Go On..... You Choose!

[wellie]

I met a truly amazing girl on Friday night.... Her face was a picture of radiance. Her eyes sparkled and her smile not only lit up HER face, but mine too, and then the whole of the room.
And then I learned why..... But I only learned truly why today when I visited where she works.
She was growing fruit and vegetables, but on such a huge scale, in a charity environment, that it completely 'blew me away'.
Each and every day, and all day long, she's doing what beats everything else she's ever done previously for a living in her life. Now she's 'come home', as it were, and her very words today to me were "this is my office, and I have to pinch myself every day to make sure it's still real".

And it's a long while since I ever heard anyone but myself say that about their every day 'being'. Rachael, if you ever do read this, thank you SO much for spelling out to me once again why I do what I do. X

And that might seem cool enough, if it weren't for the fact that the whole place is being managed on Biodynamic Culture in tune with Lunar and Seasons, and for most people that's like saying "I've got a black pointy hat on and a broomstick". But you'd be SO SO wrong!

Raised beds were a nightmare a while ago and was it right or wrong?......
Organics were too.
Personally, having seen the health of their crops, and obviously, there's STILL a way to go, but my interests were aroused on this a year ago, and I'm definitely hooked. The more I read, the more I'm hooked.

There's plenty of room for discussion on subjects such as Biodynamic Culture.

Personally, it is the way I shall be starting my new kitchen garden en France, and I shall not be looking back.

I shall watch with interest, but not 'interfere'? inbetween, to let you all discuss amongst yourselves, and I hope you'll have fun in doing so, or is this too high-brow a topic for discussion? Maybe.....

[rogesse]

Miaw

Your definition of biodynamic might help, but before you condemn us all, are you sure your'e not a stalker???

[Stacey Steve]

Wellie

Just been reading up and this is one step away or an extension of almost a religous way of looking at growing plants and care of the soil.

I shall step back and watch with interest and hopefully you will be able to expand a liitle more on the subject.

[FionaH]

I found this definition at Biodynamic wine: the wine anorak's guide

It has its roots in a series of lectures delivered by Austrian philosopher–scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Steiner’s life mission was to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds through the philosophical method. To this end, he created the ‘spiritual science’ of anthroposophy, which he used as the basis of the Waldorf school system that persists to this day

Key to biodynamics is considering the farm in its entirety as a living system. To this end, biodynamic farms are supposed to be closed, self-sustaining systems. Biodynamics also sees the farm in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic practitioners. Instead, they use a series of special preparations (see Table) to enhance the life of the soil, which are applied at appropriate times in keeping with the rhythms of nature. And disease is seen not as a problem to be tackled head-on, but rather as a symptom of a deeper malaise within the farm ‘organism’: correct the problem in the system and the disease will right itself.

The different biodynamic preparations
Preparation
Contents
Mode of application

500
Cow manure fermented in a cow horn, which is then buried and over-winters in the soil
Sprayed on the soil typically at a rate of 60 g per hectare in 34 litres of water.

501
Ground quartz (silica) mixed with rain water and packed in a cow’s horn, buried in spring and then dug up in autumn
Sprayed on the crop plants

502
Flower heads of yarrow fermented in a stag’s bladder
Applied to compost along with preparations 503-507. Together these control the breakdown of the manures and compost, helping to make trace elements more available to the plant

503
Flower heads of camomile fermented in the soil
Applied to compost

504
Stinging nettle tea
Applied to compost. Nettle tea is also sometimes sprayed on weak or low vigour vines

505
Oak bark fermented in the skull of a domestic animal
Applied to compost

506
Flower heads of dandelion fermented in cow mesentery
Applied to compost

507
Juice from valerian flowers
Applied to compost

508
Tea prepared from horsetail plant (Equisetum)
Used as a spray to counter fungal diseases

Note: All these preparations are diluted and then activated or energized by a special stirring process known as ‘dynamization’.

Now I dont know enough to comment really. While I can get the idea of a holistic approach some of thes preperations seem a bit out there. Would like to see the rationale behind fermenting in a domestic animal skull

[Nicos]

Have to admit that I've never heard of it!

This is an interesting thread.....

...actually- I have heard of horsetail tea used as a fungicide

[scarey55]

Have to admit that I've never heard of it!

Neither had I, it does look very interesting and it would be a challenge which is always fun

I have to say that, for myself, I can only just manage what I'm doing in terms of organic so, I don't think I'll be changing my methods any time soon.

[SlugLobber]

I'd never heard of it either. A lot of it makes sense (especially the lunar bits), but I'm not sure about the 'domestic animal' bit, either! Is this to absorb bone nutrients and if so, why does it have to be a domestic animal?

Will also watch with interest!

[piskieinboots]

I have a pretty Moon calendar on my office wall if that helps

[di]

I agree that much of it makes lots of sense.I think with our hectic lifestyles we've almost become desensitised to the effects that the lunar cycles have on us & our surroundings!However;that said due to a rather hectic lifestyle of my own I think achieving this would be near on impossible!!Like many others we have to fit our veg growing around many other things & sometimes finding time inbetween schoolruns/keeping house & the such is at present the most I can realistically achieve!(oh & almost forgetting the weather!!Just as you think you've found a slot of time for the lottie the skies decide to open!!)
But I would say good luck to you Wellie & any others who can organise themselves so well to give it all a go!

[moggssue]

Cant contribute much to the discussion, not knowing that much about it. I think on the surface there's definitely somthing in it and I would love to give it a go, but like andy&di just dont have the time to do it justice - I would love to hear how peeps doing it get on though. Go on Wellie, you know you can .... !

[shirlthegirl43]

Hmm, looks interesting bedtime reading. Wonder where I put that cow horn... and do tesco sell stag's bladders? (Might be worth asking next time I am in just to see the reaction)

[SueA]

I like the idea of the holistic approach to growing things & can see there must be something in lunar patterns as this seems to work for lots of people but personally I wouldn't want to put into practice some of the more outlandish ideas like using a cow's horn, animal's skull or stag's bladder ( 2 for 1 offer in Tesco's now Shirl!) although we obviously do use similar things if we put blood, fish & bone or bonemeal in our soil.

[SarzWix]

Hmm, looks interesting bedtime reading. Wonder where I put that cow horn... and do tesco sell stag's bladders? (Might be worth asking next time I am in just to see the reaction)

ROFL Shirley

No, I won't be bothering with stag's bladders, cow horns, or domestic animals skulls. I buried my gorgeous Elvis under a pear tree, that's about as close as I'll get And the moon planting jobby is fine for people wi nowt better to do, but I've got 3 children, a house, 2 allotments, a dog, a cat and a mental husband to deal with, so if it's a "root planting day" and I'm planting cabbages, well, the world isn't going to stop is it?

[wellie]

Sorry, Trousers and I have had NO SIGNAL the last few days on our internet connection?

Do feel free to ask at the Tesco counter if they have any BOGOFs for you on the Cow Horn front, but I guess you already know that they'll make you feel even more silly than you may feel asking for them?

I'm not suggesting that we all go out there and do that Biodynamic Thing 'full time', we've got very busy lives, and my own life is indeed way too busy to immerse my whole being into that way of growing right at this minute, but when I first touched on the subject, I just thought it was "ooh! this is a leaf day, I'll sow salad then", and it isn't as simple as that - but I was truly amazed at the box of vegetables that Rachael brought, because of the extreme health of the leaves, roots and shoots. And wondered if any of you fancied discussing it further.
If not, that's cool too.

I'm hugely aware too, that more experienced members of The Grapevine are leaving because they feel the same old, same old questions and topics keep reappearing, and nothing new is being discussed or asked, and therefore, they feel unable to take part or make a healthy contribution. Well, I happen to want to be just doing that, and helping newcomers discover a new way forward (if they choose so to do) -
So shoot me, or I give up.

[di]

I think this is a subject that is too easily dismissed as "new age twaddle",Personnally at present I don't have the time to embrace the full idea of biodynamics.However I can totally accept that the cycles of the moon can have an effect on the stuff we grow~just as it does the tides & our own emotions.I'm fully aware that this may seem total rubbish to many, but is it not just an unknown that many of us are afraid to give the time of day just in case it does or does not work?
For me gardening is (& I hope will always be) being openminded about new ways of doing things.Nature is a huge force,& at the end of the day is the one thing we're all working alongside to achieve the best results possible!
Wellie Me Dear,I for one would be interested in hearing more,Maybe I can be a total scrounger & let you do all the research & reap the benefits!!
In your own words!!"give it some...."!!Just make sure & report back your findings for the likes of me that want to nick your ideas without having to do all the research!!x