Goodbye plant protection, goodbye fertilizer: Now comes tea for plants

Hey Daniela, I'm glad you're taking the time for an interview with us. Please tell us briefly what your garden teas can be used for.

Good morning! I'm delighted to be able to tell you a little bit about our tea for plants. Tea for plants is a blend of organic earthworm compost, natural microorganisms, organic herbs, rock flour, and nutrients packed in tea bags. These bags are left to steep in water overnight. In the watering can, nutrients and strengthening substances dissolve in the water, and something very special happens: The microorganisms "dormant" in the dry tea bag awaken in the water and multiply explosively.

The next day, the extract is used to water and spray the plants. Used regularly, this compost tea provides all plants in the house and garden, on balconies and patios, with healthy, wholesome nutrients. The billions of microorganisms colonize the plant roots, activate nutrient uptake, create optimal growth conditions, and increase resistance. Thus, with tea for plants, we give the soil and the plants everything they need—a balanced meal and a host of underground companions—for a long, healthy life.

Oh yes, regular watering with tea is especially important for plants growing in pots, troughs, raised beds, etc., as the soil there usually becomes drastically impoverished over time. These plants, too, deserve vibrant, nutritious soil beneath their feet.

Okay, wow, that sounds really good. How exactly did you come up with the idea, and how long did it take to develop the product?

Well, we've known for a long time that compost tea is the best thing there is for plants; we're absolutely convinced of it. You don't need any special fertilizers or complicated, often even toxic pesticides to keep your garden healthy, fit, and beautiful all year round. Unfortunately, however, the knowledge of how to make and use compost tea has been increasingly forgotten, and those home gardeners who still remember how to do it usually find it too complicated, or they don't have mature compost available.

Then one day we came up with the idea that we could mix organic earthworm compost with other high-quality ingredients and offer them for sale in dried, ready-to-use, and indefinitely shelf-stable tea bags – for the sake of the soil, the plants, the people, and the environment.

The development of the first product took about half a year, and has now resulted in a product line consisting of 6 different varieties for different plant groups: organic green casting, organic rose casting, organic blossom casting, organic orchid casting, organic root casting and organic universal casting.

The GARTENleben team

We sell plant tea directly at GARTENleben, through our own online shop , and also through other garden shops, Amazon , bellaflora, Hornbach, Sonnentor, and many other well-stocked nurseries and health food stores. The detailed list can be found on our website .

I saw that you also run a garden phone service and garden comedy. What exactly is that about?

GARTENleben manages the gardening hotline for the "Nature in the Garden" campaign on behalf of the state of Lower Austria. We are therefore the first point of contact for all gardening questions. Callers receive comprehensive ecological advice from us – far beyond simply treating the symptoms of diseases and pests, we provide information on a wide range of gardening topics (planting, cultivation, care, preventative plant protection, pruning, overwintering, harvesting, etc.). Various brochures and publications from the "Nature in the Garden" campaign can also be ordered via the "Nature in the Garden" hotline, and you can register with us for subsidized on-site gardening consultations and the awarding of a plaque as an award for your own garden.

The garden comedy with Agathe Notnagl, an artist from the Waldviertel, explains the use and effectiveness of tea for plants in a humorous short film. We hope to make the use of tea for plants easy to understand for users and simultaneously support a regional artist.

How did Gartenleben GmbH originally come about? Were teas your first product, and the rest came later?

Here's how it went: Our boss, Ms. Koppensteiner, is the inventor and co-founder of the Lower Austria-wide "Nature in the Garden" campaign. To this day, she is successfully pursuing her vision of establishing organic gardening throughout Europe. In 2010, Ms. Koppensteiner founded her own company, GARTENleben, and since then, she and her team have been applying their combined innovative strength to garden consulting services and sustainable product creations. Initially, it was just consulting, then organic gardening products were added.

A great development! We run a small business ourselves and are therefore always interested in entrepreneurial experiences. What are your top three tips for aspiring entrepreneurs (and us)?

• We firmly believe that open and honest communication, both internally and externally, is crucial, and we've been truly successful in doing so. At GARTENleben, it's not for nothing that each and every employee, with their individual strengths and talents, is valued as a vital part of the company.
• We also think it is important to be sociable and present as much as possible, to continually establish contacts and maintain them.
• Our creativity, combined with the courage to think and be different, and our constant openness to new ideas, often benefits us. It's not for nothing that we proudly say of ourselves: "We're crazy!"

Well, you've definitely made a new contact. One last question: What do you still want to achieve with Gartenleben? What is your long-term dream?

A change in people's thinking. That we all prefer organic and regional products for the sake of our environment and children. That all gardens completely avoid artificial fertilizers, toxic chemical pesticides, and peat, and that gardeners rely exclusively on organic alternatives! Our natural gardening knowledge and our organic gardening products should reach a wide audience and reach as many people as possible!

We're keeping our fingers crossed for you and wish you continued fun and success with GARDENLIFE. Thank you so much for your time!