Wondering about planting by the moon? What all those biodynamic farmers are talking about when they say they're spraying a preparation onto their crops or compost? Or do you wonder just what "grown biodynamically" means?
Biodynamic agriculture is a system of growing plants that has its basis in a spiritual worldview called anthroposophy first put forth by Rudolf Steiner. The Biodynamic Agricultural Association describes it:
The aim of of biodynamic farming and gardening is to revitalise nature, grow nourishing food and advance the physical and spiritual health of humanity. Each biodynamic farm or garden is conceived of as an organism with its own individual qualities and diversity of life. Reliance on home produced compost, manures and animal feeds is a key objective and external inputs are kept to a minimum.
Learn more by reading about it at the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, which gives a really good basic overview of biodynamic farming methods. Find an easy-to-use planting calendar at The Gardener's Calendar. Read about biodynamic wines from the About.com Guide to Wine, and learn about planting by the moon from the About.com Guide to Astrology.
Is biodynamics a sustainable method of agriculture? Absolutely, and some say it was the first modern ecological farming system. Have fun learning and trying these methods on your farm!
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