Applied Biodynamics — Issue 054 (Fall 2006)

Applied Biodynamics Issue 054 (Fall 2006) presents Robert True's ten-year Blueberry Gardens case history: long-term soil building, preparation-supported flavor and recovery, practical crop management, an honor-system U-pick, and a farm-based healing center.

A long-lived crop within a living farm

Blueberry Gardens covers about fifteen acres, with roughly three acres in blueberries and the remainder in woods or open land. True chose blueberries because they are native to the eastern United States, suit the region, and can live forty to fifty years with good care. Their long life made patient soil building and preparation work central to the farm.

Organic matter rose while the soil became softer and more fertile

The first year was devoted to cover crops. After incorporation, the farm added a two- to three-inch layer of composted leaves. Each spring, the blueberry rows received eight to ten inches of locally sourced woodchips followed by Barrel Compound. Over ten years, soil organic matter rose from roughly 1.5–2 percent to 3.5–4 percent.

True reports that the woodchips broke down 40–60 percent by the following season. The mulch suppressed weeds, maintained the acidity blueberries favor, supplied organic matter, and helped create soil that became softer, looser, more fertile, and easier to work.

BD 501 supported an excellent flavor result

True used the complete preparation program and gave increasing attention to Pfeiffer Field Spray and BD 501 horn silica. After one season when fruit from established bushes lacked flavor, Hugh Courtney recommended silica. True applied BD 501 three times the next season and reported excellent flavor from the same bushes.

True also applied Three Kings Preparation for at least four seasons and experienced its protective field as part of the growing vitality and coherence of the farm.

Preparation work supported recovery after Japanese beetles

When Japanese beetles severely defoliated about half an acre in late July, True used compost teas with Barrel Compound and BD 500, then applied BD 504 stinging nettle and BD 505 oak bark through the end of August. He observed visible recovery and fresh leaf growth by late summer.

Practical choices strengthened plant establishment

True strongly recommends young bare-root plants. Smaller stock costing about 1.50 to 2 dollars caught up within two years with larger container plants that had cost 6 to 7 dollars. Variety selection also mattered: Blue Ridge and Cape Fear remained nearly static and were removed, while O'Neal became a leading variety because it ripened early with large, flavorful, easy-to-pick fruit.

Heavy mulch plus a narrow tilled strip sharply reduced weed pressure. Individual drip emitters, properly sized main lines, and zone-by-zone flow planning corrected early watering problems. Electric fencing protected blossoms from deer and transformed the crop economics.

Deer fencing and the honor-system U-pick produced clear economic gains

Fencing a two-and-one-half-acre block raised sales from 700 to 7,000 dollars in one season because it protected blossoms and fruit set. The self-serve U-pick later brought in about 10,000 dollars in a season with fewer than ten hours spent collecting payments. Weekdays commonly produced 300 to 400 dollars, the best Saturday reached 1,000 dollars, and the honor jar made trust part of the social life of the farm.

Blueberries ground the healing center

The farm also includes an eight-sided center for yoga, massage, acupuncture, and other healing work. True experiences the blueberry fields as the grounding force of the center, while visitors move naturally between picking, treatment, and classes. Agriculture, healing, nature experience, and community strengthen one another within the farm organism.

Read the original eight-page issue PDF.