Find out everything you need to know about making great biodynamic compost here.

(Find it under our Resource section when this news piece disappears.)

Soil Activator to Kick Start or Remediate

Our Soil Activator is a great tool to kick start your biodynamic garden,
or to use on severely degraded or out-of-balance areas.

It is based on composted  biodynamic cow manure and includes all of the biodynamic preparations  BD500 through to BD508.

It creates a healthy balance in the soil, enhancing the breakdown of organic matter
and attracting beneficial fungi, bacteria and earthworms.

It allows your plants to become sensitive to the cosmic forces, for example the influences of the moon.

Here is the full instruction leaflet.

Order from the office (02) 6655 0566 or right here from our website.

 

Go to your relevant product section.  Non-member pricing from $17.

Members receive substantial discounts.

Check out membership here.

You can choose from Fish Concentrate, Seaweed Concentrate
or the Seaweed and Fish combination that gives you the best of both worlds.

All include the biodynamic preparations 502-507.

Pick a size to suit your needs as we now have 1 litre, 2.5 litre and 5 litre sizes.

Non-member prices start at $15 and garden members ONLY $10, (that’s a 33% saving so if you’re not a member, check it out here.)

Go to the product page and scroll down to Ocean Products.

Call the office on (02) 6655 0566 or place your order safely online.

Available ONLY whilst stocks last so first come best dressed.  No rainchecks.

Here is an example:  Deep Gardening was $40 now on sale for $20

More specials here.

and

Biodynamics in the Home Orchard

Call the office on (02) 6655 0566 for further information and bookings.

Can you spread the word?  Local to the Coffs Coast.

Download a poster to share A4 Poster 18Mayl2012 Workshop.

Places limited so book early!

Biodynamics and Backyard Gardening growing together.

How do you spread your message when you aren’t a large corporation with a substantial advertising budget and yet you know you have something that could help a lot of people and the environment?   Join forces with similar minds.

Cityfood Growers and Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Limited (BAA) have done just that.  They’ve combined in a promotional partnership to provide more value to their respective memberships with the aim of supporting the expansion of urban food growing and the use of biodynamic gardening practices,

BAA is providing a 20% discount on its yearly garden membership to paid subscribers of Cityfood Growers. Whilst BAA members receive a 20% discount on the yearly Gardener subscription of Cityfood Growers.

“It’s fantastic to see many people returning to the tradition of backyard vegetable growing.  People are moving away from supermarket vegetables that have been stored for too long, and grown in a mass produced fashion that seems to remove much of the flavour we used to enjoy in our food,” Said BAA Chairman, Ray Unger.

“Using biodynamic methods creates deeper topsoil, increases root mass and depth and water holding capacity of soils, improves plant health and raises the yield and flavour of all farm and garden produce. Biodynamics can work for you whether you are a broad acre farmer or an urban gardener and we are very pleased to be joining forces with Cityfood Growers.”

“Having developed an understanding of biodynamics over many years of practice and study and contemplated how it compares to organics, I can see that with the growing interest of city dwellers in organic gardening, there is a great opportunity with this BAA partnership to work biodynamic gardening practices into this blossoming urban agriculture movement,” said Peter Kearney of Cityfood Growers.

“Our business has a community of thousands of Australians who grow food at home. From pots on high-rise balconies, to city mini-gardens, to large suburban plots and hobby farms, our subscribers are making grow-your-own a must-have life skill for the 21^st century. City folk are taking up spades, trowels and hoes for the sake of their good health, the environment, great-tasting food, household budgets, and the sustainability and resilience of our urban communities”. Says Peter Kearney.

BAA promotes and supports biodynamic methods in Australia.  Once their biodynamic preparations were available only to members, these days you can visit the BAA website http://biodynamics.net.au/ and order them online.

Cityfood Growers, is primarily about educating people to grow their own food and includes: biodynamic gardening workshops, food garden planning for hobby farmers and city gardeners, developing organic growing training material for educational organisations, consulting on urban agriculture and a subscription based web site at www.cityfoodgrowers.com.au,

A soil spray of Biodynamic Soil Activator along with fermented equisetum (BD508) and 35% hydrogen peroxide dilution (one part per million) and an extra dose of Horn Silica (BD501) may be helpful. Rhythmically stir the 501 with the 8x 508 and the 35% hydrogen peroxide for 45 minutes and add the soil activator for the last 15 minutes of stirring.

Amounts

Home gardens– 1gm BD 501, 2 drops Fermented BD 508, 2 drops hydrogen peroxide and 30gm Biodynamic Soil Activator stirred in 13 litres water.

Farms -  2gm BD 501, 4 drops Fermented BD 508, 4 drops hydrogen peroxide and 75gm Biodynamic Soil Activator in 35 litres water/ha.

Biodynamic Soil Activator, which contains all the preps including the much neglected Horn Silica (501) is available in several sizes.  A 30g pack, suitable for 1 acre is only $9 ($6 for Garden members).  Horn silica also comes in a range of sizes and prices start at $7.20 for a non-member and fermented equisitum is also available.  (Remember there are significant discounts for members, so consider signing up here, if you aren’t already a member).

We wish you all the best in your recovery from flooding.

This preparation is made by stuffing cow horns with fine basalt dust and burying them over the six months of summer. Horn Basalt can be applied to a field as an atmospheric spray to increase the potency of any application of mineral basalt or rock dust. When used in this manner you will find that you will only need 10% of the basalt dust amendment to achieve the same results.

Application

Rhythmically stir 2gm of Horn Basalt in 35 litres warm water for one hour (as per Horn Silica (BD 501) and spray out into the atmosphere in a fine mist in the afternoon. Horn Basalt can also be stirred and sprayed out in the early morning with Horn Silica Summer Horn Clay and Fresh Equisetum (BD508).

Basalt dust used in agriculture has many advantages. It contains micro-nutrients, silicates, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and trace-elements essential to plant growth. Basalt dust is also paramagnetic with some samples being more paramagnetic than others.

Basalt dust recreates the glacier experience, for when the rocks are crumbled many enzymes are released as well as lots of trace elements and minerals. As we have not had this experience in Australia for some considerable geological time, rock dust is an important additive to our very leached and mineral depleted soils.

If you don’t wish to make your own, it is available to purchase either online or by calling the office on (02) 6655 0566