Care for the Earth by caring for your earth
In Nature … all things are in mutual interaction; the one is always working on the other …
We must also observe with intelligence … the many-coloured world of insects, hovering around the plant-world during a certain season of the year. Moreover, we must learn to look with understanding at the birds.
- Rudolf Steiner, Agriculture Course, Lecture Seven, Rudolf Steiner Press, London, 2008
Organic gardens are havens for frogs, lizards, birds and insects that are struggling to survive as their natural habitat is whittled away by urban and suburban development and the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides. So while you plan and think about sustainable gardening for your household, remember to incorporate some elements that provide food, shelter and safety for local wildlife. In return, these creatures keep pests such as snails, slugs and aphids under control and maintain a natural ecological order to your garden and local area. And they are fascinating to watch as they go about their business too.
Here are some suggestions to help your garden wildlife:
As our natural environment staggers under the weight of human greed, inaction and ignorance, we can strive to turn the tide by our actions, big and small. The abundance of wildlife shows that your garden is a healthy and balanced environment for all who dwell there. And that’s a good start.
You don’t have to choose one system only for your garden. There are organic systems that work in harmony, and biodynamics and permaculture do this very well. Permaculture is an Australian system that incorporates sustainable design elements from around the world. The basis of permaculture is perennial organic gardening using varying techniques depending on climate and soils.
Permaculture and biodynamics are philosophically compatible, as they are both based on the workings of nature-integrating plant and animal systems and share an environmental ethic that aims to produce all resources onsite. Many successful farms utilise both techniques. For example, the people at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms in the ACT make and apply the biodynamic preparations on their large permaculture designed beef and chicken properties.
Permaculture design often includes a biodynamic element - that is, the flowform. A flowform is a series of stepped basins engineered to replicate the water movement of a cascading stream as it flows into rock basins. Flowforms oxygenate water for fishponds or oxidise pollutants in waste water treatment systems. The flowform was devised at Emmerson College, England, a college for anthroposophical and biodynamic studies.
Gardeners with a permaculture property which is completely mulched may question whether biodynamic preparations need to be applied to bare soil. The answer is yes, ideally, so rake away the mulch before spraying. However, if that is not feasible, you can spray the preparations directly onto the plants and the water droplets will run down the stem to the ground. 500 has a radiating effect which makes it effective over a greater area than just where the droplets land, which is why we are able to use as little as 13 litres per acre.
Biodynamic gardeners might like to consider what additional tools permaculture has to offer for greater sustainability. To get you started, have a look at the following websites:
And please write in and tell us about how you combine different systems in your garden. We’d love to hear from you.
Backyard Biodynamics is a place where you can learn, share and be engaged by biodynamic gardening in your own backyard. 