Biodynamic Gardening For Beginners

Any gardener who already works with biodynamics will tell you the difference it has made to their garden. From crispier lettuce to more intensely-flavoured onions, biodynamics is a great way to get your garden to produce tasty, nutrient-packed fruit and vegetables, plus more vibrant and plentiful flowers. 

But what is biodynamic gardening?

Our friends at the Biodynamic Association (BDA) have created a series of helpful videos to explain what biodynamic gardening is and how it can boost what you grow. We hope you enjoy their first video below and you can find more in the same series on their YouTube channel here.

At Floris we have a range of valuable resources to help you go biodynamic in your back garden or allotment. Below, we share some of our favourites for beginners and you can view our full range of books on biodynamics here.

Biodynamic Gardening for Health and Taste by Hilary Wright is an excellent introduction to everything a beginner needs to know about biodynamics. Easy-to-follow step-by-step illustrations, explanatory diagrams and colour photographs show how biodynamic techniques can work for you!

Every year we publish The Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar (as featured in the BDA’s YouTube video above) which shows the optimum days for sowing, pruning and harvesting various plants and crops, to help you get the best from what you grow.

The calendar includes a pullout wallchart that can be pinned up in a barn, shed or greenhouse as a handy quick reference.

We also have a companion app for our Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar, called the Biodynamic Gardening Calendar app. This app is based on data from our Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar and helps you find out what to do and when in your garden or allotment.

Why you’ll love the app:

• Find the ideal dates and times to plant, sow and tend your plants while you’re on the go
• When should you plant strawberries? What is the best time to harvest lettuce? Just click on a date to explore recommended activities for your garden, allotment or farm
• Daily activities are sorted by Time Type (showing you when to work with fruit, root, flower or leaf plants) and Special Activities (such as pruning and pest control), making it easy to find out what you should do
• Filter activities by Time Type or Special Activity to show only information about the type of plants you’re growing (you can consult the crop index to find out which are relevant to you)
• View calendar by week or month 
• Automatically adjusts to your time zone and the 12hr/24hr settings on your device

View activities on today’s date and past dates for free. Want to look ahead? Our annual app subscription (£5.99/year) helps you to plan your gardening in advance – by specific activities or Fruit, Root, Flower or Leaf times.

Why not try our 30-day free trial now? Download the app now on Google Play here or on the Apple App Store here.

Ready to dig a little deeper?

Why not join the Biodynamic Association’s Biodynamic Gardening Club? This is a vibrant, mutually supportive gardening club for everyone curious about the biodynamic approach and practices. Discover how to get closer to nature, enjoy more wellbeing, protect wildlife, and learn how to create your own havens of vitality and biodiversity – above and below ground.

Key benefits:

• Members-only Facebook page – the hub of the club – where members can share experience, tips, advice; get connected and be part of their growing community.
• Expert advice from hands on biodynamic gardeners 
• Dedicated members website area, and online resource library 
• Regular email updates, with news, features and much more 
• Interactive webinars with experts in their field 
• Member events

Let’s grow together…

Join our Biodynamics mailing list to keep up-to-date on all our latest resources! We’d love to see photos from your garden or allotment. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share what’s growing in your garden this year.