The Ojai Garden

to extract and paraphrase:

Biodynamic farming and gardening looks upon soil essentials, viewing the earth and the farm as living organisms. Biodynamics regards maintenance and furtherance of soil life as the basic necessity if the soil is to be preserved for generations, and it regards the farm as being true to its essential nature if it can be conceived of as a kind of individual entity in itself - a self-contained individuality. It begins with the ideal concept of the necessary self-containedness of the farm and works with furthering the life of the soil as a primary means by which a farm can become a kind of individuality that progresses and evolves.

Soil improvement is obtained by proper humus management - e.g., by the application of sufficient organic manure and compost in the best possible state of fermentation; by proper crop rotation; by proper working of the soil; by protective measures such as wind protection; cover crops, green manure, and diversified crops rather than detrimental monocultures; and by mixed cropping so that plants can aid and support each other.

Farm manure and compost are the most valuable fertilizers. They contain organic matter on which the soil yeast, bacteria, fungus and earthworms can feed and then revitalize the soil. They contain colloids, which absorb moisture and mineral solutions in the ground, form a crumbly structure, and eliminate the danger of erosion. The careful storage of manure in heaps covered with earth, as taught by the biodynamic method, avoids nitrogen loss to a great degree.

~~~

cross reference, Viktor Schauberger and Living Water, Robert Rodale and Organic Gardening, Bill Mollison and Permaculture, Robert Hart and Forest Gardening, Sepp Holzer and Plant Families and Aquaculture, Geoff Lawton and ReGreening the Desert, Masanobu Fukuoka and the One Straw Revolution, Takao Furuno and (Rice AND) Duck Farming aka the "Power of Duck" ...

obviously it is VERY difficult to write about Deep Permaculture, Forest Gardening, Edible Landscaping, Aquaculture ... or the totality of GaiaCulture ... as even before you can sit down to describe a PIECE of the wonder ... to 'innoculate' friends and family and community with the 'ferment' ... the Sun and Earth and Garden 'Song' is there in your heartmind ... the knowing ... and your thoughts are "I've got to repot those Sapote seedlings today", and "those young Macademias have to get out of their holding bins and into real soil", and "How can Mark and Joan come to plant Mulberry trees today, if I haven't brought in the new load of compost, or emptied the truck of the Oak leaf mulch?"

chorus of all our sacred relations,

Millennium Twain