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Friday 30 March 2007

Biodynamic farming experiments on radish - The effect of Moon in vegetable growing

Shown below, you may see radish that were cultivated accordingly to the principles of byodinamic agriculture, namely the moon cycle. On the beggining, I was skeptic that it was just pure invention but it turns out to be true (at least on this experiment). Radish were seeded on the second week of January, on four different days in which the moon was passing over a different constelation on the sky. According to the theory, plants seeded or treated at moon passing over water-element constelation will develop more leaves, over earth more bulbs and roots, over fire more fruit and over air more flower. We can thus select higher quality vegetables in harmony with the forces of the cosmos (this is what the theory states).

These radish were seeded in earth, water, fire and air on that week of January and then each container was treated with the same conditions. Earth radish were the last to be seeded at the end of that week in order to check if they would grew bigger bulbs than the others.
As of March you may see for yourself. Earth radish haver the bigger bulbs, followed by the water ones, and fire and air ones have small or no bulbs yet and air ones developed bigger leaves. This was based on Maria Thun calendar which is a sideral-based calendar.


Earth radish


Water radish


Fire radish


Air radish


It is also curious that seeds seeded on earth days take a long time to sprout (since maybe they will focus their growth on root). We also have similar brocculi that were transplanted on air day and then one in water day, two days later (look as this last has bigger leaves already!)
We've also byodinamic carrots, cabbage, turnips, onions, lettuce, endive, peas, chick peas and others.


Air and water transplanted brocculi respectively


We also report of a garlic that was seeded on a node day (this is the days when the moon orbit crosses the eliptic plane). Maria Thun calendar stronly advises not to plant on those days. The garlic I planted began to die after one month of growth, then I applied also a biodynamic preparation made of nettle tea leaves and the plant surprinsingly regrew again!


Garlic


Look at a different type of radish, long ones. We seeded both on earth days, yet one has almost on earth-air border (and in tropical sideral, as opposed to sideral system, this day was already an air day). Both are big ones but the air radish is slighty thiner! The same occurs to all replicates in the same container.



It strikes me the fact that since I studied astronomy since my childhood, I was a more ceptic person, but now I can clearly see (not only feel) that indeed the cosmos has magic and that magic affects us all in different subtle ways.

Tuesday 27 March 2007

The effects of companion planting

Have done mulching on more containers. Transplanted more turnips, cabbages, leeks, brussels sprouts and thymes. Plants have been growing pretty well. Tulips are blossoming. Tomatoes and peppers I brough these inside home. Potatoes are growing very fast (maybe its the effect of the millefolium - see companion planting) and in the carrots container, plants grow more in the center where there is a garlic (see companion planting). Another advise: dont overwater lettuce plants as I did (one has rot). Peas and chick peas are flowering and peas have already some fruit!! We've cut the natural soap, label these and plan doing plenty more with other scents. We also plan doing it with ashes instead of sodium lye which is very corrosive prior to mixing.

Companion planting is the trick of growing two crops together whereas one helps the other, in growing or/and in avoiding pest and disease. Examples include radish and lettuce, beans and radish, garlic and carrots, cabbage and hissop or oregano, marigolds and other aromatic herbs in most crops...). However, others such as crops from onion family and beans family don't go well in combination! Please check the web for more information.

Tuesday 20 March 2007

Vegetable container gardening


It's already 86 varieties: 40 medicinal and aromatic herbs, 30 edibles and the rest are ornamental