I have been doing it for years. There are a couple of myposts in different areas of this forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click on the Cosmic Garden Link

Thank you for that link Linda. Your ID suits you to a tee.:)

I am really enjoying this book and it has fuelled the passion to find out even more about this wonderful way of gardening.

I too like what I know of biodynamics, save that it is very Eurocentric. Burying cow dung in cow horns is all very well if you live in an area with lots of cows. It needs adapting to other environments IMHO. But the basic message, take care of the soil, is a sound one.

Couldn't agree more Ray! I have a little book on biodynamics that whilst very interesting is very much focussed on a european climate and environment.
I do refer to a biodynamic calendar when I plant my veggie seeds, if for no other reason than to help me be a bit more organised and spread the workload out a bit. Things do go a bit pear-shaped for me in summer, especially on days like this, where it is an oven outside and the calendar is suggesting the planting out of leaf veggies.....hhhmm. Its interesting to read the weather notes in the calendar, so far in January it has been pretty spot on. I have found learning a little about solar/lunar/planetary influences has made me a more observant gardener.

cheers, mudlark

Mudlark, what do the weather notes in your calendar say for tomorrow? Do we get thunderstorms and rain? Please? Otherwise I'll have to do some watering.
Last week I watered the garden in the morning and it rained nicely in the afternoon. I don't want that to happen tomorrow.

The dark clouds hovering around our place a few minutes ago where blown away and there's blue sky again. I was really looking forward to a bit of rain, or at least cooler temperatures.

I agree Ray. This book is very eurocentric and I have to keep remembering to covert what they have written as it applies to our hemisphere. I was particular interested in the moon plantings and as you say the concepts relating to soil are relevant.

I won't be stuffing horns with cow dung just yet and I think you can buy it from the biodynamic website in Australia (if you are a member).

Mudlark you have hit on one of the subjects in this book which is becoming more observant of your garden and its environment. I have ordered a moon calendar so will be able to report on the results over time.

Hee Hee, Spatz, you need to move to Murray Bridge apparently its bucketing down right now. I saw those rather threatening looking clouds hovering around the cricket at the Adelaide Oval, but I just took a peek out to sea and theres nothing like that coming from the south-west, there is a gorgeous ocean breeze though, which has dropped the temp.....what a relief!

cheers, mudlark

Yeah, Murray Bridge had 20mm of rain in 20 minutes.

A nice breeze has come up here, but it's only off and on.

Severe thunderstorm warnings everwhere but our place.

nettlerose and mudlark, where did you get your calendars?

hi all, well I took lindas advice recently about moon plantings and even though we were really late with our veges etc you cant tell to look at them they are going crazy ,I have never planted this way before but now I am hooked
thanks linda
lorraine

Ray I got mine through the www.biodynamics.net.au website. They are based in Bellingen, NSW. They have books, calendars, journals and the some of the biodynamic preparations for sale (but you have to be a paid up member to get the cow horn mixture). As a non-member you can only buy the fish emulsions from the preparations list.

Good to hear you have had some success with yours Lorraine.

What many biodynamic calendars is that they are centred on the northern hemisphere because they were first developed by those following Steiner's practices. So unless you get one specifically written for the southern hemisphere (and not just a clone or edited copy of the northemi one, but specifically written) you might get some conflict due to seasonal and rainfall differences. I think you might find New Zealand sources will give you the best results. I do my own, but that's my job.

Weather for Thursday for South Australia - extremely hot with a high likelihood of thunderstorms around early afternoon and severe fire danger despite the recent rain. Mars and Pluto are in conjunction in a fire sign and this spells violence, the Moon is also in a fire sign today so don;t think about planting or collecting seeds because Leo is classified as the most infertile of the signs.

Cheers
Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting by the Moon.

Those of you who are interested in biodynamic preparations may find them at a Steiner School. Sometimes the kids or parents make them as part of project. You don't need very much.
Danielle

Ray, I got an antipodean calendar from Eden Seeds. I tried ordering the same off the biodynamics website and found their ordering system less than satisfactory...i think we exchanged several emails before I gave up. Eden have always been very realiable and quick for me. However, the calendar I have does not give the depth of information that Linda has just given....thanks Linda.

mudlark

Gosh don't say that mudlark, my order is still in the pipeline with biodynamics. I am here crossing fingers that it will all work out.

oops, sorry...erm...if it makes you feel any better, I ordered mine just before chrismas a couple of years ago, I think the office was probably not staffed at the time, hopefully things will have improved by now.

mudlark

Wow, some really interesting stuff there.

Was discussing this with my SO the other day. The moon seems to play such a huge role in our lives, especially in our moods (a friend of mine works with people who are mentally ill and says he really notices a difference around the full moon - must say, I think that even "sane" people go a bit loopy around this time!)

So... what if we were to move to a planet which didn't have a moon? Imagine we took seeds with us, along with beneficial insects/animals etc to assist in food production. How would not having a moon affect our behaviour and that of plants/animals? Of course I'm not expecting any kind of sciencey answer here, just wondered what your thoughts were...

freckle

You'd have a choice between Mercury and Venus both of which are hot so you'd probably grow ready cooked veggies -maybe that's where capsicums do OK!
Mars has 2 moons, Jupiter 62, Saturn 35, Uranus 27, Neptune 13 and Pluto 1.

Cheers
Linda, just showing off to avoid work.

Jupiter...62 moons. Imagine that! And to think my dad got excited last night when he saw the first satellite in months going across the night sky. How much more spectacular would 62 moons be.

And instead of counting sheep to sleep you could count moons.

freckle, we've evolved with our moon, so have the plants and other living things - even those creatures that inhabit the deepest abysses feel its effects. There'd be no moon tides, tectonic activity would not be as we know it. The effects on us may well be too subtle to notice. On the other hand, we may not survive, so devestating might it be.

Yes, I was wondering about tides too. I hadn't considered having more than one moon, that would be cool! Not sure about 62... just imagine the light on a full moon(s) - you wouldn't be able to sleep!

Hi Guys
I have been buying a good lunar planting guide (from Thomas Zimmer in NE NSW) for years now and find that, in reflection (nice little pun there eh) the difference in achieving success is so minute that it does not bear even the minimal cost of buying the guide
First and foremost I feel one must take into mind the effect of the sun on plants....for example...if you wanted to plant...say carrots this week and the chart said to wait two (or three)more weeks then (here in Tas) you loose good growing time (where every day counts at this time of year) and would be unable to make up for the loss by waiting until a favorably fertile period further down the track
While I am not pooh poohing moon obsevance at all... after all it works really well for such things as planting fence posts etc...I feel that what one needs to remember is that there is a far greater energy source (SUN) that needs to be given a priority rating...then follows moon and a long last the planets
The influences involved come from the level of energy involved....99.99999 of our energy (here on earth)comes from the sun....a percentage of that via the moon (by reflection from the SUN) and a minute amount from the other suns known to us (stars)....just to keep things in perspective here
Mind you this did not stop me taking a group of friends down to the river here last full moon to have a fire and do a little dancing and a home made ceremony (to honour HER)

cheers
Peter

Peter you are absolutely correct that we must take the Sun into account. This is why we use the Moon's phases - the relationship between the Sun, Moon and Earth as a guide. Seasons and the position of the Sun and Moon in declination as well as the earth's position in its annual orbit around the earth come into it too and Sun defines the 'ecliptic' whichis the path of the earth's orbit, visually seen as the Sun's movement from our position on earth. So without the Sun we'd have no measure of seasons, night and day nor the important lunar phases. No one in their right mind would not take into account the climatic conditions prevailing to select what you want to plant! I wouldn't even try Capsicums in Wynyard any more I think than you'd try pineapples in Derby! To each his own. Anyway, for those interested I've put the lunation for February on site, with a few observations about the meaning of the month, and some good days for doing different things.

Cheers
Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: February New Moon in the Year of the Wooden Rooster.

Hi Linda/et al
About 5 Km away fro me is a guy who grows pineapples....my capsicums usually bear fruit but do not always ripen to redness...some vars do in a good year
cheers
Peter

Well the chart arrived safely yesterday so I will have good things to report next year I hope. :)

Canberra is the same for capsicums unless you buy really advanced seedlings and we are experiencing such cold weather for February I am glad I didn't put any in this year.

Brian Keats publishes the best Calendar I've seen in 40 years. It certainly saves me a lot of work with the website. You can order it online - the thing to note is that he uses the Sidereal zodiac so the Sun, moon and planet positions will differ from what you might be used to. I use this calendar with my enrolled students not only as a gardening tool but as a way to understand the movement of the earth Moon and Sun. For general purposes in the garden it is a nice visual and there are some anecdotal paragraphs on biodynamics that make interesting reading.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brian Keats Biodynamic and Organic Calendar.

Hi Linda, I bought Brian Keats' calendar just recently (and promptly misplaced it) to learn a little about the movement of the heavens. I'll also give planting by it a go, but only in as much as weather coincides e.g., I prefer sowing and particularly transplanting just before or during rain. If that happens to coincide with auspicious planetary positions, then all the better.

Yes, you have to be sensible and dose up on common sense too. Rain is often predictable by the Moon's phase and sign too ;-) I am not so far into the cosmos that my feet aren't on the ground and I do encourage anyone who wants to look at an esoteric point of view to stay balanced on both feet while looking upwards. I've put a little scrolling day by day rule of thumb thingie on my website for the sidereal moon placements for January and will tart it up a bit and do it for the rest of the year when I've finished cleaning up for all the ingrate big kids that have eaten me out of house and home and left mammoth piles of washing. If you synch it with the Moon phase logic - waxing to first Q for planting, waxing to full moon for feeding, waning to last Q for harvesting, waning to dark moon for destroying and pruning, you can maximise on the moon's positions in the constellations and by declination ( latitude in relation to earth latitudes). I'm going to develop the Cosmic Garden side of my site now that I'm down to only a handful of students myself and other mentors have taken over most of the teaching. I am declining all invitations to speak, if journals want aerticles they can lift them off my site, and there are enough books sales to keep me in seeds. So I have time to pursue the things of earth. If you want some information on planetary cycles etc, I can send you some info. If you have powerpoint on your pute I can send you a lovely animated interactive astronomy presentation that I developed with a friend. Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Moon Positions for January

I started looking at biodynamics last year after I saw a group at a field day or show (can't remember which) I bought an antipodean calendar that I have learnt a lot from. Due to lack of reading time I have been taking a 'shortcut' and using dates from a biodynamic magazine. First lot of cucumbers nearly finished - a couple of seeds sown according to the calendar, others sown when I had some space, only a week apart - the difference in the yeild has been noticable so will have to make sure I plan everything properly in future.