Harrowsmith Fall 2019 | 63GARDENING: BIODYNAMIC GARDENINGConsider your answers to these
few simple questions and then
read on:
- Do I want to be eating food that
is real, alive and life sustaining,
or do I want to be consuming
something highly processed,
grown with chemicals or in
nutrient-depleted soil? - Why should the above choice
even matter to me? - When was the last time I
had a really delicious,
flavourful meal?
Nutritious, delicious food is
vital to our very existence: healthy
eating increases longevity and
is a fundamental part of quality
self-care. We are what we eat,
and our food is our medicine.
The experience of savouring the
flavour of deeply rich-coloured,
fragrant food is amazing. We
can be physically and spiritually
nourished by our choice of food,
just as we are physically and
spiritually nourished when we are
in an exquisite love affair. Why
would we not choose to engage in
such a heavenly relationship?
Biodynamic (BD) gardeners
foster a holistic approach
to the garden, aware of the
interrelatedness of the soil,
plants and environmental
elements. In the book Sacred
Stewardship, farmer and
dowser Charles Hubbard states:
“Biodynamic agriculture...looks
at encompassing the whole
of a farm: the flora and fauna,
the cosmic energies, and uses
biodynamic preparations that
join together working with all of
nature, including the spirit work.
It strives to create joy, happiness
and balance. It is through the
biodynamic system that food
is grown to be ‘spiritual food.’
Growing food is not an exacting
science but instead is meant to
be an adventure in working with
the earth and nature energies of
both the land and the vegetables
being planted.”
Biodynamic farming
recognizes the intrinsic link
between our health and that
of our soil and seed. Using BD
techniques can help bring health
for us and for Mother Earth
back into balance very quickly,
aiding in the prevention of future
food crises. The principles,
ancient and timeless, are based
upon energy and life force that
is unchangeable. Ultimately,
biodynamic gardening is a fully
self-sustaining system.
Eighty years after Rudolf
Steiner’s lectures on holistic
gardening practices, the debate
about the qualitative aspect of
food on current agricultural
methods continues. Steiner
speaks of more than the
organic; he prescribes specific
“preparations” for the soil, as
well as other distinct methods
born from his profound
understanding of the material
and spiritual worlds. He presents
a comprehensive picture of the
complex dynamic relationships