Do you know what Biodynamic Agriculture is?

The agriculture, the proximity to the land, their work, the harvesting of its fruits... transport me to my childhood. My grandparents had farms where they grew grapes and potatoes, mainly, and at planting time, as well as at harvest time, there were great preparations to welcome the day laborers who came to help with the work. I was between four and six years old. My favorite moment was when the grapes were passed to the winepress to extract their juice. After the crisis that we have suffered in 2020, there are many people and families who rethink their way of life, there are many and many also, who have begun to be interested and have even begun to take their first steps, towards their own cultivation , either in a small orchard or garden, either on the balcony or in a little hole next to a window in your house. Well, if you are in this process of initiation into the primary sector, we recommend the "2021 Biodynamic Agriculture Calendar" by María Thun. It is incredible how, taking into account the position of the sun, the seasons and some pruning tricks and ways to combat small pests, you can make your garden flourish and give you many joys, apart from food ;) Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming based on the theories of Rudolf Steiner , founder of anthroposophy, at the beginning of the 20th century. In practice, there are two fundamental aspects that distinguish it from organic farming and other forms of agriculture: on the one hand, the use of preparations obtained with the very particular processing of certain medicinal plants such as chamomile and dandelion and, on the other, taking into account the influences of the stars to carry out agricultural and livestock work.This type of agriculture considers farms as organisms with complex, part of a whole. It emphasizes the interrelation between soils, plants and animals, treating the whole as a system in balance, seeking to harmonize the provision of nutrients due to the exit of crops and other products outside the farm, with the production of these nutritional elements through the raising of animals that provide the manure to make compost and the cultivation of plants as green manures. As in other forms of organic farming, the use of industrial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides is prohibited. Biodynamic agriculture is also characterized by the use of vegetable and mineral preparations as additives for compost and aerosols for the soil, as well as following a planting calendar based on the movement of the stars. The Earth is immersed in our solar system and planetary forces leave their mark on the morphology of plants. Biodynamic farmers use this knowledge to practically choose the appropriate dates for sowing, soil aeration work, treatments and harvesting, according to the cosmic forces active at the time. Just as sunlight contributes to the growth of plants and the Moon affects the water content of all organisms, the planets also exert their influence on the earth and all the beings it houses. Since ancient times the planets have been divided into interiors (between Earth and the Sun: Moon, Mercury, Venus) and exteriors (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn). The inner planets work on plant growth, either directly through the atmosphere, or indirectly through water, humus, or calcium (limestone, potassium, and sodium). Influences from Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are channeled through heat and silica (quartz, feldspar, mica); they flow through the silica content of the soil and from there upwards through the interior of the plant, expressing themselves in the colors of the flowers, and in the fruit and seed production. They also contribute to the way plants live longer, such as the growth of wood. However, we warn you that many of the species of great forest and fruit interest in Spain, the fig tree, the vine, the olive tree, the almond tree, the orange tree, the stone pine, the pomegranate tree, the pistachio tree, the avocado, the banana tree , the kiwi, the pineapple, the carob tree... are some examples, they are not named in the recommended book. In general, reading it will give you tools and knowledge to better understand the behavior of what you plant, how to take care of it and strengthen it and, above all, do it in a sustainable way and respecting the environment. At home we already have three citrus fruits, a young almond tree, pumpkins, strawberries and beans. Besides, we use to germinate the linen bags that we have designed in Rewinder , for this purpose. Do you dare to have your own garden and let yourself be guided by the stars in its care?