Barrel compost (Maria Thun) for biodiversity & farm organism
The contribution, measured
Time horizon: 1–3 seasons
How it contributes
It ties into on-farm preparation-making and the farm’s fertility cycle.
What to measure for this pairing
Why this goal matters
The “farm organism” concept is at the heart of biodynamics: the farm as a living, diverse and as-self-sufficient-as-possible whole, with animals, hedges, cover and its own sources of fertility.
It translates into functional biodiversity and ecological infrastructure — measurable in habitat area, cover diversity and beneficial presence — and into integrating animals and producing your own compost and preparations.
Goal indicators
Market & certification: Biodiversity and the farm organism are explicit requirements of Demeter certification.
How to apply the practice
- 1Make or obtain the barrel compost (CPP).
- 2Dynamise in water.
- 3Spray on the soil, useful in conversions.
- 4Log the applications.
Frequently asked
How is it different from 500?
500 is horn manure; barrel compost concentrates the compost preparations (502–507) into a sprayable form, used as a complement.
Is it useful in conversion?
Yes — it is widely used to speed up the establishment of soil life at the start of a biodynamic conversion.
Same practice, other goals
Same goal, other practices — Biodiversity
How GrapeFlow helps
The proof Demeter certification demands — logged by plot and date.
Preparations & application log
Every application of 500, 501 and the other preparations logged by plot, date and rate — the history the Demeter audit asks for.
Electronic field notebook
All operations — compost, cover, animals, dynamisation — logged by plot, ready for certification.
Biodynamic calendar
Root, leaf, flower and fruit days and the lunar phases in GrapeFlow, to plan preparation applications and work in step with the calendar.