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The Stirring Rod

Field notes on biodynamic preparations, compost and the farm organism

SH 2 notes · Latest record

Soil and humus

Dark earth, structure, humus, the field and garden beds, and the compost that feeds them through the year.

SH-002SH-001

A weathered wooden compost heap in a kitchen garden, with a few dark lumps of slumgum and a handful of pale wax cappings resting on the top layer, a stainless steel bucket and a hive tool at the edge of the frame, soft morning light from the left, medium close shot at heap height.
Plate SH-002 A weathered wooden compost heap in a kitchen garden, with a few dark lumps of slumgum and a handful of pale wax cappings resting on the top layer, a stainless steel bucket and a hive tool at the edge of the frame, soft morning light from the left, medium close shot at heap height.

The tally of the slice

2The rack
  1. A weathered wooden compost heap in a kitchen garden, with a few dark lumps of slumgum and a handful of pale wax cappings resting on the top layer, a stainless steel bucket and a hive tool at the edge of the frame, soft morning light from the left, medium close shot at heap height.
    SH-002

    What a Biodynamic Compost Needs from a Garden Hive

    A biodynamic compost heap benefits from a garden hive through wax, propolis and pollen, but only when the beekeeper keeps the two systems clean and separate.

    Particulars
    Soil and humus · 1234 words · 1 source
    Caveat
    this record cites only fao.org

  2. A spade of dark silt loam resting on the grass beside a freshly dug soil pit in a New England hayfield, morning light from the left, roots visible in the exposed face, medium close framing.
    SH-001

    What a Soil Assessment Measures, and What It Misses

    A soil test reports chemistry, not structure. Here is what a field assessment actually measures, what it leaves out, and how often to resample the same ground.

    Particulars
    Soil and humus · 1310 words · 2 sources
    Caveat
    this record cites only nrcs.usda.gov, extension.psu.edu