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July 22, 2014

Liebig’s Barrel – With a Modern Twist

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The Law of the Limiting Factor

In this unit, I’m going to share a forgotten natural law that food gardeners all over the world are using to grow bigger and better backyard crops.

When you apply the gist of this law to your food garden you’ll be able to harvest loads of crispy fresh vegetables… armfuls of aromatic herbs… and baskets of sweet fruits… all from your own backyard, patio or balcony.

Are you ready?…

I’m going to spare you the history here, but I’ve included two links at the end of the lesson. So if history interests you just follow those links.

Liebig's Barrel. Source: Wikipedia
Liebig’s Barrel. Source: Wikipedia

What’s important here is that Liebig’s Law of the Minimum often referred to as Liebig’s Barrel, holds the secret to having a bountiful harvest of any crop you can think of.

This law states that the growth of your plants is not controlled by the total amount of nutrients available but by the scarcest nutrient – the limiting factor.

It’s worth reading that again… the growth of your plants is not controlled by the total amount of nutrients available but by the scarcest nutrient – the limiting factor.

Does that make sense to you?

Now here’s the twist…

The fertility of your soil, in other words, the amount of nutrients in your soil is just 1 of 15 factors that can limit the growth of your plants; and ultimately the size and quality of your harvest.

What’s more, if we rank these fifteen factors in order of importance soil fertility only ranks at number 10 out of 15. There are nine other factors that have a bigger impact on the health of your crops. To be successful you must first remove these limiting factors.

We can group these limiting factors into five groups. Let’s quickly review them in order of importance.

Secret to Success Mindmap
Growing bigger and better backyard crops is not rocket science. Simply remove the limiting factors one by one.

Note: Registered participants can download a detailed mind map below.

First up there’s you … the gardener

And you bring three of the most important limiting factors to your food garden.

The most important as a limiting factor is your gardening system. A system is a proven set of gardening activities that Saves You Stress Time Energy and Money. It’s something that continually evolves with your knowledge and experience. And it is absolutely critical to your success as a food gardener.

Then comes your skills, knowledge and experience; and then your resources such as gardening space, time, energy and money.

The next category is the seeds and plants you plant in your food garden. How they match your skills and gardening system; and their origin. In some conditions, heirloom seeds may be best. In others, hybrids will do better.

Next is your climate which determines the length of your growing seasons. The critical limiting factors are your average minimum and maximum temperatures, the amount of sunlight, your average rainfall and the prevailing winds. Most of these can be adapted to some extent with growing structures.

The fourth is your soil. The first limiting factor in this group is soil fertility. This is the quality and quantity of nutrients available to the soil life and to your plants. And it is worth noting that the quality of the nutrients is more important than the quantity.

Then comes soil biodiversity… in other words how alive your soil is. And then we have soil structure. Whether it is clay, loam, or sandy soil.

The last group of limiting factors is natural competition. It includes pest, disease, and weeds in that order. This group is where most food gardeners struggle and where they usually focus a lot of energy and resources. But this is the wrong end to start.

The fact is if you remove, or limit, the preceding four groups of twelve limiting factors pests, diseases and weeds won’t even bother you.

Let’s recap Liebig’s Barrel or the centuries-old natural law that can help you grow bigger and better herbs, veggies and fruits if you apply it with a modern twist.

The growth of your plants is not controlled by the total amount of nutrients available but by the scarcest nutrient – the limiting factor.

To be successful you must remove the limiting factors. And the most important limiting factors are the growing system you are using, and your skill in using the system.

The great news is that implementing a food gardening system is not rocket science. And in this course, you’ll get the framework of a proven food gardening system that any food gardener, irrespective of their skill level, can use to remove all the limiting factors one by one.

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  1. Jessica Keefer says

    January 19, 2023 at 7:25 pm

    I am very curious to try these methods.

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  2. Patricia Du Plooy says

    January 10, 2023 at 8:46 am

    Makes sense.

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  3. Mar-Zanne Roos says

    December 16, 2022 at 2:55 pm

    Thank you, this is very useful.

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  4. Michele Wilkerson says

    November 25, 2022 at 7:06 am

    An actual.system would be fantastic

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  5. irene naberman says

    October 20, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    I realize how little I know, I cant wait to try this in my veggie garden.

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  6. Stephanie Malan says

    October 2, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    The SYSTEM acronym is applicable to so many areas. And I do agree that my growing system and skill level may be very limiting to my plants.

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  7. Alicia Fisser says

    July 20, 2022 at 6:48 am

    Can’t wait to start gardening and growing herbs

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  8. Colin Jardine says

    February 20, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    Quite interesting. I now realize that I am a complete novice gardener and that there is so much scope for improvement.

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  9. Stacey moss says

    January 21, 2022 at 12:04 am

    My current limiting factor is learning the ins and outs of a new gardening zone after 20yrs in a much different zone. I’m sure it’s going to take a few seasons to be comfortable with it, and then maybe a few more to be as successful as I was in my previous zone.

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  10. Lynette Barkhuizen says

    November 13, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    It surely looks as if I’ve been gardening the wrong way around… Three huray’s for Liebig’s Barrel.

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  11. Vici Kiehm says

    October 12, 2021 at 9:52 pm

    For pots I mix my own soil, I have a sement mixer for this. For the garden, I do what is called trenching and mix in all my nutrients then put the soil back. Time and a strong back if you do the work yourself is what you need. Time, I would say is the most limiting factor to a successful system. Time is split in to many things, like getting your nutrients, preparing the bed, tilling, aerating and mixing in nutrients, allowing the soil to settle, seed germination, transplanting (especially in SA with the hot sun the seedlings need hats), mulching etc. Time is the most limiting factor to a successful garden.

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  12. Nancy Hillary says

    September 26, 2021 at 7:57 am

    Last season I got attacked by every pest under the sun. Snails. Slugs. White cabbage flies. Caterpillars. Rats. Mice. Possums. Cockatoos.I’m looking forward to learning how to win this war.

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  13. risingsoulswithmanisha says

    September 19, 2021 at 10:21 pm

    Interesting and useful.

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  14. Margie Osterbauer says

    September 13, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    I definitely need this particular class!!

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  15. Odette Ninow-Cullen says

    September 6, 2021 at 11:44 am

    I need a good system in my garden. I’m looking forward to learning more.

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  16. Jessica Austin says

    August 27, 2021 at 5:40 am

    This is really interesting. I can’t wait to learn more

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  17. Elsa du Preez says

    July 4, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    We love our garden, this will help.

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  18. Charlette Barr says

    June 14, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    I did not know the limited factor, this is good information to know. Thank you.

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  19. leah Renfro says

    June 1, 2021 at 5:50 am

    Very intriging

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  20. swartbooi.rashida05 says

    February 19, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    I never know what soil to use when planting my herbs. Which ones are the best

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  21. Anne Le Roux says

    January 20, 2021 at 2:51 pm

    This is very very interesting and I’d like to try it.

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  22. debbieadedeji says

    September 8, 2020 at 11:22 am

    Liebig’s barrel theory is crucial to successful gardening. It is good to know that the Gardener himself is a major contributor to the growth nourishment and success, good quality and quantity yields of his Garden. He or she must remove the limiting factors like his growing system and skills in using the system. So good to know.

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  23. patricia. [email protected] says

    September 7, 2020 at 7:22 pm

    I did not know the limiting factors included the Gardner as well. Thanks for the info

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  24. Simphiwe Macwili says

    August 20, 2020 at 9:17 pm

    I would like to try this and see how it goes

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  25. Barbara Britz says

    July 31, 2020 at 9:24 am

    https://youtu.be/6gm6Yq7uNBw I believe the Zimbabwean farmers were responsible for this and it has been more successful than anything else

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  26. Lynne Stone says

    July 21, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    Makes a lot of sense.
    My husband has a system of making enriched biochar which transforms the soil.

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  27. Juanitha Gouws says

    May 12, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    Wow what an interesting course this is. Thanks a lot for breaking down the information in such an interesting way.

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  28. Marietjie Van der Walt says

    May 7, 2020 at 9:02 pm

    To me, the bottom line is to make sure I remove all the limiting factors and I will be a successful vegetable and herb gardener. I’m exited to put the Liebig’s theory in place.

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  29. Anthony Smida says

    March 16, 2020 at 11:09 am

    This is really a easy-to-use system. Love it

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  30. Kerry Burrows says

    March 6, 2020 at 1:43 pm

    Liebig’s barrel theory makes so much sense to me; in essence he is saying that if I remove the limiting factors, I should be successful as a vegetable and herb gardener! I am really excited to start my garden and put Liebig’s theory into practice.

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  31. Dorcas Selala says

    December 11, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    This course is super, I’ve learned so much. Thank you

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  32. Nicolene Fonternel says

    October 7, 2019 at 11:54 am

    This makes sense. Thank you!

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  33. Lesley van Zyl says

    September 30, 2019 at 3:31 pm

    The light bulb has gone on! Very clear and easy to follow! Thank you!

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  34. Lesley van Zyl says

    September 30, 2019 at 3:23 pm

    The light bulb has gone on! Very clear, thank you!

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  35. Louise Malan says

    August 24, 2019 at 3:55 pm

    I knew most of what is said in this unit, but never have I seen it put together, or laid out so well before. It is like a puzzle coming together for the first time.

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  36. Nandi McCormick says

    August 14, 2019 at 4:07 pm

    Wow! So much information to digest. It just makes good sense that the more you learn and put into practice the better your success will be. Finding a solution to your limiting factor, I feel, is the key.

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  37. Desiree Butzer says

    January 15, 2019 at 11:29 pm

    Thank you….I have learned much!!
    Soil fertility is 1/15 factors for the Health of your crops…..I understand now x

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  38. Marietjie Van der Walt says

    October 16, 2014 at 8:48 am

    The Law of the Limiting Factor makes sense to me and I believe if you don’t have a passion for growing your own crops you
    will not be able to make a success of it.
    Which seeds are the best to start with?

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  39. Cathy Weideman says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    Hi Di-Di. May I give you all the info on my setup so you can see what I’m doing wrong or if it is a stupid idea.

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    • Di-Di says

      July 31, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      Hi Cathy. I don’t know if you’ve enrolled in the Beginners Edition of the How To Grow Bigger and Better Backyards Crops Course. If you did, jump to the Food Gardening Skills Assessment, it will give you a pretty good idea of what you are doing wrong, and where to focus your attention.

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  40. Dorothy van der Walt says

    July 28, 2014 at 10:15 am

    Good morning! I have recently discovered that the topsoil of our plot was sold when the plots were measured out about 20 years ago. What’s left is orange, and sandy/stony. Are there ways that we can build back, or will we have to buy topsoil?

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    • Di-Di says

      July 28, 2014 at 11:06 am

      Hi Dorothy. That really makes one angry. Anyway, in the short term you can build back with a combination of good compost and manure. On the long term add green manures and patience. Also, don’t plant crops with a high nutrient demand for the first year or so. Best of luck.

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Course Progress

Food Gardening Masterclass
Module 1 Going Beyond Organic-
Unit 1 Introduction  - Preview
Unit 2 Help! My Plant is Sick!  - Preview
Unit 3 Liebig's Barrel - With a Modern Twist  - Preview
Unit 4 A Quick Overview of the Go Food Gardening System  - Preview
Unit 5 Food Gardening Activities and Skills Self-Assessment
Unit 6 What is Your Role as Gardener?  - Preview
Unit 7 Problems with Conventional Gardening and Agriculture  - Preview
Unit 8 The Power of Having Three Proven Gardening Systems in One  - Preview
Unit 9 More Resources for Self-Starters
Module 2 The Power of a Vision-
Unit 1 Introduction  - Preview
Unit 2 Gardening Tools and Resources
Unit 3 Start Your Record Keeping System
Unit 4 What Motivates You to Grow Your Own?  - Preview
Unit 5 What's Your Gardening Worldview?
Unit 6 Setting Your Food Gardening Goals
Unit 7 Visioning Skills Self-Assessment

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