Category: Organic & Biodynamic gardening

The Simple Things – Working with Nature

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Will and I (and the children, chickens and dog) are delighted to be featured in this months issue of The Simple Things magazine. We’ve written an article about the joys of allotmenteering, growing organic & biodynamic fruit and veg and the tasty pleasures of cooking up a feast with our own homegrown produce.

There’s a moon gardening & biodynamic factsheet on The Simple Things website for your perusal, or better still, get yourself a copy of the magazine, read the whole article and take a peek at some luscious pictures of our patch!

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Biodynamic Gardening Book

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bookgiveaway

How exciting is this! Last year we were approached by publishers Dorling Kindersley and asked if our allotment garden could be featured in a new biodynamic gardening book. And here it is…..

We spent 6 months working closely with the publishers and other hugely inspiring biodynamic farmers and gardeners to produce a simple yet comprehensive book about the wonders of biodynamic gardening.

It covers all sorts of fantastic topics from the principles of ‘BD’ gardening to specific planting tips, teas and tinctures, sowing guides, compost heaps, preparations, tree care, natural pest control and more. Practical step-by-step instructions make the book very easy to follow and the photos are brilliant! The book is available in bookshops, on Amazon and the Dorling Kindersley website.

To celebrate its release, we’re giving away one lovely copy of the book. For your chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post. I’ll put your names in a big hat and draw the lucky winner on the 11th April 2015. 

Results will be posted on my blog and Instagram account, so remember to check back with me then! The competition  is open worldwide.

Best of luck and happy gardening…..

Biodynamic gardening

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A little film about our organic allotment and some of the biodynamic gardening methods we use to enhance the health and vitality of our crops. Nettle tea for overall health, the ‘cow pat pit’ for incredibly potent, life-giving soil improvement, ‘mausdorf starter’ for maintaining the perfect compost heap……

There are loads of other amazingly effective organic and biodynamic methods that I’ll write about and film at a later date. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this little Autumnal video tour of our allotment garden.

Homegrown happiness!

What is Biodynamic Gardening?

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Biodynamic gardening is really just a fancy name for a method of gardening that’s been around for thousands of years – practical gardening wisdom handed down over time and widespread before the arrival of chemicals, pesticides, fertilisers and the intensive farming practices of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is the ancient art of watching the skies and using the rhythms and patterns of the sun, moon and stars to guide the sowing, tending and harvesting of crops. Our ancestors used this knowledge to their advantage, so that their crops were stronger, tastier, healthier and more productive. Afterall, they completely relied on their homegrown produce, so it had to be good. A quick trip to the supermarket was not an option!

Thankfully, these days you don’t need to be an expert in the solar system to work it all out! Biodynamic gardening calendars are widely available and suggest the best times for all your gardening jobs.

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