How can a farm make winter preparation work more repeatable?

Build a seasonal production plan from the farm’s expected acreage and preparation needs, then keep one log for source materials, filling dates, quantities, burial locations, orientation, soil conditions, protection, retrieval targets, and storage. Issue 102 shows JPI coordinating this work with advance associative commitments, so preparation making follows real demand. Review the log during winter and use it to set the next season’s calendar, materials, and labor.

How can BD 505 oak bark be evaluated in compost and field practice?

Use one defined BD 505 protocol in a compost pile and record pile materials, moisture, temperature, turning, appearance, aroma, and finished-compost quality. For oak-bark decoction, compare matched crop areas under the same management, especially in wet conditions or where growth is overly lush. Record dilution, timing, weather, disease and pest expression, plant form, and harvest quality. The issue presents oak’s living calcium as an ordering influence that strengthens boundaries and resistance.

Which biodynamic practices does Issue 102 recommend for winter?

Apply Tree Paste after leaf drop or in late winter before sap flow when temperatures are above freezing; use BD 507 valerian around early or late frosts; grind the Three Kings Preparation over midnight on New Year’s Eve and apply it late in the afternoon on Epiphany; bury seeds during the Holy Nights or the coldest part of February; and study the coming year’s biodynamic calendar. Record timing, temperature, materials, and outcomes so each winter develops into a clear farm protocol.

What does Abigail Porter’s ten-year retrospective suggest for current farm research?

Choose one practice from the archive, state the protocol clearly, keep the rest of the management consistent, and compare results across matched areas, dates, or seasons. The retrospective highlights calendar trials, seed saving, compost methods, preparation making, sequential sprays, drought response, and retrieval timing. Shared records turn individual experience into practical knowledge that other biodynamic growers can repeat and refine.

Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 102 (Winter 2021)

Issue 102 follows JPI’s winter preparation rhythm, presents oak bark and BD 505 as living-calcium supports for plant health, and reflects on ten years of practical archive learning.

10 août 2026 Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 102 (Winter 2021) enters winter as a season of inward work, preparation, and renewal. Emily Sepulveda describes JPI’s autumn preparation-making cycle in concrete terms: horn manure, chamomile, yarrow, nettle, dandelion, and oak bark are gathered, filled, sewn, buried, and documented before their winter transformation. The article connects this seasonal rhythm with associative economics, using advance commitments to coordinate preparation supply with the real needs of farms and gardens.

Download Issue 102 PDF

Abigail Porter completes her preparation-plant series with oak. In North America, JPI works with white oak, Quercus alba, as the source for BD 505. The article presents oak bark’s living calcium as an ordering influence that moderates overly lush, watery growth and supports resistance to disease and pests. BD 505 carries this quality into the compost pile, while oak-bark decoctions can be observed in wet conditions, around seedlings, and wherever crops benefit from stronger form and boundaries.

The issue’s winter practice notes create a practical seasonal checklist. Tree Paste belongs after leaf drop or before sap flow when temperatures are above freezing; BD 507 valerian supports plants around frost; the Three Kings Preparation is ground over midnight on New Year’s Eve and applied on Epiphany; seed burial works with the Holy Nights or the coldest part of February; and winter is the time to study the coming year’s biodynamic calendar.

In “Ten Years: Reflections and Inspirations,” Porter surveys a decade of Applied Biodynamics field learning. Her retrospective connects calendar trials, community-supported farms, large closed-loop grain and cattle operations, urban intensive growing, cooperative farm structures, seed saving, compost methods, preparation making, sequential sprays, drought resilience, and preparation retrieval timing. The archive becomes most useful when growers record exact practice, compare observations, and share results.

The issue also records JPI’s organizational renewal and honors Stephen Decater, whose Live Power Community Farm joined biodynamics, draft-horse power, community, gratitude, and long-term land stewardship. Across the issue, winter is an active phase in which the next agricultural cycle is consciously prepared.

Articles in This Issue

From the Editor — Mary Maruca
Changing Leaves, Changing Rhythms — Emily Sepulveda
President’s Report — Clay Wesson
Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden (Part 5): Oak — Abigail Porter
Ten Years: Reflections and Inspirations — Abigail Porter
Crossing the Threshold — Stephen Decater
Make Your Plans for the 2022 Fellowship Conference in Ithaca, NY

Key Topics Covered

JPI’s autumn preparation-making and winter burial rhythm
Associative economics for coordinating preparation production and demand
White oak, living calcium, and BD 505 compost preparation
Oak-bark decoctions for excessive moisture and plant resistance
Winter use of Tree Paste, BD 507, and Three Kings Preparation
Holy Nights seed burial and winter calendar study
Ten years of archive learning from diverse biodynamic farms and trials
Stephen Decater’s community-farm and draft-horse legacy

Repeatable Practice in This Issue

Keep one seasonal preparation log for source materials, filling dates, quantities, burial locations, soil conditions, protection, retrieval targets, and storage.
For BD 505 and oak-bark decoction work, record materials, dilution, timing, moisture, weather, crop condition, disease expression, and harvest quality.
Plan Tree Paste, BD 507, Three Kings Preparation, seed burial, and calendar study as a single winter checklist.
Review the season’s records before spring so preparation quantities, timing, materials, and labor continue to improve through experience.