WWOOFing at Gabeno

THE GABENO GANG!

Gabeno, a 6.4 hectares biodynamic farm located in Tenjo an hour north of Bogota

Gabeno was a good start for my first wwoofing experience. I looked forward to the work which was a fairly strenuous 6:30 am to 4:30 pm 6 days a week. Estoy muy cansada! I also learned a lot of spanish here as no one spoke english.

Gabeno is a biodynamic farm, which means it treats the entire farm holistically in a closed loop cycle (as much as possible since the produce is exported some nutrients need to be imported). Biodynamics, which was created by Rudolf Steiner in the early 1920s, is also known for different uses of natural fertalizers and observing the cyles of the moon as an influence for harvest and planting of crops.

In addition to many vegetables, Gabeno has cows for milk, cheese and yogurt production, horses to eat the grass and produce more manure, a donkey for hauling stuff, rabbits and a few dogs and cats.


Cycle of the Moon
There are four phases of the moon each month that correspond to different astrological symbols and the four elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. When the position of the moon is in one of these signs the corresponding element tells them what to plant.
Air = Flower ( i.e. potatoes, plants that flower)
Water = Leafs (i.e. spinach, lettuce, cabbage)
Earth = Roots (i.e carrots etc)
Fire = Fruit (i.e. tomatoes)

The calandar

I believe you also rotate the crops based on these four catagories so the soil stays balanced.
The calandar gets really specific to the day when you should prune, compost, plant transplant and even cut your own hair since we are beings of the earth effected by the energies of the cosmos too. I don´t know if I believe all of this precisness is necssieairy but it is interesting nontheless and the holisitc approach is undeniably better.

Preparations for fertalizers
At Gabeno I observed 4 different methods of fertalizations regulary used.
1. Compost Ingredients
cow and horse manure
plant cuttings (grass, leaves, weeds etc)
cal dolomita and roca fosforica (powder of minerals of )
Molasis
reed or bamboo sticks (for air)

Directions
layer ingredients in a pile for 6-8 months and turn every so often for air

Use
This is the dirt for all the plants placed in the rows of plants before each new planting


2. Humus

Ingredients
cow and horse manure

Directions
Place in a trough for 4-6 month. Poke holes for air.
They had two experiments going on. One was manure out in the sun and the other was in the shade. The troughs are tilted and the liquid is collecetd underneth them for the 3rd kind of fertalizer

Use
The humus was placed around the plants every so often and also over rows or holes for seeds planted directly the ground.

3. Humus liquid or worm tea. ( lescebea or orena de lambrise)
The worm juice from under the humus troughs. This is watered down 5water/1 worm tea and used on the baby plants

4. Beol liquido

Natalie and Yolanda filtering the beol liquido

Ingredients
liquid manure
cut greens
ash from burned trees (ceniza)
packet of store bought nutrients magnesium phosphorus etc.
molases

Method
put in a bucket for a month and strain and mix with 80% water before use

Use
To water the ground before planting and once in while during the life of the plant.

About biodynamic preparations
Rudolf Steiner created 9 different preparations to enhance the humus and compost. 5 of these were made at Gabeno last year and include stuffing cow intestines and horns with medicinal herbs. Studies comparing this to other organic methods have found that preparations have influence on soil structure and micro-organisms enhancing soil fertility and increasing biodiversity.

I helped plant these trees called Sauco or Elder trees. They are nutricious for the cows. William observes the cycles of the moon to know when to cut a branch for propogation. During a certain moon cycle energy is in the roots and in another the energy is in the branches and that´s when he cuts them so they will grow well. He puts them in water for 15 days then plants them. Last year he planted 3,000 trees. The flower elderberry can be used to make jam too!

Planting carrots by hand. Most of the plants are started in nurseries because this way you get 4 times the harvest. Also, most seeds are bought. Only a few, like the potatoes, are local and therefore get enough sunlight to create viable seeds. Other vegetables that are imported do not get enough sunlight in this region of the hemisphere to create good seeds. Que interesante.

They have a system down for preparing each of the beds. 1. they cut weeds and rake into piles for the compost. 2.they add compost and a mix of Cal Dolomita and Roca Fosforica depending on what each plant took from the soil before. 3. They till the soil and comb it into neat piles. 4. they add some beol liquido 5. cover the soil in grass to keep weeds out. 6. make holes for seeds. 7. plant seeds or plantulas. 8. cover in humus 9. Let it grow, weed and fertalize until harvest.

Luis Carlos making holes for the seeds

There are only two mechanized tools on the farm. The grass cutter and a tiller. Everything else is done by hand. Here Jalisca the donkey helps Lucillo move manure to the compost pile

I climbed Mnt. Mahuy. Indiginous people here observed a man and a woman laying head to head in the profile of the mountains. Above you can see the chest of the man and the head of the woman. In the view from the top you can see all the way to Bogota!
at the top
Hat I made out of local wool for Angelica My room
Salsa Party!
with the english couple Natalie and Jack who came my last week I also took my first Tango lessons with the guys in town Que Chevery!