length DVD is available from http://www.green-shopping.co.uk
Paul Dolan on Biodynamic farming & winemaking
Join Paul Dolan for a discussion of Biodynamic farming and winemaking. Biodynamic farmers take a holistic approach, with the goal of making the farm a self-contained, life-sustaining ecosystem. They understand a successful farm is a living community of plants, soil, wild and domestic animals, climate, and water - where all these elements converge and thrive.
May say that Biodynamic wines are the most authentic expressions of terroir.
Top Ten Elements of Biodynamics, 1 - Rudolf Steiner
* The word perigee describes the moon’s closest point to Earth, the apogee is the farthest point (as the orbit of the moon is elliptical).
The closer the moon, the greater the gravitational pull experienced: high tide, high sap in plants, etc.
The farther the moon, the lower the gravitational pull experienced: low tide, more sap in the roots of plants.