The Introduction to Biodynamic Agriculture Workshop was hosted by the Oregon Biodynamic Group at the Corvallis Waldorf School. This six hour program covered the basics of Biodynamics, the what and how of the Preparations, and the basics of planting calendars and celestial influences on farming. They taught both in a “classroom setting” and through hands-on engagement, during which we built a compost pile and applied the Preparations according to Rudolf Steiner’s suggested methods.When preparing to apply some of the preparations to the compost pile, or to your fields, they must first be stirred in rain water (preferably) for an hour. The technique of alternating creating a vortex, as seen above, and then disturbing the flow by quickly changing directions, is said to change the energetics of the water and thoroughly integrate the preparation into the solution. The teachers described it as a meditative practice in which you are charging the barrel of water with your intentions for the farm.This map is a planning tool used by the farm team to visualize where things will be growing in our fields. It is referenced throughout the year, and consulted when planning successional planting and crop rotations. Heather points to our largest greenhouse, the Hilton, telling me when and where our hot crops will be planted.
The May Pole at Bird Song Children’s Garden. On May 1st, the children and their families gathered for the festival in celebration of Springs’s arrival. Together we sang songs and wove the ribbons together in a calm and joyous, dance-like manner. A top the pole is a platform full of Lilac blossoms, a symbol of Spring’s many gifts!A part of the May Day celebration included the creation of flower crowns, and bouquets. The children, with the help of Ms Aimee hand delivered bouquets to several neighbors, leaving them hanging on the door handles, ringing the bell and then running away! This fun and exciting activity is highly enjoyable for the children and accompanying families as we parade around the neighborhood singing songs of May.Bonnie’s Raspberries! Planted before GRuB ever existed, this patch of raspberries are approximately 50 years old, highly productive and delicious! This is always a stopping point on farm tours, where we have visitors guess the age of the plants and take the opportunity to recognize the stewards of the land that came before us.In full blossom is one of GRuB’s many apple trees. This one is unique as it hasn’t been shaped by trimming, but instead grew freely. The trunk is covered in small holes created by a very methodical, and thorough woodpecker. Behind is one of two permanent green houses, named the Taj Mahal, where there is currently spinach, fennel and cilantro growing. In the beds in the foreground Gladiolas and Dahlias were recently planted. They will be used in the Flower CSA GRuB offers to the community later in the season.Ms. Aimee, the founder of Bird Song Children’s Garden, looks over a bed full of garlic, admiring the beautiful weather and expressing joy in having our mid-quarter meeting outside in the sun. The other bed contains over-wintered kale, peas, and parsley. The hutch in the back was home to baby chickens in the early spring, which have since gone of to another farm for more space to grow. The children loved sitting inside their little fenced yard and patiently waiting for a turn to hold a chick.The garden at Bird Song is full of food and flowers. The flowering tree is a Crab Apple tree, which the children are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the fruit, a favorite playtime snack. Flowers are collected weekly and displayed on the Nature Table indoors. The children love to partake in flower gathering; one day a few of them gathered various flowers and adorned the lower brances of the Crab Apple tree with multicolored blossoms.The L-shaped patch of land at GRuB, surrounded by a green boarder, will be left fallow this season. Last year it was discovered that the brassicas growing there had Clubroot. In order to prevent the spread of the disease to other parts of the farm, we decided to hand mow the nine beds with a sickle and then burn the remaining cover crop and weeds with a flame weeder. I was charged to lead the task, and completed most of it myself, with plastic bags on my feet to prevent contamination.Five rows of potatoes were planted in furrows, covered with a few inches of soil, and then covered in row cover to protect the young plants from the weather. Each plant is 12 inches apart, and we will continuously add more dirt to the furrows as the plants grow, to make sure they are getting sunlight as they grow, and to increase the crop yield by making taller growing plants.Just outside the propagation house is where we put the plant starts through a “hardening off” period. During this time they are adjusting to the elements outside of the protective environment of the propagation house. They experience rain, sun and heat, wind, and cold nights and by this exposure grow accustom to the whether before being planted. Heather explains it as toughing them up for the “real world,” and describes the plants growth like the momentum of a train. If we can support the steady growth of a plant without shocking its system it will be more likely to grow larger and produce more.One of the two permanent greenhouse structures at GRuB known as the Hilton. Inside we are currently growing beets, carrots, salad greens, spinach, peas, and radishes, turnips, and tomatoes (not pictured). We must weed these beds frequently as the weeds thrive in the warm moist environment too.A fellow intern harvests radishes from one of the greenhouses, the Hilton. At this point they had begun to bolt and so we removed section that was bolting and processed them for the weekly corner market and a food bank donation.
At Sunfield Farm and Waldorf School there are goats, sheep and chickens. A few of the classes are responsible for tending to the needs of this group of goats. Here they are shown in their outdoor yard connected to their indoor barn area. The red building in the background is home to a few classes of preschool and kindergarten age children.
The Bio-dynamic farm and Waldorf school are located on 80 acres of land on the Olympic peninsula. The property extends up to the ridge line, with a large portion of the acreage being secondary forest, full of trails and treasures that the students explore regularly . There is also a large areas of protected wetlands critical to the local watershed’s health. They have recently established an orchard behind the cottonwood and willow trees growing along the seasonal creek, as well as several large hedgerows of native roses and berries providing habitat for songbirds and other wildlife.
Ms Aimee is seen walking here with a group of the children along a trail in the Evergreen State College forest. The little ones are able to identify many species of plants and know which they can and cannot pick and eat. For example, sticky-weed, or cleavers, is a favorite, that they joyfully pick and play with (but don’t eat) as it is sticks to anything it touches. It is seen here in a ring around Ms Aimee’s hat. The children have learned about this and other plants by repetition of activities and through the examples offered by the accompanying adults.
The t-posts, trellis, and irrigation systems have been installed and adjusted this week, about a week after the plants were put into the ground. They have been watered with an overhead watering system previously. The peas have reached a stage in their growth where they are in need of the support of a trellis in order for their continued growth and the eventual production of flowers and pea pods.
One of our regular volunteers on the farm has been an intern in the past. Last year, this person was an integral part of the farm team, and therefore offers wonderful support this year. Here she is seen harvesting beets for the market.My favorite vegetable, the beet. It was such a joy to learn how to grow this magnificent plant this year. Beginning with direct seeding, thinning, weeding, watering, weeding some more, and doing some pest management before harvesting them, cleaning and bundling them for market. Fortunately there was one bunch leftover for me to take home and enjoy!
