Care about our planet? Get into Biodynamics

Welcome to Backyard Biodynamics. This is our first post, and we are very excited about bringing biodynamics into backyards all over the world. If you think that biodynamics is only for farmers and market gardens, think again. We’re here to help home gardeners apply biodynamic practices, even in the smallest of gardens.

So, what exactly is this practice? Well, this is what we will be discussing throughout our blog and within the Backyard Biodynamics website. But in a nutshell, biodynamics is an organic system of soil remediation and enlivenment. The nutrients that are taken up by plants and therefore taken away from the soil at harvest  are replaced by biodynamically prepared compost full of  life giving humus.  Along with compost, the biodynamic system uses a set of organic preparations that are administered at specific times of the year to increase the life forces available to plants. Biodynamic gardeners and farmers treat their garden or farm as a living organism that is connected to the wider environment.

Biodynamics has been practiced for over 80 years. It was conceived by Rudolf Steiner in 1924 after a group of German farmers asked him how they could improve their exhausted soils and keep their animals in good health. Steiner developed a series of preparations made of cow manure, silica and herbs. These preparations were made at particular times of the year and composted into potent soil activators. Steiner died soon after delivering his agriculture lectures, but subsequent practitioners have carried on his work, and have established a highly effective method for maintaining healthy soil, plants and animals.

This site is brand new, so we’ll be working hard to constantly add content that will encourage you to go outside and start digging for a better future … for all of us.