What is Farmer Jack McAndrew’s repeatable recipe for a 100-ton compost windrow?

Combine organic cow manure with two 125-pound bales of organic alfalfa hay per ton of manure, about 10% soil, 10 units of Pfeiffer Compost Starter, and 10 complete BD 502–507 sets. Build in 10-ton sections, water each layer to wrung-out-sponge moisture, mix and feather the materials, rebuild to about 75 × 9 × 5 feet, insert one preparation set per 10 tons, spray BD 507 over the pile, and cover with one foot of straw.

How can a grower scale the compost protocol down and monitor it consistently?

For a one- to two-ton pile, use one full unit of Pfeiffer Compost Starter and one full set of BD 502–507. Record starting materials and moisture, confirm an initial rise to about 120–140°F, then follow the cooling curve toward body temperature through a roughly nine-month maturation. Check smell, moisture, fungal development, crumb structure, and finished-crop response at the same intervals for every pile.

What preparation rhythm did Redbyrd Orchard use for apples and cider fruit?

Begin with BD 500 as the trees emerge from dormancy; use BD 508 repeatedly during wet periods; prepare all sheep-bedding compost with BD 502–507; alternate finished compost and wood chips through orchard rows; and apply BD 507 during bloom when frost threatens. Record application dates, weather, leaf condition, disease expression, fruit flavor, and fermentation behavior so results can be compared from year to year.

How is the spiral pruning sequence performed and evaluated?

First observe the whole tree. In the lower section, remove right-leaning growth while circling right and moving upward. In the middle third to half, remove broken and crossing wood in the usual way. In the crown, work with left-leaning growth while circling left. Photograph each tree before and after, mark treated trees, and compare vigor, shoot balance, flowering, fruit set, and yield over successive seasons.

Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue 092 (Fall/Winter 2017)

<p>Issue 092 presents a measurable biodynamic compost protocol, Redbyrd Orchard’s preparation rhythm for apples and cider, a practical fall–winter field calendar, spiral pruning observations, and community-scale biodynamic education and research.</p>

December 30, 2025 Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF

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, and the biodynamic compost preparations. 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 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 as trees leave dormancy, uses 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 accompanies Michaelmas or Thanksgiving; BD 500 or Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray supports fall planting, cover-crop incorporation, compost application, and root activity; Barrel Compound supports continuing soil biology; Pfeiffer Compost Starter or BD 502–507 prepares fall compost for spring use; 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 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 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