Our Gardens
Biodynamics https://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics.html
Origin of Biodynamics
In the early 1920s, a group of practicing farmers, concerned with the decline in the health of soils, plants and animals, sought the advice of Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, who had spent all his life researching and investigating the subtle forces within nature. From a series of lectures and conversations held at Koberwitz, Germany (now in Poland) in June 1924, there emerged the fundamental principles of biodynamic farming and gardening, a unified approach to agriculture that relates the ecology of the farm-organism to that of the entire cosmos. This approach has been under development in many parts of the world ever since. Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, who worked with Dr. Steiner during the formative period, brought biodynamic concepts to the United States in the 1930s. It was during this period that the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association was founded in 1938.
Biodynamics® is a registered trademark of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association. Biodynamic® is a registered certification mark of Demeter USA Association.
Biodynamics is a holistic, ecological and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food and nutrition. Biodynamics was first developed in the early 1920s based on the spiritual insights and practical suggestions of the Austrian writer, educator and social activist Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), whose philosophy is called “anthroposophy (link is external).” Today, the biodynamic movement encompasses thousands of successful gardens, farms, vineyards and agricultural operations of all kinds and sizes on all continents, in a wide variety of ecological and economic settings.
Biodynamic farmers strive to create a diversified, balanced farm ecosystem that generates health and fertility as much as possible from within the farm itself. Preparations made from fermented manure, minerals and herbs are used to help restore and harmonize the vital life forces of the farm and to enhance the nutrition, quality and flavor of the food being raised. Biodynamic practitioners also recognize and strive to work in cooperation with the subtle influences of the wider cosmos on soil, plant and animal health.
Most biodynamic initiatives seek to embody triple bottom line approaches (ecological, social and economic sustainability), taking inspiration from Steiner’s insights into social and economic life as well as agriculture. Community supported agriculture (CSA), for example, was pioneered by biodynamic farmers, and many biodynamic practitioners work in creative partnerships with other farms and with schools, medical and wellness facilities, restaurants, hotels, homes for social therapy and other organizations. Biodynamics is thus not just a holistic agricultural system but also a potent movement for new thinking and practices in all aspects of life connected to food and agriculture.
https://www.biodynamics.com/what-is-biodynamics
Wish List
___child-sized rakes (8) ___chicken scratch/treats- organic (McGoughs)
___child-sized & regular sized hand tools (variety of spades, hand rakes)
___child-sized shovels
___pruners (8)
___child-sized garden gloves (8 or more)
___magnifying glasses (cup style w/ lid magnifier and regular)
___pads (retangular gardening style for kneeling)
___fish emulsion fertilizer
___dairy doo (12 bags or bulk delivery)
_X_wood chips/mulch- cedar- we're using the free wood chips from GT County (Keystone) Recycling Center if you have time & energy to pick-up and deliver (try to avoid any moldy areas of the pile)... we've managed to make three trips so far this past weekend (5/4) but could use more... the wood chips will break down to enhance soil quality over time
___wheel barrows (1)
___buckets & shovels for sand box play
___sand box sand- natural color (7 bags)
_X_tub for foot washing
_X_ tarp- thank you Tom & Camille Czarny!
___long, straight branches (approx. 4-6 in. diameter for garden bed borders)
note: please look for items that do not include plastic in their construction (as much as possible- think old fashioned)- thank you!
Origin of Biodynamics
In the early 1920s, a group of practicing farmers, concerned with the decline in the health of soils, plants and animals, sought the advice of Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, who had spent all his life researching and investigating the subtle forces within nature. From a series of lectures and conversations held at Koberwitz, Germany (now in Poland) in June 1924, there emerged the fundamental principles of biodynamic farming and gardening, a unified approach to agriculture that relates the ecology of the farm-organism to that of the entire cosmos. This approach has been under development in many parts of the world ever since. Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, who worked with Dr. Steiner during the formative period, brought biodynamic concepts to the United States in the 1930s. It was during this period that the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association was founded in 1938.
Biodynamics® is a registered trademark of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association. Biodynamic® is a registered certification mark of Demeter USA Association.
Biodynamics is a holistic, ecological and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food and nutrition. Biodynamics was first developed in the early 1920s based on the spiritual insights and practical suggestions of the Austrian writer, educator and social activist Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), whose philosophy is called “anthroposophy (link is external).” Today, the biodynamic movement encompasses thousands of successful gardens, farms, vineyards and agricultural operations of all kinds and sizes on all continents, in a wide variety of ecological and economic settings.
Biodynamic farmers strive to create a diversified, balanced farm ecosystem that generates health and fertility as much as possible from within the farm itself. Preparations made from fermented manure, minerals and herbs are used to help restore and harmonize the vital life forces of the farm and to enhance the nutrition, quality and flavor of the food being raised. Biodynamic practitioners also recognize and strive to work in cooperation with the subtle influences of the wider cosmos on soil, plant and animal health.
Most biodynamic initiatives seek to embody triple bottom line approaches (ecological, social and economic sustainability), taking inspiration from Steiner’s insights into social and economic life as well as agriculture. Community supported agriculture (CSA), for example, was pioneered by biodynamic farmers, and many biodynamic practitioners work in creative partnerships with other farms and with schools, medical and wellness facilities, restaurants, hotels, homes for social therapy and other organizations. Biodynamics is thus not just a holistic agricultural system but also a potent movement for new thinking and practices in all aspects of life connected to food and agriculture.
https://www.biodynamics.com/what-is-biodynamics
Wish List
___child-sized rakes (8) ___chicken scratch/treats- organic (McGoughs)
___child-sized & regular sized hand tools (variety of spades, hand rakes)
___child-sized shovels
___pruners (8)
___child-sized garden gloves (8 or more)
___magnifying glasses (cup style w/ lid magnifier and regular)
___pads (retangular gardening style for kneeling)
___fish emulsion fertilizer
___dairy doo (12 bags or bulk delivery)
_X_wood chips/mulch- cedar- we're using the free wood chips from GT County (Keystone) Recycling Center if you have time & energy to pick-up and deliver (try to avoid any moldy areas of the pile)... we've managed to make three trips so far this past weekend (5/4) but could use more... the wood chips will break down to enhance soil quality over time
___wheel barrows (1)
___buckets & shovels for sand box play
___sand box sand- natural color (7 bags)
_X_tub for foot washing
_X_ tarp- thank you Tom & Camille Czarny!
___long, straight branches (approx. 4-6 in. diameter for garden bed borders)
note: please look for items that do not include plastic in their construction (as much as possible- think old fashioned)- thank you!
Summer 2015 Garden Production
New Herb Garden: calendula, peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, thyme, basil, parsley, cilantro, chives, rosemary, chamomile, dandelion, sorrel, lavender, nasturtium
Fruit: strawberry, plum, peach, pear, cherry (Montmorency), tomato- var.
Veg: mixed baby lettuce, sugar snap & snow peas, summer squash (great year for squash!), but sadly no pumpkin or cucumber fruit production from flowers (started indoors from seed)
Roots: carrot, radish
Garden Activities
Herb'n Kids- Herb i.d. hunt, seed mandalas, paper-making w/ imbedded seeds (seed packets), veggie prints on muslin, seed saving, natural dyes (yarn, wool, cotton, silk); sunflower planting & growth observation; herb crafts- mint crowns, lavender salve making, herb vinegars, home-made natural cleaning supplies, home-made natural bug spray, herb tea- mint, herbs de Provence
Summer 2013 & '14 Edible Garden Production
chives, garlic, tomato, oregano, sweet basil, lemon basil, Swiss chard, mixed lettuce, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, sage, English thyme, lavender, chamomile, rhubarb chard, rainbow chard, carrots- Tonda di Parigi, carrots- Danvers, broccoli, cherry tomato, yellow pear tomato, beefeater tomato, green beans, scarlet runner beans, sweet peas, red salad bowl lettuce, spinach, red oak leaf lettuce, green towers romaine, flame lettuce, nasturtium, lemon cucumber, radish
Note: 2013 not a good year for squash- we planted black beauty, acorn squash, zucchini, and two varieties of pumpkins with poor flower/fruit production
New Herb Garden: calendula, peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, thyme, basil, parsley, cilantro, chives, rosemary, chamomile, dandelion, sorrel, lavender, nasturtium
Fruit: strawberry, plum, peach, pear, cherry (Montmorency), tomato- var.
Veg: mixed baby lettuce, sugar snap & snow peas, summer squash (great year for squash!), but sadly no pumpkin or cucumber fruit production from flowers (started indoors from seed)
Roots: carrot, radish
Garden Activities
Herb'n Kids- Herb i.d. hunt, seed mandalas, paper-making w/ imbedded seeds (seed packets), veggie prints on muslin, seed saving, natural dyes (yarn, wool, cotton, silk); sunflower planting & growth observation; herb crafts- mint crowns, lavender salve making, herb vinegars, home-made natural cleaning supplies, home-made natural bug spray, herb tea- mint, herbs de Provence
Summer 2013 & '14 Edible Garden Production
chives, garlic, tomato, oregano, sweet basil, lemon basil, Swiss chard, mixed lettuce, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, sage, English thyme, lavender, chamomile, rhubarb chard, rainbow chard, carrots- Tonda di Parigi, carrots- Danvers, broccoli, cherry tomato, yellow pear tomato, beefeater tomato, green beans, scarlet runner beans, sweet peas, red salad bowl lettuce, spinach, red oak leaf lettuce, green towers romaine, flame lettuce, nasturtium, lemon cucumber, radish
Note: 2013 not a good year for squash- we planted black beauty, acorn squash, zucchini, and two varieties of pumpkins with poor flower/fruit production
Carrots & Cherry Tomatoes
The children's favorites! All enjoyed picking and eating the tomatoes right off the vine, and we had a very prolific harvest of carrots this year! Note from 4/12/14: Wow! Another carrot harvest- and in April! We did reseed very late in the season, and we just found many fresh carrots that had overwintered under the blankets of leaves and snow!
The children's favorites! All enjoyed picking and eating the tomatoes right off the vine, and we had a very prolific harvest of carrots this year! Note from 4/12/14: Wow! Another carrot harvest- and in April! We did reseed very late in the season, and we just found many fresh carrots that had overwintered under the blankets of leaves and snow!
Three Sisters Garden
The early promise of beautiful yellow squash blooms sadly proved unfruitful this year. However, a great year for scarlet runner beans and morning glory! The corn is still forthcoming. Will try early indoor starters this year for transplanting. There was apparently an epidemic of "squash bugs" this past summer, with the Community Gardens placing a ban on all squash for a couple of years in order to eliminate. Wonder if our squash became victims as well.
Legend of the Three Sisters Legends and Myths: The “Three Sisters”
as told by Shelia Wilson
From Tar Heel Junior Historian 45:1 (fall 2005).
When Native people speak of the “Three Sisters,” they are referring to corn, beans, and
squash. Known as the “sustainers of life,” these are the basic foods of sustenance. They
are seen as three beautiful sisters, because they grow in the same mound in a garden. The corn provides a ladder for the bean vine. The squash vines shade the mound and hold moisture in the soil for the corn and beans. The well-being of each crop planted is said to be protected by another. Many a legend has been woven around the Three Sisters—sisters who should be planted together, eaten together, and celebrated together. Legends vary from tribe to tribe. Here are two versions. The legend of “Three Sisters” originated when a woman of medicine who could no longer bear the fighting among her three daughters asked the Creator to help her find a way to get them to stop. That night she had a dream, and in it each sister was a different seed. In her dream, she planted them in one mound in just the way they would have lived at home and told them that in order to grow and thrive, they would need to be different but dependent upon each other. They needed to see that each was special and each had great things to offer on her own and with the others. The next morning while cooking breakfast, she cooked each daughter an egg, but each was different: one hard-boiled, one scrambled, and one over-easy. She told her daughters of her dream and said to them, “You are like these eggs. Each is still an egg but with different textures and flavors. Each of you has a special place in the world and in my heart.” The daughters started to cry and hugged each other, because now they would celebrate their differences and love one another more because of them. From that day on, Native people have planted the three crops together—Three Sisters helping and loving each other.
A long time ago, three sisters lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their height and in the way they carried themselves. The little sister was so young and round that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green. The second sister wore a bright, sunshine yellow dress, and she would spend many an hour reading by herself, sitting in the sun with the soft wind blowing against her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters, looking for danger and warning her sisters. She wore a pale green shawl and had long, dirty-yellow hair. There was one way the sisters were all alike, though. They loved each other dearly, and they always stayed together. This made them very strong. One day a strange bird came to the field: a crow. He talked to the horses and other animals, and this caught the attention of the sisters. Late that summer, the youngest and smallest sister disappeared. Her sisters were sad. Again the crow came to the field to gather reeds at the water’s edge. The sisters who were left watched his trail as he was leaving, and that night the second sister, the one in the yellow dress, disappeared. Now the eldest sister was the only one left. She continued to stand tall. When the crow saw how she missed her sisters, he brought them all back together, and they became stronger together again. The elder sister stands tall looking out for the crow to this day.
©2006 North Carolina Museum of History
Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
Shelia Wilson is a member of the Sappony tribe. She has told the tale of the “Three
Sisters” at the American Indian Heritage Celebration, held each November at the N.C. Museum of History
The early promise of beautiful yellow squash blooms sadly proved unfruitful this year. However, a great year for scarlet runner beans and morning glory! The corn is still forthcoming. Will try early indoor starters this year for transplanting. There was apparently an epidemic of "squash bugs" this past summer, with the Community Gardens placing a ban on all squash for a couple of years in order to eliminate. Wonder if our squash became victims as well.
Legend of the Three Sisters Legends and Myths: The “Three Sisters”
as told by Shelia Wilson
From Tar Heel Junior Historian 45:1 (fall 2005).
When Native people speak of the “Three Sisters,” they are referring to corn, beans, and
squash. Known as the “sustainers of life,” these are the basic foods of sustenance. They
are seen as three beautiful sisters, because they grow in the same mound in a garden. The corn provides a ladder for the bean vine. The squash vines shade the mound and hold moisture in the soil for the corn and beans. The well-being of each crop planted is said to be protected by another. Many a legend has been woven around the Three Sisters—sisters who should be planted together, eaten together, and celebrated together. Legends vary from tribe to tribe. Here are two versions. The legend of “Three Sisters” originated when a woman of medicine who could no longer bear the fighting among her three daughters asked the Creator to help her find a way to get them to stop. That night she had a dream, and in it each sister was a different seed. In her dream, she planted them in one mound in just the way they would have lived at home and told them that in order to grow and thrive, they would need to be different but dependent upon each other. They needed to see that each was special and each had great things to offer on her own and with the others. The next morning while cooking breakfast, she cooked each daughter an egg, but each was different: one hard-boiled, one scrambled, and one over-easy. She told her daughters of her dream and said to them, “You are like these eggs. Each is still an egg but with different textures and flavors. Each of you has a special place in the world and in my heart.” The daughters started to cry and hugged each other, because now they would celebrate their differences and love one another more because of them. From that day on, Native people have planted the three crops together—Three Sisters helping and loving each other.
A long time ago, three sisters lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their height and in the way they carried themselves. The little sister was so young and round that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green. The second sister wore a bright, sunshine yellow dress, and she would spend many an hour reading by herself, sitting in the sun with the soft wind blowing against her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters, looking for danger and warning her sisters. She wore a pale green shawl and had long, dirty-yellow hair. There was one way the sisters were all alike, though. They loved each other dearly, and they always stayed together. This made them very strong. One day a strange bird came to the field: a crow. He talked to the horses and other animals, and this caught the attention of the sisters. Late that summer, the youngest and smallest sister disappeared. Her sisters were sad. Again the crow came to the field to gather reeds at the water’s edge. The sisters who were left watched his trail as he was leaving, and that night the second sister, the one in the yellow dress, disappeared. Now the eldest sister was the only one left. She continued to stand tall. When the crow saw how she missed her sisters, he brought them all back together, and they became stronger together again. The elder sister stands tall looking out for the crow to this day.
©2006 North Carolina Museum of History
Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
Shelia Wilson is a member of the Sappony tribe. She has told the tale of the “Three
Sisters” at the American Indian Heritage Celebration, held each November at the N.C. Museum of History
Scarlet runner beans, squash & morning glory blooming in Three Sisters Garden- Summer 2013