Biodynamic Gardening is a vital Element of Living …

… as the bee above shows us by enjoying a Biodynamic Blueberry flower in our Gladysdale garden.

Sustainable Gardening means that your garden is beneficial for the Environment, for People and for the Economy (personal and greater economy), it is ‘enduring’ with ‘ongoing’ benefits for all involved.

Biodynamic gardening goes a step further. The Biodynamic approach seeks to enhance and enrich the soil, landscape, atmosphere, wildlife and human and spiritual beings that are in relationship with the land. The Biodynamic approach seeks an understanding of both earthly and cosmic forces and works with these to create beneficial properties for the farm or garden. Of course it also aims to produce food of high nutritional value that enlivens human thinking and capacity.

Biodynamics was brought by Dr Rudolf Steiner in 1924 when a group of farmers asked him if he could provide indications from Anthroposophy to restore their farm soils. The result was a Biodynamic conference of 8 Agricultural lectures from which was born Biodynamic Agricultural, scientific working groups and inspired and enlivened farmers and farms.

Biodynamic Workshops

We are all passionate and committed to bringing the Biodynamic agricultural method to as many people as possible alongside the Anthroposophical approach from which Biodynamics was conceived. The Biodynamic approach to gardening and food production is applicable to both home gardeners and farmers - small to large scale. Our experience is with home gardening and small scale farming and we shall share within this context.

Each workshop will contain Biodynamic content - theory and practical, gardening skills and perception/awareness exercises.

Our Teaching Team

Ronan O’Connor - Ronan trained in England as a horticulturist and established a Biodynamic tree nursery as part of an anthroposophical land community in Ireland. On migration to Australia he co-founded a company specialising in tree production, farm planting, land/garden design and implementation. He has worked as an adult educator in the areas of Steiner teacher training, Addiction/Mental health, Participatory Leadership, Horticulture and Biodynamics.

Sandy Baker - Sandy came to Anthroposophy 23 years ago. She has completed the 2 year full time Steiner Teacher training and 3 years after that her interest for Biodynamics began whereupon she participated in a 1 year Biodynamic training course. Since then she has been caring for the land she lives on biodynamically, growing vegetables and caring for fruit trees. The last few years she has been growing on a larger scale with a passion for creating a connection with the growing produce and the community.

Kelly Papas - Kelly met with Anthroposophy 30 years ago and completed a four-year Diploma of Eurythmy as well as the Advanced Diploma in Steiner Education and a Bachelor of Education. She has taught Eurythmy in Steiner Schools for over 20 years and currently teaches from prep to year 12 across two Steiner Schools in Melbourne. Kelly also teaches Eurythmy at the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Seminar.

Lisa Pearson/Ni Conchuir - Lisa has been growing biodynamic vegetables at home and has a particular passion for blueberry plants. She has worked in clinical practice with Traditional East Asian Medicine for over 10 years and provided adult education in Lifestyle medicine. She has trained in Sustainable Living, Horticulture and Biodynamics. Lisa is passionate about bringing awareness of the Spirit in Nature to the Biodynamic workshops alongside her skills in Biodynamics and Berry growing.

The Farms -

The Gladysdale Farm

Ronan and Lisa’s farm is high up in the back of Gladysdale surrounded by forest. We are blessed to have a resident wombat, wallabies, lyrebirds, snakes (which we like), lizards and astounding, abundant birdlife. The land has a mixture of soil types and relatively high rainfall as we sit around 300m above sea level surrounded by wet schlerophyll forest. Our home is off grid and our homes and gardens are provided for by rainfall and spring water.

We began caring for this land and environment in December 2023 when four people co-purchased the 10 acre block. Our farm does not yet have a name but it’s coming along. The existing garden and paddocks had been uncared for for a number of years and our first task was removing wild blackberrys, noxious and agricultural weeds by hand and hoe, preparing and deer proofing the garden. Our first plantings began within a couple of weeks and with this the first spraying of the Biodynamic 500 soil activating preparation.

The farm is still very much in development as we enliven soils, pull down and rebuild fences, renovate the dwellings and continue blackberry removal.

Biodynamic production (uncertified) for sale began summer 2025 with heirloom zucchinis, cucumbers and tomatoes being sold at Wild Things (Brunswick) and local markets. Lisa has been selling Moondarra blueberry plants for a number of years and now has blueberry cuttings in nursery beds and is preparing to plant a small blueberry orchard for production this winter 2025.

The Wesburn farm

Sandy and her family live on a 38 acre block, with mostly open paddocks a few dams, kangaroos, wombats and some forest. They have been there for 5 years. Alongside the vegetables and fruit trees Sandy has planted roses, dahlias and lavender and her flower bunches and vegetables are much loved at market stalls. Her family have been building mountain bike trails, upgrading and insulating their home and are looking forward to spending more time caring for the land.