The New Generation of Biodynamic Gardeners
Kaitlyn is 18 years old and is John Paul College’s environmental captain in Rotorua. She has a huge passion for growing nutrient rich food from seed and diverting waste from the landfill by making compost. She has recently become a member of Biodynamics New Zealand and shares with us her passion for gardening, sustainability and visions of what her future holds.
This is an excerpt from the Spring 2021 issue of Harvests, to have access to the full article, and many other perks become a member of Biodynamics New Zealand here https://biodynamic.org.nz/biodynamic-association/joining-the-association
What is it about biodynamics that interests you?
What interests me about Biodynamics is that the garden and every single part of that garden environment is looked at from a holistic viewpoint. This is very important, as nothing in nature is separate. They are all interconnected. Just like we are to Papatuanuku. Which is why I love how growers use ‘waste’ and plants from their land/garden to improve the health of their soil and therefore the health of the food they produce and the health of the ecosystem. I find this truly amazing because nowadays lots of growers depend on external inputs in order to grow food, which isn’t sustainable. I believe if we can return to biodynamic methods, then we will be able to even further slow down the greenhouse effect and find an even stronger connection to our environment.
Do you intend to (if you haven’t already) use biodynamic methods in your own practice?
I definitely intend to further use biodynamic methods in my own practice. I still have a lot to learn about biodynamics and the philosophy behind it, as I still feel a little bit lost in what it all means and how to incorporate it into a backyard garden. However, I do use some biodynamic methods in my garden, for example I plant and compost according to the Maramataka to the best of my ability that I can. I also do companion planting, use our chicken poo in making compost and I observe the plants and the land in order to figure out what they need. The best way I do this is every morning as soon as I have woken up I go to the garden and check how it is going. For example if I notice if the leaves are yellow then I know they need feeding. From time to time I also check on the garden once it is dark, as the garden looks completely different at night, so you can notice different things. However at night, the mara is more magical!
