Vegetable garden plant vitality

Vegetable garden plant vitality is at the heart of all striving for a consistently productive and healthy food garden. Yet it is a concept that is not really discussed. I feel this is because it represents the synergy of many factors in the practice of growing vegetables.

What is plant vitality?

In essence, ideal vegetable garden plant vitality is manifested to our senses through plant form, aroma, touch and exquisite flavour. You will notice such plants look strong in the garden, grow true to type and will reach seeding at the ideal stage. Chemical analysis will reveal high brix levels (over 12) for sugar in the leaves.

The plant has a strong life force and can better withstand climate extremes and diseases. For gardeners, the high plant vitality will contribute greatly to keeping insects and animals away that consume crops before they go through their expected full growth cycle. This is because nature’s process is to consume what is weak and nurture what is strong. The insects and animals normally do not find the high vitality crops palatable due to the high sugar levels.

Ideal vegetable garden plant vitality crops also have higher nutrient density, better storage qualities, and more robust seeds.

Factors creating plant vitality

In my experience, synergy of the following key factors create high vegetable garden plant vitality;

1. Design of vegetable garden space – Sufficient sun over the year, good airflow, sufficient and good quality water, appropriate drainage, no tree roots, ease of access and biodiversity weaved into the space.

2. Soil management – Consistent focus on building soil carbon as the habitat for soil life to thrive. A multi-faceted approach of mineralisation through living processes, composting, green manure and potentising life processes with biologically active liquid manures. I find biodynamic soil preparations are an essential part of this mix. Adopting minimal tillage and covering of soil to reduce soil compaction. carbon and moisture loss.

3. Plant management – Choose the right crops for your climate and time of year, localise your seeds through seed saving and grow your own seedlings with these saved seeds, use the best quality seed raising mix, plant into your beds using compost, companion planting, using flowers for biodiversity, inter-planting to increase yield and create micro-climates, work with planetary rhythms, crop rotation and bring beauty into your planting with diversity of colour.

4. Potentising life processes – All of the above provide a platform for a healthy food growing area, however consciously potentising life processes is the quintessence or “icing on the cake” in achieving high vegetable garden plant vitality. These are my pathways:

• Incorporate biodynamic soil and plant preparations into soil and plant management
• Weave planetary rhythms from the biodynamic calendar into timing of garden activities
• Raise observation skills in the garden and being very mindful of striving for an ideal state of being whilst observing and working. Have an attitude of openness, love and gratitude whilst being as objective and pragmatic as possible. I work with Goethean observation methods which greatly deepens my capacity to connect with nature.
• What evolves from my ideal state of mind in the garden is a transfer of my energy to the plants. This is a pathway for me to create relationships with native animals who live around the garden to respect my boundaries without the need for any physical barriers.
• Bring beauty into the garden through design and colours, this lifts the soul and makes it easier to hold the ideal state of mind

In conclusion

I can appreciate that there is no magic bullet here, no single thing to do. Achieving high plant vitality is a combination of many factors, the same as achieving good health in our own bodies. Developing your rhythm of garden activities over the year whilst raising your consciousness are the keys to having high vegetable garden plant vitality.

Further information on plant vitality and its connection to biodynamic preparations can be found here in an article written jointly by myself and two French farmers. This article reports on the results of a series of workshops we ran  in February 2024 at the Goetheanum Biodynamic Agriculture conference. The report is titled “Enlivening plant vitality with biodynamic preparations“. It is published on the Agriculture Section of the Goetheanum web site.

The workshops and coaching I provide in organic and biodynamic gardening touch on every aspect raised above in being a consistently successful food grower. Contact me for more information. Face to face services provided in the Brisbane area and online for further afield.

Author – Peter Kearney – My Food Garden