For me as an organic farmer, healthy soil is the basis of all life and thus also the prerequisite for a satisfying harvest. I am constantly trying out new things, all with the aim of keeping the soil alive. My husband, my son, fellow farmers, and the South Tyrolean advisory service are valuable guides in my work. I am a farmer with heart and soul. I was already so when I followed the principles of integrated fruit growing, and now I am even more so. Everything revolves around carefully observing the nature around me and taking measures that support its magnificent unfolding. For example, I use compost from my own heap as fertilizer. Getting it going and keeping it active is an art in itself, one that challenges and fascinates me again and again. What seems simple can actually be complex – but it pays off. When the first test seeds germinate, the compost is ready, and I know I’ve done everything right.

All good things take time. Even a felled chestnut tree can become a luxurious insect hotel if you drill the holes at the right angle so the insects do not hurt themselves. And even the settlement of the insect hotel takes time. The dry stone walls around the meadow, as habitats for lizards, bumblebees, or various plants, cannot be built overnight. They take time. From the idea to realization and refinement, it often takes months or even years. Nature does not tolerate stress: either you respect its pace or it refuses to cooperate. When I use nettle slurry in the garden against aphids or horsetail I gathered myself to stimulate plant growth, the effect is not immediate – it comes only with time.

For me, organic farming means practicing patience and respecting the rhythm of nature, feeling its pulse with my hand rather than with a stopwatch. That way, all my plants grow at their best, and my crisp and juicy Royal Gala apples develop their wonderfully sweet and aromatic flavor, which I await each year with Vinschgau anticipation.