Natural Cycles : Timothy Hay

The little green sprouts are those of Timothy Hay. We planted the seeds in October and it started pushing it’s way through the frozen soil 3 weeks ago. Brave as can be!

We have rabbits and chickens here at the farm, and Timothy Hay provides them with food, enrichment, and soft bedding, so why not grow our own?  

Little did we realize the other benefits of this tiny green gem!

Following the principles of Biodynamics** we planted the seeds facing East/Southeast so it captures the very first rays of morning sun.  This creates “cosmic dew”, which may someday have it’s very own journal page due to it’s importance in Natural Rearing.  The animals know all of this, and so we find our cats every morning rolling in the dew covered sprouts, bathing and drinking.  It’s their morning ritual - cleansing, taking in pure dew water and nibbling their first meal to stimulate digestion.

Once the weather warms and the hay starts to grow we come outside first thing, trim the hay, go feed the animals, and wait till next morning - the more you trim it - the more it grows!! It rarely takes a break, so come early winter, when growth slows, we turn the soil over and the TImothy Hay becomes the best organic fertilizer for whatever we plant there the following year!

Finally, we use the rabbit and chicken manure as top dressing on our gardens, which started out almost a year prior as tiny little Timothy Grass seeds!

 **Biodynamics is a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition. Biodynamic agriculture has been practiced for nearly a century, on every continent on Earth. Biodynamic principles and practices are based on the spiritual insights and practical   suggestions of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, and have been developed through the collaboration of many farmers.