The Biodynamic Calendar at gardenbuddy.au/biodynamic-calendar/ is a plain-English reference guide to biodynamic growing: the three core principles, the nine numbered preparations, and the root, leaf, flower and fruit day system. It is not the same page as the Moon Calendar, and the two do different jobs. Here is what it covers and how to use it.
A minute and a half on what the Biodynamic Calendar covers.
What the Biodynamic Calendar actually shows
The page opens with three principles: living soil, cosmic rhythms and a closed farm system, each with a short explanation of what it means in practice. Below that sits the Biodynamic Preparations section, nine numbered cards running 500 to 508, covering horn manure, horn silica, and seven compost preparations made from yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion, valerian and horsetail. Each card names what the preparation is made from and how it is used, sprayed on soil, sprayed on leaves, or added to a compost pile.
Under that is the Biodynamic Rhythms section, four tabs for Root, Leaf, Flower and Fruit days. Each tab lists which zodiac elements govern that day type, the best activities for it, the favourable crops, and a searchable planting table with specific timing tips for individual vegetables. Further down, a composting section sets out the three steps for a biodynamic compost pile, and a planetary influences grid runs through what each of the six visible planets is said to govern in the garden.
How this is different to the Moon Calendar
We checked this carefully because the two pages sound alike. The Moon Calendar is a live tool. It calculates today’s actual moon phase, illumination and zodiac sign from GardenBuddy.au’s own astronomical data, and pages forward through a real day by day grid for any month you pick. The Biodynamic Calendar does not do that. It has no live date calculation and no fetch to any data source, its root, leaf, flower and fruit tabs are static reference tables you read through rather than a lookup tied to today’s date.
What the two pages share is the same underlying idea, that a day can be classed as favouring root, leaf, flower or fruit crops depending on lunar and zodiac timing. The Moon Calendar applies that idea live, to today and every day on the grid. The Biodynamic Calendar explains where the idea comes from, the Rudolf Steiner method behind it, the numbered preparations, and the composting practice that goes with it, none of which the Moon Calendar covers. Use the Moon Calendar to check what today favours. Use the Biodynamic Calendar to understand why, and to learn the preparations and composting method that sit underneath the whole system.
Why bother with biodynamic growing at all
Biodynamics is not proven agricultural science and we are not going to pretend it is. What it does offer is a complete, self-contained system, timing, soil building and composting all tied together, that a lot of home and market gardeners have followed for decades and swear by for soil health and produce that keeps well. The preparations themselves are simple to make or buy ready-made, and the composting method works whether or not you follow the timing side of it. If you are curious, this page is the place to start before you spend money on a horn or a packet of preparation 500.
How to use it
- New to biodynamics: read the three principles first, then the preparations section, so the numbered preparations make sense before you meet them again in the rhythms and composting sections.
- Building a compost pile: jump straight to the Biodynamic Composting section for the three-step method and which preparations go in which hole.
- Choosing what to plant on a given day: use the four Root, Leaf, Flower and Fruit tabs, then search the planting table under the relevant tab for your specific crop.
- Checking today’s actual moon phase: this page will not tell you that. Head to the Moon Calendar instead, then come back here for the reasoning and the preparations.
The nine preparations at a glance
- 500, Horn Manure: cow manure fermented in a horn, sprayed on soil before planting to support root growth and humus formation.
- 501, Horn Silica: crushed quartz fermented in a horn, sprayed on leaves in early morning to support light metabolism and ripening.
- 502, Yarrow: yarrow flowers, added to compost to help plants take up trace elements.
- 503, Chamomile: chamomile flowers, added to compost to stabilise nitrogen and calcium.
- 504, Stinging Nettle: nettle buried in soil, added to compost to enliven the pile and support iron processes.
- 505, Oak Bark: oak bark, added to compost for calcium and disease resistance.
- 506, Dandelion: dandelion flowers, added to compost to sensitise plants to cosmic influences and support silica.
- 507, Valerian: valerian flower juice, sprayed on compost to stimulate phosphorus activity and warmth.
- 508, Horsetail: equisetum tea, sprayed on plants as a fungal disease preventative in humid weather.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as the Moon Calendar? No. They are two separate pages covering two different things. The Moon Calendar live-calculates today’s actual moon phase and zodiac sign and pages through a real calendar grid. The Biodynamic Calendar is a static reference guide to the Steiner method, the numbered preparations and the root, leaf, flower and fruit day system, and does not calculate today’s date for you.
Do I need an account to read it? No. The whole page, preparations, rhythms tabs, composting steps and planetary influences, is open to everyone, no GardenBuddy.au account required.
Do I need to buy the preparations to get any benefit? No. The composting method and the general timing ideas stand on their own. The numbered preparations are an additional layer some gardeners add once they are comfortable with the basics.
Does the page account for my climate zone? No, the principles and preparations are the same nationally. What you should actually plant on a given day still depends on your climate, so pair this with the Grow Zone Map before you commit seed.
Related features
The Biodynamic Calendar works best alongside a couple of GardenBuddy.au’s other guides.
- Moon Calendar: the live tool for checking today’s actual moon phase, zodiac sign and which crop type it favours.
- Grow Zone Map: find your climate zone so a “good root day” points you at the right root crop for your area.
- Companion Planting Guide: once you know a day favours root, leaf, flower or fruit crops, this tells you what grows well next to them.
- Farmers Almanac: the month by month, zone based version of general planting timing, for a longer view than one lunar cycle.
Try it now
Head to the Biodynamic Calendar to read the principles, the nine preparations and the root, leaf, flower and fruit day tables. When you want today’s actual moon phase and a live day by day grid, that is the Moon Calendar‘s job, not this page’s.
