Biodynamic agriculture is a very special system of organic farming and gardening that actually pre-dates the modern organic movement. It is like organic farming in that it rejects the use of chemicals and puts emphasis on strengthening the soil by the use of cover crops and compost, but biodynamics goes a step further. I think of it as organic PLUS. It is organic gardening with a spiritual dimension. It sees the spiritual workings in nature and the soil and seeks not only to make the soil fertile, but heal the earth itself.

In the early 1920’s, a group of German farmers noticed the depletion of their soil and a decline in health of their crops and livestock due to the increased use of chemical fertilizers. For help, they went to a man named Rudolf Steiner. Steiner (1861-1925) was an Austrian philosopher and a true renaissance man. He is responsible for founding a spiritual movement called Anthroposophy,(human-wisdom). Throughout his life, he sought to find a synthesis between science and mysticism or spirituality. He studied and lectured on a wide variety of topics including education, medicine, and the arts. Waldorf education, anthroposophical medicine, Eurythmy( a system of movements that make speech visible), Camphill communities, which care for adults with learning disabilities, and biodynamics, among others all developed from his work. In response to their dilemma, Steiner wrote and gave a series of lectures which are the foundations of biodynamics. Ideally for steiner, the farm is a unit and completely self-sufficent, producing all it needs.

In our modern society, when we can eat anything we want at anytime of year and most of our food comes from hundreds or thousands of miles away, the concept of “in season” is almost lost. Locally grown food in season is best. Biodynamics seeks to work in harmony with the daily, monthly, and annual cycles of nature. There are optimal times for planting, composting, and harvesting. One of the basic tenants of biodynamics is that not only the sun, but the moon and the other planets affect plant growth. These cosmic forces affect plant growth in different ways. Biodynamics groups plants and vegetables in to groups based on what part of the plant we use: Root Plants; (tubers)like carrots, onions, and radishes, Leaf Plants; like lettuce, spinach, and cauliflower, Flower Plants; for any kind of flower, decorative or medicinal, and Fruit Plants; including beans, grains, tomatoes, and any other fruits. Based on the movements of the planets, there are optimal days for sowing, transplanting, composting, and harvesting for each one of these groups. There are root days, leaf days, flower days and fruit days. In biodynamics, not just what, but when and how you do something is very important. Timing is everything, but also you must approach the work with a certain frame of mind. You be open and allow these cosmic or spiritual forces to work.

In practice, biodynamics differs from traditional organic agriculture in two main methods:

1. The use of a special planting calendar based on the movement of the planets. The calendar shows optimal days for each kind of work and kind of plant. There are various Biodynamic calendars published every year. Working With The Stars, which comes from Germany, Europe, Stella Natura, produced by the the Hills Camphill Village in Pennsylvania, Northern Star, which comes from Australia, among others. The calendars offer a lot of additional information and advice. They are a guide and the local weather and time zones must be taken into account.

2. The use of special biodynamic preparations. These preparations are like Traditional Chinese Medicine for the soil. They are herbal compost mixtures or remedies that are applied to the soil, plants or compost at certain times of year. They are numbered such as Preparation 500, 501, and so on. There are about nine standard Biodynamic preparations and each has a specific application. The purpose of the preparations is to open up the soil to the cosmic energies flowing around and promote soil health. The making of these preparations might sound a little strange, but there are scientific reasons, in a holistic sense, for doing them. For some “preps”, manure or crushed quartz is stuffed into hollowed out cow horns and buried in the ground for six months over the winter. This is to infuse them with cosmic energies. The resulting compost is then diluted in water and applied to the soil. Other herbal preparations take specific herbs and stuff them into things like a deer bladder, cow intestine, or skull and are exposed to the sun or buried for certain times of the year. It is recommended that farmers make these preparations themselves, but ready made ones can be purchased.

Preparing these remedies for use is also extremely important. A very small amount, a pinch is put into a large bucket or barrel of water and then stirred in a spiral motion, first one way and then the other, for an hour. This might seem inefficient, but the purpose is not simply to dissolve the preparation. It is to imbue the mixture with the cosmic forces. The spiral vortex shape maximizes the water’s surface area and also mirrors the spiral motion of the solar system and the universe. The material is dissolved to the point where it virtually disappears and the energy is released. It “dynamizes” the mixture and this is also where Biodynamics takes its name. When applied, the preparations dynamize the soil and in turn dynamize the vegetables grown from it. Dynamizing the preparations is similar to the idea of homeopathic medicine where an extremely small amount of a substance is diluted many times and then used to treat illness. Only one person must stir the mixture. Also, the stirrer’s state of mind is very important. You must concentrate and focus on what you are doing. Don’t be distracted or doing other things. Think of your “intention” or the benefit the prep will have for your garden. It’s extremely meditative.

Many biodynamic practitioners have a strong belief in fairies and other elemental spirits and actively try to cultivate relationships with them. There are books available giving advice on how to do this. Biodynamic farmers are spiritually conscious to be sure, but one might get the impression that they must be pagan in their beliefs, but this is not so. Many are devote Christians, but perhaps not in the traditional sense. They are Christians with an open mind. However, there is no religiousness in biodynamics whatsoever. It is not a cult. There is no dogma and biodynamic farmers come from all backgrounds and cultures.

There has been lot of research done on the effectiveness of biodynamic methods. Most of it coming from within biodynamics itself. However, some research has been done by the US department of agriculture, most of it inconclusive, but they did find that soils and compost treated biodynamically had a higher microbe content and activity. For biodynamic practitioners however, the proof goes deeper than what science can show. Biodynamic vegetables taste better and are more nutritious and it’s a fact that damaged soils recover faster with biodynamic methods. Biodynamics is practiced by farmers quietly all over the world, and yet biodynamics is not well known. However, it is making a name for itself in the making of wine and biodynamic wines are becoming more popular. If you check the detail information of organic farms in the WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) directories, you’ll find that many of them are incorporating biodynamic methods. Biodynamics is leading a quiet revolution to heal the earth. I truly hope it grows in strength and popularity. Who knows, in the near future biodynamic labeled produce may be available near you.

I have to admit, that though I’m extremely interested in biodynamics, my knowledge so far has been purely academic. In Asia, I know biodynamics is being practiced in India and there are many organic farms using biodynamic methods in Japan. I once saw a biodynamic farmer stirring the preps in a large barrel on Japanese TV. For more information contact WWOOFers International to do a farm stay. In America, the center for biodynamic training is the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in Wisconsin. They offer training programs from a few weeks up to two years or more depending on your purposes. It’s always been my dream to do training there. A dream that has yet to come true, perhaps someday. I used to subscribe to the newsletter Biodynamics. It has lots of useful information.