Issue 020 documents a side-by-side Pfeiffer Field Spray soil observation, a 120-gallon hydraulic stirring machine, biodynamic seed growing, and the Moon–Saturn observation calendar.
Published by The Josephine Porter InstituteDownload PDF↗
اشتراک گذاری
Applied Biodynamics Issue 020 brings together 1997 farm observations, large-scale preparation stirring, biodynamic seed growing, and an extended Moon–Saturn observation calendar.
Grower observations and field spray
In “Observations & Experiments,” Malcolm Ian Gardner reports Darrell Newberry’s experience on a five-acre Ozark field. Newberry noticed a harder area while disking and recalled that his sprayer had run out before the last two acres received Pfeiffer Field Spray. Gardner presents the treated and untreated portions as a useful side-by-side farm observation of soil structure after about half a year. The same column invites growers to share carefully described observations and comparisons.
Stirring preparations at farm scale
Stephen Storch describes building a hydraulically driven, reversible stirring machine that handled up to 120 gallons in a batch. He reports four stirring sessions that season for about 80 units of BD 500, 50 units of BD 501, and 50 units of BD 508 horsetail tea. Storch describes the equipment as a practical way to serve a larger acreage and reports strong strawberries and mesclun during difficult weather as part of his wider biodynamic farm practice.
Seed work integrated with food growing
In Katheryn Dagostino’s interview, Nathan Corymb describes growing vegetable seed crops within the Sunrise Ranch food garden and distributing seed through Turtle Tree Seeds, with the bulk grown by the community. His account emphasizes saving, selecting, and sharing seed as part of a cooperative biodynamic growing culture.
A calendar for continued observation
Hugh J. Courtney’s occultation update adds January, February, and March 1998 to the Saturn sequence, totaling twelve lunar occultations from May 1997 through March 1998, and notes a following Jupiter sequence. The dated events provide a clear framework for growers to record weather and field observations.
Suggested observation practice
For comparable farm records, note the date, field and crop, treatment and rate, weather, soil condition, and observations in both treated and untreated areas. Repeat promising observations across seasons and share enough detail for other growers to learn from the method.
Archive note: The Issue 020 PDF is complete. Its eight landscape scans contain printed pages 1–16 in booklet order.
How did Nathan Corymb build biodynamic seed work into a food-growing program?
Corymb described growing seed crops within the Sunrise Ranch vegetable garden and distributing seed through Turtle Tree Seeds, much of it grown by the community. He encouraged growers to save and select seed together as part of a living biodynamic seed network.
What 1998 dates did the occultation update add for growers to observe?
Hugh J. Courtney added January, February, and March 1998 to the sequence of lunar occultations of Saturn, bringing it to twelve between May 1997 and March 1998. He also mapped the following Jupiter sequence, giving readers a dated framework for farm and weather observations.
What soil observation followed the missed Pfeiffer Field Spray application?
Darrell Newberry connected harder soil he encountered while disking a five-acre field with the area that had missed Pfeiffer Field Spray when his sprayer ran out. Gardner presented the sprayed and unsprayed ground as an instructive side-by-side farm observation of soil structure after about half a year.
What did Stephen Storch achieve with his hydraulic stirring machine?
Storch reports a reversible hydraulic stirrer handling up to 120 gallons per batch and describes a future shared stir-and-spray workflow. He used the machine in four preparation-stirring sessions and reported strong strawberries and mesclun during difficult weather as part of his biodynamic farm program.
