Permaculture, biodynamics, the moon: which methods are proven?
Six methods ranked from the most proven to the least proven. For each, the trials and the move to keep.
Permaculture, biodynamics, the moon, lasagne beds. Everyone swears their method changes everything. Put to the test, these six methods are not equal. Some have solid figures, others have none. Each sheet points to the full guide.
The scale, at a glance
| Method | The principle | The measurements | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companion planting | Mix the vegetables on a bed | Fewer pest egg-layings with green around | Proven for a few cases |
| No-dig | Leave the soil in place, put the compost on the surface | A little more harvest in a 13-year vegetable garden trial; in the field, less if that is all you do | Well studied, nuanced |
| Permaculture | Design the whole garden by principles | Soil richer in carbon and more alive; yield not measured | Proven for the soil, open for the harvest |
| Lasagne bed | Stack layers to compost in place | Settling by half in the first year; no yield trial found | A gardener's practice, little studied |
| Biodynamics | Compost, preparations, cosmic calendar | The system does better for humus; the preparations alone, no demonstrated effect | Partly proven, not for its preparations |
| Lunar calendar | Sow by the moon and the constellations | Gaps one way then the other; no physical mechanism | Unproven |
We made this ranking ourselves, based on the trials cited. It gives the state of knowledge today. It does not say that a method is impossible.
1. Companion planting
Where it comes from. From gardening tradition, copied from book to book as charts of friendly and unfriendly plants.
The trials. The clearest figure comes from England. Surrounded by clover, cabbages attracted only 7 % of egg-laying flies, against 36 % on bare soil (Finch and Collier, 2003). Green cards did as well as the clover. The green counts, not the smell.
What to keep. Low green around susceptible vegetables. The rest of the charts has most often never been tested. The full guide: Companion planting, the trials.
2. No-dig
Where it comes from. From conservation agriculture in the field. In the vegetable garden, from gardeners like Charles Dowding, who puts the compost on the surface instead of burying it.
The trials. Dowding has compared two beds of 7.5 m² since 2013, with the same amount of compost. In 13 years, the no-dig bed gave 1,374.77 kg and the dug bed 1,218.80 kg. That is about 13 % more. He says so himself. For lack of repeats, these are indications and not proof. In the field, a synthesis of 610 studies finds that no-till alone lowers yields. With soil cover and rotation, the loss becomes minimal. In dry climates, it even does better (Pittelkow, 2015).
What to keep. Compost laid on the surface rather than buried, without expecting a miracle. The full guide: To dig or not to dig.
3. Permaculture
Where it comes from. From Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who coined the word in the 1970s. It is not a growing technique. It is a way of designing a whole place, with three ethics and twelve principles.
The trials. A 2024 study compared nine permaculture sites, in Germany and Luxembourg, with neighbouring fields grown the usual way. The permaculture sites stored 27 % more carbon in the soil. They had 201 % more earthworms (Reiff et al., 2024). The authors acknowledge it, the yield remains to be measured.
What to keep. Observe for a season before changing everything. Make each element serve several purposes. The full guide: Permaculture, explained simply.
4. The lasagne bed
Where it comes from. From layered composting, which American extension services also call "lasagna gardening". You stack cardboard, brown materials (leaves, straw) and green ones (grass clippings, peelings). Then you plant on top.
The trials. We found no yield trial. The Oregon State University extension service warns that the bed probably loses half its height in the first year. Built in autumn, it will be ready in spring.
What to keep. A good way to recycle leaves and clippings. It also serves to start a bed on a lawn. The full guide, with its limits: Lasagne bed.
5. Biodynamics
Where it comes from. From lectures by Rudolf Steiner in 1924. It adds to organic growing numbered preparations (500, 501 and so on), sprayed or put in the compost. It also follows a calendar set by the moon and the constellations.
The trials. In Switzerland, the DOK trial has compared three systems since 1978 on the same field, biodynamic, organic and conventional. For humus and the climate, the biodynamic system comes first (FiBL and Agroscope, 2025). But it also receives a composted manure. So it is impossible to separate out the preparations. In a Swiss vineyard, preparations 500 and 501 were tested alone for five years. Neither the vine nor the soil structure moved (Oeno One journal, 2023). A 2009 review cites favourable studies, while noting that the mechanism remains unknown (Turinek et al.).
What to keep. Well-made manure compost, which has evidence. For the rest, it is up to you. The full guide: Biodynamics put to the test.
6. The lunar calendar
Where it comes from. From very old farming traditions. Maria Thun drew a modern calendar from them with root, leaf, flower and fruit days.
The trials. At Dowding's, carrots sown under a waxing moon gave 7.8 kg against 4.8 kg one year. The following year, 9.9 against 9.2. Turnips and potatoes did the opposite. A 2020 review found no reliable evidence of a link between the moon and plant physiology (Mayoral et al.).
What to keep. Nothing compulsory. If the calendar helps you get organised, keep it. Always sow within the seasonal window. The full guide: Gardening by the moon.
Testing a method at home
The sowing day counts more than the method. The app gives you the sowing window of each crop for your region, whatever your way of gardening. See your dates.
The same series puts other received ideas through the sieve: Nettle tea, Coffee grounds, ash, eggshells, Electroculture and Mound growing and hügelkultur.
FAQ
Which method is the most proven for a beginner?
Covering the soil and putting compost on the surface. The trials support it more clearly than the others. And it asks for no particular belief.
Is biodynamics organic?
It is a variant of organic growing, with its preparations and its calendar on top. In the DOK trial, the researchers class it among the organic systems.
Is permaculture making mounds?
No. It is a way of designing a place. Some permaculturists make mounds and lasagne beds, like other gardeners.
Can you mix several methods?
Yes, it is often the wisest. Keep the moves that have evidence. Try the others on one bed and judge at harvest.
Photo: Pauline Bernard, Unsplash
Sources
- Charles Dowding, Dig/No Dig Trial at Homeacres (deux planches de 7,5 m², 2013 à 2025 : 1 218,80 kg bêché, 1 374,77 kg non bêché)
- Pittelkow C. M. et al., Productivity limits and potentials of the principles of conservation agriculture, Nature 517, 2015, p. 365 à 368 (5 463 paires de rendements, 610 études)
- Finch S. et Collier R., Insects can see clearly now the weeds have gone, Biologist 50 (3), 2003 (choux dans le trèfle)
- Reiff J. et al., Permaculture enhances carbon stocks, soil quality and biodiversity in Central Europe, Communications Earth & Environment 5, 305, 2024
- Oregon State University Extension, Three methods for no-turn cold composting, EM 9480 (sheet mulch composting ou lasagna gardening)
- FiBL et Agroscope, communiqué du 06/02/2025 : 40 ans d'essai DOK à Therwil (biodynamique, biologique, conventionnel)
- Rienth M., Lamy F., Chessex C. et Heger T., Effects of biodynamic preparations 500 and 501 on vine and berry physiology, pedology and the soil microbiome, OENO One 57 (1), 2023 (vignoble suisse, 2016 à 2020)
- Turinek M. et al., Biodynamic agriculture research progress and priorities, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24 (2), 2009
- Mayoral O. et al. (Rudolf Steiner et la biodynamie, 1924 ; lune et plantes), What Has Been Thought and Taught on the Lunar Influence on Plants in Agriculture? Perspective from Physics and Biology, Agronomy 10 (7), 955, 2020
He gardens in Belgium and tries out in his own vegetable patch what the app recommends. His articles always start from a source you can check and a step you can take this weekend.
