ST. JOHN'S WORT - LIVE WITH IT!
Colorful gift envelope with 200 St.
John's Wort seeds and 4-page instruction
leaflet to grow and
use the plant Europeans have called for a thousand years
"Grace of
God." Live with these plants, relate to them, meditate with them, make
remedies from the flowers for their powerful, proven healing effects. Save the
seeds.
Instructions, guidance and inspiration included. This makes a
wonderful gift, so we're
offering 3 units for $12 +
$3 s&h.
Aurora Farm Seeds 2002 catalog included.
Regards,
Woody and
Barbara
Aurora Farm is the only
non-subsidized, independent seed farm in North
America using Rudolf Steiner's
agricultural methods.
http://www.kootenay.com/~aurora
-----Original
Message-----
From: Aurora Farm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Monday,
December 17, 2001 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: Soil building with plant matter
compost
>Dear Frank, Allan, and all:
>
>Thank you for
the masterful treatment so far of plant based vs.
animal
based
>compost...interesting, non-ego-driven, well thought out
ramarks, referenced
>and based on experience. This kind of
information exchange is what the
>BDNOW! List was meant for.
>You've
encouraged me to add my two shovelsful...
>
>I've pretty much done
it all, that is, gardened with most kinds of compost
>materials and
procedures, from piled horse manure, to tumbler-turned
chicken
>and
kitchen waste, to biodynamisized cow manure piles, to old goat and
pig,
>to strictly vegan...many materials, many methods. I've done it
north of
the
>49th parallel and in the high desert in Arizona. My
conclusion is: Cow
>manure including urine soaked generous bedding, piled
and aged outdoors
with
>the Steinerian preparations applied...this is
the one, the only way to do
it
>if you can. This is the
gold standard of compost and any other kind you
>make should be measured
against it.
>
>But there are many more benefits than the compost, to
having cows on the
>place. Barbara and I are are just now finishing
two articles on the cow
>presence at Aurora Farm, now that Bessie is gone,
her place taken by her
>last calf,
Venus.
>
>Regards,
>
>Woody and Barbara, Aurora
Farm
>http://www.kootenay.com/~aurora
>-----Original
Message-----
>From: Frank Teuton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date:
Sunday, December 16, 2001 11:50 AM
>Subject: Soil building with plant
matter
compost
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>I guess my major point here is that a poor soil on impoverished
land
can
>>be
>>> >replenished by plant matter alone,
or with plant matter and rock dusts.
>>>
>>> Dear Frank
- Is the above statement in theory or in practice?
>>
>>Well,
let me take a whack at that. My experience has shown me that
good
>>composts can be made with leaves, hedge trimmings, grass
clippings, wood
>>chips from branches, and similar vegetative wastes
ubiquitous to the
>>suburban landscape. I have seen good looking soils,
rich in organic
matter,
>>high in earthworm counts, capable of
growing good vegetables and fruits,
in
>>suburban soils whose only
grazing was done by 'iron sheep' of the LawnBoy,
>>John Deere or
similar breeds. And this, after the land was initially
>>stripped of
its topsoil by developers....
>>
>>My grandfather taught me
that a good source of topsoil for the garden
could
>>be had in the
nearby woods. This was from right under the leafy duff
layer,
>>a
plant based material, eh?
>>
>>Now, it must be said again that
no soil anywhere is free of animal
manures,
>>them birds flying
overhead ensure that, and there are the squirrels in
>>suburbia, as
well as dogs, cats, skunks, raccoons, etc...
>>
>>Some of my
composts have had worm populations of 2-3 pounds per
cubic
foot,
>>and following Doc Ingham's take on this, we can
construe worm activity
>>through compost as similar in many respects to
a cow's stomach:
>>
>>"Thus an earthworm is probably much like
a small version of a cow, horse,
>>deer, or any animal with a rumen. We
should treat worms with as much care
>as
>>we do these larger
herbivores. Cows eat grass, but it is not the cow that
>>digests the
organic matter, it's the bacteria and fungi in the cow's
>>stomachs
that do the work, the cow consumes the bacterial and fungal
waste
>>products made during that fermentation. Worms ingest sand,
silt, clay,
dead
>>plant material, bacteria, fungi, protozoa,
nematodes, the odd insect
larva,
>>microarthropod, and so forth.
Inside the gut of the worm, conditions are
>>perfect (good moisture,
and, we believe, well-aerated) for the bacteria
and
>>fungi to speed
up their growth processes and decompose more of the organic
>>matter.
The worm mixes all these things in their gut, increasing
bacterial
>>growth considerably. The worm takes it's "tax" by
enzymatically digesting
>>some of the organisms that grew while they
were in the worm's gut, and
>poops
>>out the rest of the
material, with greatly altered sets of organic matter,
>>bacteria,
fungi, protozoa and
nematodes."
>>
>>http://www.soilfoodweb.com/systems/compost/compost5.html
>>
>>You
could argue that it isn't 'plant matter compost' once an earthworm
has
>>eaten it, and I concede the point. The real issue is, what is the
impact
of
>>having a predominantly earthworm digested compost that
has never passed
>>through a cow's stomach, versus a compost made up
mostly of cow digested
>>material? The insights of others may be needed
here...
>>
>>Dr Abigail Maynard has been running some leaf
compost experiments at
>>Connecticut Extension for some time, she has a
12 year study of leaf
>compost
>>additions to vegetable plots (
one inch per year being a standard rate).
>>According to her, one inch
of leaf compost is adequate to meet the
>>fertilizer needs of most
vegetables.
>>
>>http://www.caes.state.ct.us/Bulletins/2000/b966.pdf
>>
>>
>>That
is an amount equivalent to 50 tons to the acre, eh? Now, Abby
admits
>>that manure based composts are richer in N, and can be applied
in smaller
>>amounts for equivalent results. But, you can also
supplement leaf compost
>>with plant based N sources, eg, alfalfa meal,
organic cottonseed meal, soy
>>meal, etc....plus cover crops and green
manures, compost teas etc. Her
>>extension research shtick means she
uses alot of the evil 10-10-10, but
>>nonetheless found an inch of
rotted leafies were just about as good....and
>>left the soil a whole
lot better off!
>>
>>The Nearings made veganic compost, and
avoided dying for many decades, but
>>they had no kids,
eh?
>>
>>A Google Search for veganic compost found these hits,
among
others:
>>
>>http://www.navs-online.org/voice/newart.html
>>
>>http://www.organicpathways.co.nz/story.cfm?StoryID=190
>>
>>http://www.ibiblio.org/london/permaculture/mailarchives/discussion-threads
/
>s
>>oil-quality/0027.html
>>
>>Eliot
Coleman has done work on this, and cites to the O'Brien work
before
>>him in his extensive bibliography. Of course, how can you
believe in a guy
>>who steals eggs from hardworking slug eating ducks,
eh?
>>
>>;->
>>
>>As far as John Jeavons
goes, 'he timetable long, and he dogma be strong'.
>>John is one of
your 'magicked by Chadwick' crowd. I think at Willits he is
>>trying
for the 'full bootstrap' approach, with little or no
outside
inputs,
>>plus all that double digging and U-barring.
Strenuous, but not ingenious,
>>methinks. Not without applicability,
though.
>>
>>Caveats to importing manure or leaves or what
have you include:
>>
>>possible presence of pesticides and
pathogens in manures, eg, vermicides,
>>pass through larvicides, weed
seed
>>
>>possible presence of pesticides and trash in leaves
and grass clippings,
>eg,
>>chlordane,
clopyralid
>>
>>http://www.jgpress.com/BCArticles/2001/070132.html
>>
>>http://www.execpc.com/~mjstouff/articles/horsefly.html
>>
>>"THE
TRUTH ABOUT MANURE
>>My organic certifier says not to use horse manure
from race barns or show
>>barns where a lot of wormers are used. The
chemicals in the pass thru
>>wormers, like oral past wormers are noted
for killing most of the micro
>herd
>>in the compost piles and
really slowing down the process. It makes sense
as
>>wormers are
targeted to many of the critters that break down compost.
>>To be safe
ask the barn you will be getting the manure from exactly what
>>they
use on their horses. Almost all horses in the US are wormed every
4
to
>>8 weeks with ivermectin for strongids and other parasites.
This wormer
will
>>be in their manure. While this is a naturally
occurring substance it can
>>kill a compost pile. Now I did use manure
with lots of ivermectin in it
and
>>it composted but it did take
several months longer to get it finished than
>>the ivermectin free
poop we now use. "
>>Lucy Goodman-Owsley, Boulder Belt
Organics
>>http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/boulderbeltcsa
>>
>>http://www.foodshare.net/grow-tcgn-feb26.htm
>>
>>"I've
never seen a successful application of soil building
with
plant-only
>>composts", is a statement that invites further
inquiry. What criteria do
>you
>>use to judge successful soil
building? Are you using 'the Force', and are
>>you Yoda, the
young Luke Skywalker, er wot?
>>
>>Does Will Bonsall's
20 years at Khadighar Farm count? Helen and
Scott's
>long
>>tenures at their farms? Coleman's 15 years of
trials? Dr Maynard's 12
years
>>of
trials?
>>
>>Or, have ye not visited the right places yet?
Mebbe you need to follow
>>Samuel Clemens' advice and travel more,
eh?
>>
>>Finally, it isn't necessarily an either/or
proposition, and animal based
>>preparations like 500, and small
amounts of imported manures, can supply,
>at
>>least somewhat,
that missing 'je ne sais quoi' where an actual ruminant
>>animal
presence is not desirable. This is what I have understood from
my
>own
>>theory collection and practical inquiries, as well as
my own experience.
>>
>>I recall that Jean-Paul Courtens, at
Roxbury Farm, uses a combination of
on
>>farm manure and off farm
leaves to generate the organic matter he needs.
>>There, he uses the
compost preparations in conjunction with a
nearby
>compost
>>operator. This sort of flexible approach seems
much more sensible to me
>than
>>determined adherence to the
'closed farm organism' paradigm, or the 'pile
>of
>>mammal manure
only' concept.
>>
>>Stepping down off my high pile of horse
manure,
>>
>>
>>Frank
Teuton
>>
>>
>>
>> I
>>>
understand it in non-biodynamic theory, but I've never seen a
>>>
successful application of soil building with plant-only composts.
As
>>> a point of fact, although John Jeavons advocates the use
of
>>> plant-only compost, he timetable for building topsoil is
unacceptably
>>> long and everyone I know who has visited his place
in Willits has
>>> reported that the soils are unimpressive and that
given the time and
>>> manpower he has ha access to, there should be
more to show.
>>>
>>> I will say that Steve Moore of
York PA does wonders in his 4-season
>>> greenhouse with plant-based
composts (he uses plant-based compost
>>> because he feels that
manure -based composts promote fungal problems
>>> in the greenhouse
(ELAINE!!!) In his outdoor garden beds, however,
>>> Steve Moore
uses LOTS of HORSEMANURE-based compost.
>>>
>>>
Hopefully someone else will find the time to explain why we need
the
>>> animal forces in our
compost.
>>>
>>> For now I prefer to take the Missouri
approach. (And I'm thinking
>>> manure from big, warm-blooded
animals.)
>>>
>>> (Your
turn.)
>>>
>>>
-Allan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
> The
>>> >smaller animals will do an adequate job of
manuring it. I say that not
>to
>>> >say that there is
anything wrong with bring grazing animals into the
>>> >picture;
this is likely desirable where it is possible. But,
where
these
>>> >animals are not available or even forbidden,
other good options exist
>>which
>>> >can bring good
results.
>>> >
>>> >Frank
Teuton
>>>
>>
>
