# Applied Biodynamics — Issue 092 (Fall/Winter 2017) **By JPI Admin** · 2025-12-31 Issue 092 is a practice-rich guide to compost, orchard vitality, seasonal preparation work, and community learning. Its central feature records Jack McAndrew’s large-scale compost method in enough detail to reproduce, observe, and refine: material ratios, pile dimensions, moisture, temperature, preparation placement, and maturation time are all specified. In **“Jack McAndrew, Master Compost Maker”** and **“Farmer Jack’s Protocol for Making Compost,”** Abigail Porter documents a 100-ton system built with organic cow manure, organic alfalfa hay, soil, [Pfeiffer Compost Starter](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-compost), and the [biodynamic compost preparations](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set). The working ratio is two 125-pound alfalfa bales per ton of manure, about 10% soil, 10 units of starter, and 10 compost-preparation sets per 100 tons. Ten-ton sections are layered, watered to the feel of a wrung-out sponge, mixed and feathered with a loader, then rebuilt into a windrow approximately 75 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 5 feet high. One compost-preparation set is inserted per 10 tons, [BD 507](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-507) is sprayed over the pile, and a one-foot straw cover protects the finished windrow. The protocol supplies clear checkpoints. A newly built pile rises to approximately 120–140°F, then remains near body temperature through most of a nine-month maturation. In McAndrew’s Mediterranean climate, with about 13 inches of annual rainfall, correct starting moisture and a generous straw cover allow the pile to mature without turning. The method scales down cleanly: a one- to two-ton pile receives one complete unit of Pfeiffer Compost Starter and one complete set of compost preparations. At One Gun Ranch, McAndrew produced as much as 500 tons a year; 250 raised beds measuring 3 by 20 feet each received two tons of finished compost. **“‘Inch by Inch, Row by Row,’ Jack McAndrew Speaks About Biodynamics”** places the protocol within a longer farming discipline: build fertility patiently, observe the living response, and let repeated practice sharpen timing and judgment. In **“Wild Apples, Hard Cider, and Biodynamic Preparations,”** Mike Biltonen interviews Eric Shatt of Redbyrd Orchard and Cidery. Across 14 acres on two parcels, Shatt begins the season with [BD 500](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500) as trees leave dormancy, uses [BD 508](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-508) repeatedly in wet weather to support a balanced leaf environment, prepares all sheep-bedding compost with BD 502–507, alternates compost and wood chips through orchard rows, and applies BD 507 during bloom when frost threatens. His experience links a resilient orchard ecosystem with distinctive, bright cider fruit and a long-term movement toward a more self-contained farm organism. **“Fall and Winter Biodynamic Practices”** organizes the quieter half of the year into a usable sequence. [Hugo Erbe’s Harmonizing Preparation No. 9](https://go.jpibd.org/product-erbe-9) accompanies Michaelmas or Thanksgiving; BD 500 or [Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-spray) supports fall planting, cover-crop incorporation, compost application, and root activity; [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc) supports continuing soil biology; Pfeiffer Compost Starter or BD 502–507 prepares fall compost for spring use; [Tree Paste](https://go.jpibd.org/product-tree-paste) follows leaf fall and accompanies late-winter pruning; seed burial spans the Holy Nights or the coldest winter period; and [Three Kings Preparation](https://go.jpibd.org/product-erbe-8) is prepared across midnight on New Year’s Eve and sprayed along the property boundary late on Epiphany. In **“New Pruning Practices on the Western Slope,”** Mary Maruca records a repeatable spiral-pruning sequence taught by Enzo Nastati: observe the whole tree; work upward through the lower section by removing right-leaning growth while circling right; treat the middle third to half conventionally by removing broken and crossing wood; then work through the crown by selecting left-leaning growth while circling left. Pat Frazier’s memory aid is “right down low, left up high.” Her mixed orchard showed vigorous, lush regrowth after the method, while another grower applied it across 300 apricot trees—useful field observations that invite growers to record tree-by-tree response over successive seasons. **“Viva La Vida Foundation: Biodynamic Education at the Foot of Lamborn Mountain”** follows a 32-acre school-farm project near Paonia, Colorado. The initiative combines farmer education, farm-organism design, preparation research, USDA Extension-assisted field trials, dairy-fodder development, future laboratories, classrooms, and student housing. **“JPI Hosts World Biodynamic Farming Day”** documents a coordinated Whitsun weekend: participants made Barrel Compound, sprayed BD 500 and Barrel Compound in the evening, followed with [BD 501](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-501) and BD 508 at dawn, and toured JPI, Riverstone Organic Farm, and Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary. Baseline soil samples on shared acreage were being tracked through standard soil measures, soil-food-web microbiology, and chromatograms. The issue also records JPI farm improvements, preparation-maker coordination, leadership news, a memorial for Dr. Basil Williams, a review of Richard Thornton Smith’s _Cosmos, Earth and Nutrition_, and the annual fall workshop with Wali Via. ## Articles - Jack McAndrew, Master Compost Maker — Abigail Porter - Farmer Jack’s Protocol for Making Compost — Abigail Porter - “Inch by Inch, Row by Row”: Jack McAndrew Speaks About Biodynamics — K. Moneymaker - Wild Apples, Hard Cider, and Biodynamic Preparations — Mike Biltonen interviews Eric Shatt - Fall and Winter Biodynamic Practices — Abigail Porter - New Pruning Practices on the Western Slope — Mary Maruca - Viva La Vida Foundation: Biodynamic Education at the Foot of Lamborn Mountain — Mary Maruca - JPI Hosts World Biodynamic Farming Day — Pat Frazier - In Memory of Dr. Basil Williams (1939–2017) - JPI News — Pat Frazier - Board Members Attend Fellowship of Preparation Makers Conference in Canada - Farm Improvements - Congratulations and Farewell to Cynthia Bowman - Welcome to Our Newest Board Member - _Cosmos, Earth and Nutrition: The Biodynamic Approach to Agriculture_ — review by Mike Biltonen - JPI Annual Fall Workshop with Wali Via ## Key Topics Covered - 100-ton and one- to two-ton biodynamic compost recipes - Compost carbon–nitrogen balance, moisture, temperature, and maturation - Pfeiffer Compost Starter and BD 502–507 placement - Straw-covered, low-turn composting in a dry Mediterranean climate - BD 500, BD 508, and BD 507 in perennial orchard management - Sheep-bedding compost and orchard-row fertility cycling - Fruit quality, wild apples, and regional cider character - Michaelmas, Holy Nights, Epiphany, and winter field practices - Tree Paste, seed burial, and seasonal pest-pepper work - Spiral pruning from the lower tree through the crown - Farm-school design and extension-assisted field trials - Coordinated evening and dawn preparation sprays for World Biodynamic Farming Day ## Related JPI Resources - [Biodynamic calendars](https://go.jpibd.org/calendars) · [calendar guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar) · [cosmic rhythms guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-cosmos) - [Pfeiffer Compost Starter](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-compost) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-pfeiffer-compost) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-pfeiffer-compost) - [BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-502-507) - [BD 500 Horn Manure](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-500) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-500) - [BD 501 Horn Silica](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-501) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-501) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-501) - [BD 507 Valerian](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-507) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-507) - [BD 508 Horsetail](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-508) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-508) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-508) - [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bc) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bc) - [Pfeiffer Field & Garden Spray](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-spray) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-pfeiffer-spray) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-pfeiffer-spray) - [Biodynamic Tree Paste](https://go.jpibd.org/product-tree-paste) · [protocol](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-tree-paste) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-tree-paste) - [Hugo Erbe No. 9 Harmonizing Preparation](https://go.jpibd.org/product-erbe-9) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-erbe-9) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-erbe-9) - [Three Kings Preparation](https://go.jpibd.org/product-erbe-8) · [ritual guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-erbe-8) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-erbe-8) - [Sequential Spray Kit](https://go.jpibd.org/kit-sequential) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-sequential) - [Preparation guides and instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) ## Citation _Applied Biodynamics_, Issue 092, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Fall/Winter 2017–2018. [**Download Issue 092 PDF**](https://go.jpibd.org/ab-092) **Tags:** Applied Biodynamics Archive, Compost, Farm Economics and Community, Orchards and Perennials, Research Methods --- > Source: [The Josephine Porter Institute](https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/blogs/applied-biodynamics/applied-biodynamics-issue-092-fall-winter-2017)