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Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:02 pm
by bower
TheDante, I like that method of making an extract! Perfectly clear, I'll have to try it. 8-)

I also sometimes use the moon calendar to organize what to do when. It just provides a structure to plan your tasks - why not slot in seed starting on an "appropriate" phase or day for example. Unless the weather makes its own rules. But it would be awful to have to do a week's work in three days. It has to be more flexible than that. :? Unless of course, you want to do everything in three days and have a lot of days off. :lol: There are lots of good gardening moons, IMO.

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:19 pm
by MsCowpea
Bower, your compost sounds like great stuff with all you put in it.

Karen, I have some of those books but you know my favorite. So easy, just compost. 😉

Biodynamics remind me of homeopathic remedies. It supposedly works with just these minute preparations
spread around garden. There are some very labor intensive dictates though.

I once tried ‘Growing Tomatoes in Garbage‘ ( the method is on the internet ). It worked! He had a big time spiritual slant with planet/moon influences. But my brain couldn’t comprehend that Connection.

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 1:44 am
by MsCowpea
Growing Tomatoes in Garbage ( rotheraines biodynamic method )



If you click on Rotheraine’s ’ link lots of info.

You dig a deep hole and fill with raw garbage , cover, then plant. I tried it, just once and it did work in my sandy soil. But I prefer making compost and using raised beds. You need ALOT of garbage to fill the holes. Anyway it was a lot of fun to try it out.

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:20 am
by TheDante
MsCowpea wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:19 pm
Karen, I have some of those books but you know my favorite. So easy, just compost. 😉
I almost forgot about it! Added to the reading list ;) - my current favourite book now…thank you Elaine =))

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:22 am
by TheDante
Bower wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:02 pm TheDante, I like that method of making an extract! Perfectly clear, I'll have to try it. 8-)

I also sometimes use the moon calendar to organize what to do when. It just provides a structure to plan your tasks - why not slot in seed starting on an "appropriate" phase or day for example. Unless the weather makes its own rules. But it would be awful to have to do a week's work in three days. It has to be more flexible than that. :? Unless of course, you want to do everything in three days and have a lot of days off. :lol: There are lots of good gardening moons, IMO.
You will be amazed - absolutely stinkless! ;)

Will explain a wee bit further later, no ´rest´ during the growing season unless there is ´unfavourable´ days on the planting dates of the Biodynamic calendar. I did have a look at one other planting and gardening by the moon calendar from Nick Kollerstrom in 1 year together with Maria Thun´s. Almost lost all my marbles. There were slight differences in the planting dates. Feel most comfortable with Maria Thun´s as I have been using her methods since 2012. Too many and I will no longer have any marbles left. :lol:

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 5:01 am
by TheDante
I actually use my ´abandoned´ wormery as a means to make my liquid manure with comfrey and nettle. Works purrrrrrfectly with the tap to collect the stinkless solution.
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Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 6:24 am
by TheDante
Dug out these pics from 2008. Our very first humble garden after we found each other. The bee visiting the borage flowers has always stuck with me till this very day. Also my first strawberry plants - first of EVERYTHING! :lol:
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Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 6:35 am
by TheDante
Just received a huge delivery of my most treasured secret ingredient :P
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Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 11:02 am
by MissS
It looks like you have gotten yourself a whale of a load there. Great stuff.

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 12:33 pm
by MsCowpea
Very, very pretty garden. The ‘collection’ setup looks good. I must post what I get for horse manure. Your’s looks a lot different (mine Is mainly bedding) but I suppose it is all good in the end. Elaine

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:17 pm
by MissS
MsCowpea wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2020 12:33 pm Very, very pretty garden. The ‘collection’ setup looks good. I must post what I get for horse manure. Your’s looks a lot different (mine Is mainly bedding) but I suppose it is all good in the end. Elaine
Congrats on your 100th post Elaine! :lol:

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 7:13 am
by SQWIB
To me Biodynamic has some similarities to permaculture. I think Biodiversity is shared within the Biodynamic philosophy.

However, Biodynamic farming is a built around a philosophy and not backed by science, I'm not too keen on planting or harvesting when the cosmos says I should but try to get out there and plant and harvest when the weather permits.
Putting the philosophy aside, the other "scientific" methods seem sound to build a healthy soil, I think I would pass on the Cow Horn though.

One main thing I see is that Biodynamic gardening/farming produces all of its own inputs, but isn't that the same as what a a hardcore permaculure garden would be?

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:42 am
by TheDante
MissS wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2020 11:02 am It looks like you have gotten yourself a whale of a load there. Great stuff.
cheers… I would be so lost and helpless without it =))

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:48 am
by TheDante
MsCowpea wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2020 12:33 pm Very, very pretty garden. The ‘collection’ setup looks good. I must post what I get for horse manure. Your’s looks a lot different (mine Is mainly bedding) but I suppose it is all good in the end. Elaine
Thanks Elaine, the guy (my hairdresser´s hubby) delivers us true quality stuff, he doesn´t give us too much bedding. I am soooooooooooooo thankful and grateful that he is willing to drive about 8km (5miles) with his tractor, pulling a huge trailer with my prized possession and we always shower him and his family with loads of produce from our garden as well. :) They never had green asparagus in their life before and are now utterly won over by it. The locals usually are only familiar with their beloved white asparagus.

We (and the neighbours) always have a hard time getting poo from another guy with horses in our village as well as the cow farm up the street - even when we are so prepared to pay for them. We even have an elderly lady approaching us occasionally for buckets of poo which we are more than happy to share with as well :lol:

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:11 am
by TheDante
Bower wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:02 pm I also sometimes use the moon calendar to organize what to do when. It just provides a structure to plan your tasks - why not slot in seed starting on an "appropriate" phase or day for example. Unless the weather makes its own rules. But it would be awful to have to do a week's work in three days. It has to be more flexible than that. :? Unless of course, you want to do everything in three days and have a lot of days off. :lol: There are lots of good gardening moons, IMO.
Gonna try to explain how to use the planting dates and to follow it to the T. :lol: Hope I won´t put anyone to zzzzzzz, well least if one suffers from insomnia, you know what to read! :lol:
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Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:40 am
by TheDante
So, following the biodynamic concept, if the plant is harvested for its fruit, it is best to perform ALL and EVERY tasks -

preparing designated planting areas/beds (e.g. adding compost, raking/hoeing soil, etc)
sowing (seed starting),
pricking out,
repotting/planting/transplanting (shown as green with Northern Transplanting times as we are in the northern hemisphere)
pruning / side-shooting
weeding the area
harvesting
seed saving

on the designated ´fruit´days - shown in pink in the calendar

Giving our garden as an example for this year. For the month of March, my tasks for ´fruit´ related plants are as follows

sow, pricking out and possibly repotting over 300 tomatoes,
sow and plant out 6 rows of mangetout peas,
prune over 30 blueberry/pinkberry bushes
prune over 20 table grape vines
prune apple/pear/plum/peach trees, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries bushes
adding composts to the polytunnel and outdoors in preparation for the ´fruit vegetables´

And the following months, there will also be the continuous tasks of other fruit related vegetables, so every thing kinda starts to stack up. Hope again, I am able to explain it clearly.

All else, if it is too complicated, read Maria Thun´s book :lol:

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:40 pm
by Nan6b
I see on the left side, the days of the week and signs of the zodiac. What does the zodiac do?

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:01 pm
by bower
Nan6b wrote: ↑Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:40 pm I see on the left side, the days of the week and signs of the zodiac. What does the zodiac do?
Nan, the zodiac signs belong to different elements. All the brown color marked above are the earth signs, pink is fire signs, yellow is air and blue is water. So according to this biodynamic method, TheDante has to do all her fruiting plants work during the fire signs alone.
This system is different from moon gardening I've heard about before.
In general afaik the earth and water signs are considered most fertile for plants, with fire being least fertile or even barren.
Also the phase of the moon waxing or waning would be as important as the zodiac sign.

It only goes to show, having a great pile of manure, making sure the plants have the food and water and sunshine and weeding and pruning they need is what really matters. 8-)

Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 8:32 am
by TheDante
Nan6b wrote: ↑Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:40 pm I see on the left side, the days of the week and signs of the zodiac. What does the zodiac do?
Thanks Bower for helping me explain a wee bit further. Nan, I am not terribly good at explaining, try as I may. In order to avoid further confusion, hope some of these pictures from the calendar book might help explain better. In fact, the calendar provides sufficient details on how to use the planting calendar. Maria Thun´s book helps explain more in detail.
btw, in case if one wonders, cauliflower is deemed a LEAF plant, not a typo. :lol:
And in all honesty, having a planting calendar certainly helps one plan, organize and decide on the gardening tasks. I would be terribly lost and handicapped without this useful tool. Am only overwhelmed because of the size of our garden and wanting to grow EVERYTHING and taking on way too much than I possibly can. :oops:
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Re: adding Biodynamics in the Organic Gardening forum

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 9:25 am
by TheDante
Another interesting fact is that sowing seeds 2 days before full moon (9 March - full moon O - depicted as the O symbol), the germination is supposed to be really quick - although I do believe this also involves other factors e.g. age of seeds and right amount of heat etc.

I remembered once I sowed some melon and cucumber seeds 2 days before full moon and they germinated the very next day! And it has been 90% accurate so far. ;)

note: The other picture of the 2020 March is a foldable sheet with 6 months on the 2 sides of the paper which is handy to put onto the fridge door for a quick reference.
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