Marketplace Notes...

Using the Biodynamic Calendar

Learning more about the Biodynamic calendar, one Tweet at a time!

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is how to read and interpret the Biodynamic calendar.  Many accept and abide by the Farmers Almanac as it tracks the lunar cycle throughout the year, but Biodynamic farmers and gardeners go a step further and look at all of the influences in the sky: constellations, planets, moons, eclipses, comets and more. It can be a little daunting for those who aren't familiar with the symbols that the calendars employ, and how these influences factor into decision making around planting, sowing, and more.  So in the interest of helping out our Twitter friends (and please join us on Twitter if you haven't already) we're going to give our Twitter account a little lunar boost. Starting this month our Twitter feed will include updates about the Biodynamic calendar, providing our viewers with practical guidance about what they should be focused on from one week to the next.

Plants physically react to the astronomy in the sky the same way they physically react to the weather. Astronomy is weather just on a much larger scale. The sun has a different quality depending on the constellation in front of which it moves. Some constellations, as does the moon's placement and planetary placement will bring about more dry influences, and others will bring about more wet influences.

The more familiar you become with the calendar, the better you can understand the influences, and plan to work with them, for better yields, harvests, processing, storage and over all more successful growing seasons. BD operations respect the soil as a living organism and so by accepting that there are more influences than the moon, the soil itself becomes a barometer for all these weather influences. Being able to look ahead to a better day for sowing or harvesting, means being able to plan ahead for a better crop management plan and a long term cadence for the farm itself.

Whether you use the Stella Natura calendar or the Maria Thun Biodynamic planting calendar, a grower will begin to utilize the principles that Maria Thun developed over 60 years.