TreeDimensions
Album photoNew wwoofing means new diet and new boss :). Dieter introduced us to biodynamics, vegetarianism and german organisation (Bavarian to be accurate).
Young shoot in May 68, Dieter uprooted from Bavaria in his twenties to "prick himself out" in Motueka hills after a worldwide trip. Meanwhile he turned a few hectares of bare paddocks into lush garden and orchard, cleverly arranged (putting demanding crops closer to the house,...).
His main production secret: biodynamics, which fuels inspiration from the cosmos, from the very small (microorganisms) to the very large (the Moon and the planets), maintain soil productivity without external fertilisers. Soil is the basis of biodynamics and "creating soil" needs compost, heaps of compost... And some kind of mystic preparations, stored in peat. Diversity is also really important, for instance there's about a hundred varieties of apples at Dieter's (sorry for Olivier's dad but "an apple a day keeps the doctor away).
A little tip from Dieter: If you need to pee, find a tree...
His edible landscape allows every woofer wherever he is in the property to find a source of vitamins within 10 metres. Our host sells his veggies and fruit surplus at the local market every Sunday as well as apple juice and dried fruits (home processed).
What do we do when we're not eating? Weeding is always an ongoing thing but no to be bored, Dieter offers us to harvest a hell of a lot of veggies and fruit : walnut, chestnut, hazelnut, sweet corn, potatoes, rock melon, watermelon, pumpkin, tomato, grapes, apple and pear,... We "cooked" two compost heaps. First you get the ingredients : wonderful cow manure, greeneries and wood ashes. We also boosted the worm farm and cut all the suckers.
