Do home gardeners use biodynamics?
This home gardener does!
You don’t have to be a wine maker or Demeter certified grower to use biodynamics. You don’t even have to be a Waldorf school teacher or use Weleda skincare. Heck…. you don’t even have to meditate or read what Rudolf Steiner said to farmers in 1924. (I admit that I can’t help myself with reading the original lectures, I find it SO fascinating to learn all I possibly can about biodynamic agriculture.)
The key element for my gardening practice at home is a good biodynamic moon calendar. This year (2021) I am using the Astro Calendar by Brian Keats, which I refer to every single day.
Some of my garden coaching clients find the moon calendar a little too complicated. They appreciate getting regular guidance on how to read it, and what to actually do in their own gardens.
I can’t help everyone… but what I can do is share what I’m working on, in a sort of ‘behind the scenes’ manner, and trust that others will get ideas on how to apply the principles of basic biodynamics in their own gardens.
This was how my weekly email was born, with the intention to help people plan their weekends to include just a little gardening each week. Perhaps you can relate to the situation of waiting for spring before you begin planting your garden? You buy the seeds, you get the materials for new garden beds, you go out and splurge on some fancy new garden tools, and then you wait for the weather to warm up….
What can happen is that as the weather warms up, the weeds grow faster, and before you know it, you have a week of full-time gardening ahead of you!
For the weekend gardener with a normal day job, this can begin to feel overwhelming, and little by little the plans of that stunning garden get reduced to a few salad greens and some basil in a pot.
There is another way — tackle just a couple of jobs each week, align your energy to the moon’s cycle, and you may start to see that it only takes half an hour a week to make a significant difference in what you can grow.
To learn more about the rhythms of the moon, and what you should watch out for, you can read more here, and perhaps start getting the weekly email straight to your inbox.
Ideas for innovative edible gardening solutions using biodynamic methods to make ‘soil with soul’ is what New Zealand needs right now. For tips, advice and online courses go to www.blueborage.co.nz or get in touch by email at katrina@blueborage.co.nz
