Gardening for Health & Nutrition: An Introduction to the Method of Biodynamic Gardening

A simple, down-to-earth introduction to the method of biodynamic gardening especially written for the backyard gardener. This classic introduction to biodynamic gardening introduces the gardener to an obvious, often forgotten principle: gardening is about living things, life forces, and life as such.

In his introduction, John Philbrick talks of how each morning he was in the habit of meditating and communing in his garden at sunrise, until he gradually realized that the important things at work were “the forces of life”―“life is the key to existence on this planet.”

He also realized that most gardeners were more concerned with death, with getting rid of things―bugs, weeds, fungi―than with life. Biodynamics is based on the interrelatedness, or the dynamics, of life forces. As Philbrick says: “When you become aware of biodynamics, you become aware that everything that is alive is dependent upon everything else that's alive, and it's all a marvelous network of living things which are constantly changing.”

This book provides a simple and practical guide for the beginning gardener. It deals with planning a vegetable garden: how, when, and where to plant seeds and tools and compost making raised beds crop rotation, mulching, and companion plants harvesting, cooking, and preserving There are also sections on flowers, lawns, and home orchards.

Gardening for Health & Nutrition concludes with a useful chapter on the most frequently asked questions. If you are planning a garden or need a few tips for the one you have, this is the book for you.

Helen Philbrick (1910-2011) worked with Richard Gregg and Evelyn Speiden Gregg to experiment with companion planting in the Gregg's own garden. She wrote extensively on the subject.