companion cropping Table

Name	properties	Good companions	Bad companions
Amaranth	Avoids the propagation of diseases or pest	Potatoes, onions, corn and around the garden
Basil	Keep away flies and mosquitoes, enhances the flavor of tomatoes, protect tomato from nematodes	Tomato
Bean	Repels beetles, helps corn and potato growth	Peas, cucumbers, squash, radishes, potatoes, marigold	onions, garlic
Beetroot	Loosen the soil at harvest	onions, garlic	Pole beans
Brinjal	Trap beetle	Beans, peas, thyme, Tomato
Carrot	Secretes a substance that promotes the growth of pea, repels onion fly, makes radish less piquant	Onions, garlic, rosemary, tomatoes, peas	Mint
Corn	After harvesting, the decomposition of corn stalks produce carbon-rich humus, repels cucumber fly	squash, Zucchini, beans, cucumbers, potatoes	Tomatoes
Cucumber	Keep soil humidity and protects from weed	Peas, onions, beans, radishes, lettuce, corn	Potatoes, rosemary, mint (strong spices)
Garlic	Repels insects in general, help growth of beetroot and improves its flavor	carrot, beets, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach	beans, peas
Ladies Finger	Protect pepper from wind and sun damage	All vegetables	Sweet potato, squash
Lettuce	Keeps away from plants slugs. Snails eat your lettuce priority, traps white worm	Radish, peas, tomatoes, squash, Zucchini
Marigold	Control nematodes, keeps aphids, flea beetles, ants away with it smell, helps tomato growth	Potatoes, tomatoes, beans
Mint	Repels flea beetles, ants, aphids	Tomato	Carrot
Onion	Repels carrot fly	carrots, beets, lettuce, radishes	Beans and peas, potatoes
Pea	Green manure	Beans, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, Zucchini, squash, lettuce, brinjal, spinach, mint	Garlic, onions
Pepper and Capsicum	Hot peppers repel aphids	Tomatoes, onions, carrots, basil	Spinach
Potato	Protects beans from Mexican beetle	Beans and peas, marigold, corn	Tomatoes, brinjal, cucumber, squash, Zucchini, spinach
Radish	Loosen the soil at harvest, repels cucumber fly, helps carrot germination	carrots, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, Zucchini, beans, peas, lettuce	Potato
Spinach	Can be used as green manure	lettuce, cucumbers, peas	Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers
Squash	Keep soil humidity and protects from weed	Radish, mint, peas, beans	Potatoes
Tomato	Repels carrot fly, aphids.	Basil, mint, peppers, onions, beans, lettuce	Beetroot, Brinjal, cucumber, spinach, potatoes, corn

courtesy: Annadana Soil and Seed Savers Network

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Growing different crops irrespective of the land size.

Hard work, dedication and some innovative thinking to make use of available resources for getting maximum benefit are practised by few farmers.

Mr. Poornaand Venkatesh Bhat from Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka is an exception.

A contractor-turned-farmer by choice, he started cultivation in 21 acres but soon had to give it up since his land was bought by the Government to set up a naval base.

He invested the money he received from the Government in 19 acres of barren wasteland.

Through sheer hard work he transformed the barren land in a few years into a big arecanut, nutmeg and pepper based intercrop plantation.

Today almost all leading agricultural scientists and students across the country are visiting his farm to learn more on areacanut, pepper and nutmeg growing techniques.

“His contributions towards plantation crops in general and spices like nutmeg in particular are noteworthy. Majority of nutmeg plants during seedling stage are males though sporadically some female seedlings are also found.

No technique

There is no other way to identify the sex of the nutmeg plant during seedling stage. It takes a minimum of five years after planting to know the gender of the plant.

But Mr. Bhat has succeeded in detecting the sex of the plant at seed stage and he intends to patent this process of sex detection,” says Dr. S.Prabhu Kumar, Zonal Project Director, ICAR, Bangalore.

For nutmeg varieties

He has also identified and developed four varieties of nutmeg and has about 2,500 nutmeg trees in his garden, which is considered to be the world’s largest nutmeg conservatory according to scientists from The Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode.

Each tree in his farm bears about 1,000 fruits a year (from sixth year of planting). One kg of nuts contains about 170 dry fruits along with the hard outer shell and one kg of mace.

The farmer is able to get an income of Rs. 1,600 per kg of mace and Rs. 500 per kg of nuts.

Not stopping with mere selling of the nuts, he has also gone into value addition of the produce. His nutmeg jams and pickles are quite popular in the market since they are rare and tasty.

Many technologies

“This innovative farmer-scientist has developed many technologies in nutmeg like harvesting and separation of fully matured nuts, washing, blanching, drying, storage, processing, grading, storing and value addition. These things are usually done by research and development institutions,” says Dr. Prabhu Kumar.

He is also an expert in arecanut and black pepper cultivation.

He gets double the average yield from both these and is also involved in black pepper processing to manufacture white pepper, which has great demand in the export market.

Till date 6,000 to 7,000 farmers from Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have visited him to learn this process.

His arecanut, pepper, nutmeg , coconut nurseries are popular among farmers. In fact many farmers who have such plantations have bought the seedlings from his nursery. “Before starting nutmeg-arecanut cultivation I grew only turmeric. I was able to a get about 20 tonnes of turmeric from an acre. In fact this was considered quite a feat in the region and I had many visitors to my place after local media reported it,” says Mr. Bhat.

Monthly expense

About 25 workers permanent workers help Mr. Bhat in his daily farm work and his monthly expense for their salaries works out to Rs. 35,000. His annual income from his farm is more than Rs. 80 lakh.

“Even CEOs in some big companies do not get such a big income. He is an example of dedication, innovation and hard work to make the best use of available resource to reap the maximum benefit,” according to Dr PrabhuKumar.

Both his sons — a lawyer and a banker — have left their jobs to help him. He is a good example for those interested to take up farming.

Advice to growers

“Be it one acre or 50 acres never put your entire investment or attention on a single crop. Grow different varieties and plan it in such a way so that once harvesting of one crop is over, harvesting of the other starts. This way a farmer can get some sort of continuous income,” seems to be his advice for other growers.

The farmer has been conferred several awards both by the state and central government for his sterling work.

Mr. Poornanand Venkatesh Bhat can be reached at Shriram Siddhi Estate, At Post Aversa – 581316, Ankola, Uttara Kananda, Karnataka, Phone :08388-292199, email : siddhinath.bhat86@gmail.com, Mobile : 9448066998.


courtesy : THE HINDU

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subash palekar five layer model

These diagrams will shows the subash palekar 5 layer model

The proof of the above method is given below where he is earning 6 lakhs approx. excluding expenses.

Sri Krishnappa Dasappa Gowda has developed this model in 5 acres . He has divided that 5 acres into equal blocks of 36ft X 36ft . In this video , he explains that , in each block of 36 ft x 36 ft ( which is further divided into four 9ft X 9ft sub-blocks) he is growing around 170 trees , in that he is explaining about the yield he is getting in a 9ft x 9 ft portion of land (one sub-block) . He planted 1 Banana Tree, 4 Arekanut Trees , 4 Black pepper Creepers climbing on Arekanut trees , 2 Coffee Plants , 2 Glirsedia Trees , 2 Venella Creepers climbing on Glirsedia trees & 32 Ginger Plants in each 9ft X 9ft area . He says that the Yield from,
(1) 1 Banana Tree - 10Kg X Rs.20/- = Rs. 200=00
(2) 4 Arecanut Trees - 25Kg x 4Trees x Rs.15/- = Rs.1500=00
(3) 2 Venela creepers+2Glirsedia Trees - 50grms x 2 trees x Rs.3/- = Rs. 300=00
(4) 4 Black Pepper Creepers - 1Kg x 4 x Rs.400/- = Rs.1600=00
(5) 2 Coffee plants - 2Kg x 2 Plants x Rs.80/- = Rs. 320=00
(6) 32 ginger Plants - 0.15kg x 32 x Rs.100/- = (Rs. 480=00) ( This income Rs.480/- is utilized for Expenses)
Total income from 9ft x 9 ft ( Sub- block ) land = Rs.3800 = 00
So , for each 36ft x 36ft block ( 4 Sub-blocks + 1 Coconut tree + 1 Mosambi tree ) the total income is approxmately Rs.18000 = 00.
{ Explanation :- income from each 9ft X 9ft sub-block = Rs.15,200/- , In addition to these blocks he planted 1 Mosambi (citrus) tree and 1 Coconut Tree in each 36ft X 36ft block and the income from them is Rs.2000/- and Rs.1000/- resply . So,the total income from each 36ft X 36ft Block is Rs.18,200/- and rounded off to Rs.18,000/- } .
For 1 acre there are 33 similar blocks like this , So , the total income per acre is Rs.6 Lakhs approx . ( Rs.18,200/- X 33 blocks = Rs.6,00,600/- and rounded off to 6 Lakhs ) .

CONCLUSION : He doesnt have any borewell in his farm and he says that his Land is a double wet land and mostly it is rainfed , canal water is used very rarely during peak summer . Water consumption is 10% of regular farming . He suggests that all the farmers to adopt similar Natural Farming Methods and grow plants & crops suitable for their local climate and reap money. Wish you all the best .

contact no of the farmer krishnappa: 9880587545

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His explanation about the subash palekar five layer model video is attached below

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Believe It or Not..! A farmer earns 22 lakhs per year in 2.1 acres of land

BANGALORE: At a time when there is a strong perception that farming is not a profitable venture, this farmer from Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk has created waves by earning a profit of about Rs. 22 lakh a year from merely 2.1 acres of land.

profitable venture:Innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods have helped H. Sadananda of Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk to reap a rich harvest.

It is his innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods that have helped 51-year-old H. Sadananda to reap a rich harvest.
He cultivates nearly 30 varieties of crop on his land, including tomato and areca on half an acre each which yield him Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 50,000 respectively.

Ginger is cultivated along with areca in the plantation, and it yields him about Rs. 70,000 a year. Mr. Sadananda has also made space in his areca plantation for rearing 250 Giriraja hens which he sells every three months to earn about Rs. 1 lakh a year. The poultry droppings are valuable manure for the areca plantation while agricultural waste is used as feed for the birds.

He has planted about 2,000 rose cuttings on three-fourth of an acre, which fetches him about Rs. 4 lakh a year, and has set up a greenhouse on one-fourth of an acre for cultivating capsicum and high-quality rose alternatively. Capsicum, cultivated for about six months, yields him about Rs. 5.4 lakh while the rose variety that replaces capsicum for the next six months gets him about Rs. 2.5 lakh a year. A small vegetable garden, a fish-rearing pond, coconut and jackfruit trees on the periphery of his land, in addition to coffee plants, papaya, sapota and lime trees also find a place. His cows produce 80 to 100 litres of milk a day.

Manure
Manure comes from vermicompost and the slurry from a gobar gas plant. A tiny pond is filled with azolla plants which is a good cow feed.

Mr. Sadananda, who depends on borewell for irrigation, has installed drip irrigation system for the entire land at a cost of Rs. 50,000 (excluding subsidy). “Drip irrigation allows me to irrigate my entire land even with four hours of three-phase power,” he says. Besides, it prevents weeds and also saves him about Rs. 400 a day in labour costs.

Interestingly, he also breeds Rottweiler and Great Dane breeds of dogs to earn Rs. 1.2 lakh a year.
He has been honoured with prestigious awards by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. Several agricultural scientists, farmers and VIPs from India and abroad visit his farm.
Innovative ideas

Mr. Sadananda says that his farm income increased after he adopted innovative ideas provided by the Department of Biotechnology's Bio-Resource Complex project taken up in his village. He can be contacted on 9342022146.


courtesy : thehindu

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Complete guide of sowing, growing, harvesting Beans

Dependable and easy to cultivate, beans produce rewarding crops in a wide range of climates. Growing beans during the warm summer months may produce crisp green pods, protein-rich beans, or both, depending on variety.

Bean Types to Try

Snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — the most popular garden beans — include bush and pole varieties, which vary in shape, size, and color. Tender filet beans are a type of green snap bean with stringless, slender, delicate pods. They are grown just like other snap beans. Growth period: 50-55 days bush, 50-67 days pole.

Dry soup beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) grow like snap beans, but the immature pods stay tender for only a few days as the plants hurry to produce mature seeds. They are very easy to dry. Growth period: 55 days green, 85 days dry.

Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) produce showy clusters of red blossoms that attract hummingbirds and bumblebees. You can eat the young pods like snap beans, or let the pods dry and harvest the mature beans. Growth period: 60 days green, 90 days dry.

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) stand up to humid heat and heavy insect pressure, which makes them a fine bean for warm climates. Growth period: 75 days bush, 85 days pole.

Yard-long beans, or asparagus beans (Vigna sesquipedalis), are grown for their long, slender pods, which are harvested at 12 to 18 inches long. Pods may be green, burgundy, or streaked. Growth period: 80 days.

Tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius), a type of dry bean, were developed by the native people of the Southwest, so they’re well-adapted to desert conditions. They come in various colors. See also: Tepary Beans: The Bean That Laughs at Drought and Ask Our Experts: Tepary Beans. Growth period: 80 to 90 days.

When to Plant Beans

Bean seeds germinate best when soil temperatures range between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In spring, sow seeds in fertile, well-worked soil starting on or after your last frost date. When growing fast-maturing bush snap beans, make additional plantings at three-week intervals until midsummer.

How to Plant Beans

Prepare the planting bed by using a garden fork to loosen the soil. Mix in a 1-inch layer of mature compost. Plant seeds 1 inch deep and 2 to 4 inches apart. Thin bush beans to 4 inches apart; thin pole beans to 6 inches apart. Wide double rows (two parallel rows of beans planted 12 to 14 inches apart) are the most space-efficient way to grow beans.

Harvesting and Storing Beans

Harvest green beans when they are young and tender, and use two hands when picking to keep from breaking the brittle plants. Most bush beans will produce a second or third flush of beans after the first one is picked. Harvest pole beans at least twice a week to keep the plants productive. The mature beans of all snap bean varieties usually make good soup beans.

Allow dry beans to stay on the plants until the pods turn tan and the beans inside show good color and a hard, glossy surface. If damp weather sets in just when your beans should be drying, pull up the plants and hang them in a dry place until they are dry enough to shell and sort. Allow your shelled beans to dry at room temperature for two weeks before storing them in airtight containers. If you think insects might be present in your stored beans, keep them in the freezer.

Saving Bean Seeds

To save dry beans for replanting, select the largest, most perfect seeds from your stored beans. With snap beans, it is best not to harvest beans from plants grown for seed production. That way, the plants will channel all their energy into big seeds that will grow into big seedlings. Be patient, because snap bean varieties that have been bred to stay tender for a long time are often slow to develop mature seeds. Under good conditions, bean seeds will store for at least three years. A packet will plant about 25 feet of row, which should produce 20 to 30 pounds of bush snap beans, or 40 pounds or more of pole beans. Expect about 1 1⁄2 pounds of dry beans from a 25-foot row.

Preventing Bean Pests and Diseases

Brick-colored Mexican bean beetles sporting black spots often lay clusters of yellow eggs on leaves, which hatch into yellow larvae that rasp tissues from leaves. Handpick this pest in all life stages, and try spraying neem oil to control light infestations. In large plantings of more than one-fourth of an acre, releasing beneficial Pediobus wasps is a worthwhile strategy.

Beans grown in sites that recently supported grasses are often sabotaged by night-feeding cutworms. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled over the soil’s surface can help reduce losses.

Several fungal and bacterial diseases cause dark spots and patches to form on bean leaves. To keep from spreading diseases among plants, avoid working in your bean patch when foliage is wet.

Promptly cut down and compost plants that are past their prime to interrupt the life cycles of pests and diseases.

Bean Growing Tips

Extend your harvest of bush snap beans by planting them two or three times, with each sowing three weeks apart. In warm climates, make a sowing in late summer, about 10 weeks before your first fall frost is expected.

Grow more beans in less space by growing pole varieties, which produce more per square foot by making good use of vertical growing space. Tall bamboo poles or saplings make easy tripods to support pole varieties.

Be stingy with fertilizer. Beans benefit from fertile soil with a slightly acid pH (between 6.0 and 6.5), but once they are up and growing, beans make most of the nitrogen they need (which they use to nurture their crop of seeds). When growing beans in a new garden site, inoculating seeds with nitrogen-fixing bacteria before planting can help kick-start this process. Even simpler, scatter a few spadefuls of soil from last year’s bean patch into new planting sites.

Use bush beans as a cover crop in warm summer weather. You can turn the plants under, or pull them up and compost them.

In the Kitchen: Cooking Beans

Kids of all ages love to munch garden-fresh green beans, especially sweet and tender filet types. Extra green beans are easy to blanch and freeze, and rehydrated dried snap beans taste almost as good as fresh ones. Gather some of your soup beans at the mature green stage to use in succotash and other summer dishes, and dry the rest for winter. Green beans are a good source of fiber and vitamins A and C, while dry beans are rich in B vitamins and minerals. Team up beans with grains (such as rice or corn) to get prime protein from both foods, as beans and grains contain complementary essential amino acids.

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preparation of Neemastra for pest management

Hi friends, I am really surprised for the ancient days farming where no chemicals but the plants were growing very well without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I enquired with some old aged people, they said about the importance cow dung, cows urine, compost, lime, pulses, and so many.  By keeping the reference of those ideas I started surfing in the internet about the natural farming. Surfing through the internet i found the website of subash palekar which made be interested and like to share his ideas in my blog.  Here is the explanation of the Bijamrita and its preparation and all the credits goes to subash palekar.

How to Prepare Neemastra (Neem Missile)

Take 100 liter Water.



Add 5 liter Local Cow Urine in it.



Add 5 Kg Local Cow Dung in it.



Crush 5 Kg of Neem Leaves & add this Neem pulp in this water.



Let this solution to ferment for 24 Hrs. Stir this solution twice a day by any stick.



Filter this by cloth.



Spray this Neemastra as it is on the plants for sucking pests & Mealy Bug.

courtesy : subash palekar 

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Prepartion of Bramhastra for Pest management

Hi friends, I am really surprised for the ancient days farming where no chemicals but the plants were growing very well without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I enquired with some old aged people, they said about the importance cow dung, cows urine, compost, lime, pulses, and so many.  By keeping the reference of those ideas I started surfing in the internet about the natural farming. Surfing through the internet i found the website of subash palekar which made be interested and like to share his ideas in my blog.  Here is the explanation of the Bramhastra and its preparation and all the credits goes to subash palekar.

How to Prepare Bramhastra (Bramha Missile)

Take a pot.



Add 10 liter Local Cow Urine in it.



Crush 3 Kg of Neem Leaves & add this Neem pulp in this water.

grind

Neem Custard Apple Guava Lantena Camella


Neem


Custard Apple


Guava


Lantena Camella


Papaya


white Dhotara


Pomegranate

Then Add 2 Kg pulps of Sitafal (Custard apple) leaves, 2 Kg pulps of Papaya leaves, 2 Kg Pomegranate leaves pulp, 2 Kg of Guava (Jam, Peru) leaves pulps, 2 Kg Lantena Camella leaves pulp & 2 Kg White Dhatura leaves Pulp in it. (Use Lantana Camella and Dhatura leaves if available)

Then boil this solution for 5 times.



Filter this by cloth.



Let this solution to ferment for 24 Hrs.



Spray this medicine on the trees to control all the sucking pests, pod borer, fruit borer etc. For spraying take this medicine Bramhastra 2 liter in the 100 liter water.

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Preparation of Agniastra for pest management

Hi friends, I am really surprised for the ancient days farming where no chemicals but the plants were growing very well without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I enquired with some old aged people, they said about the importance cow dung, cows urine, compost, lime, pulses, and so many.  By keeping the reference of those ideas I started surfing in the internet about the natural farming. Surfing through the internet i found the website of subash palekar which made be interested and like to share his ideas in my blog.  Here is the explanation of the Agniatra for pest management and its preparation and all the credits goes to subash palekar.

How to Prepare Agniastra (Agni Missile)

Take a pot.



Add 10 liter Local Cow Urine in it.



Then add 1 Kg Tobacco, 500 gram of Green Chili, 500 Gram Local Garlic,  by crushing it in the Urine.



Add 5 Kg Neem leaves pulp.



Then boil this solution well 5 times  continuously.



Let this solution to ferment for 24 Hrs.

 Filter this by cloth.



Spray this medicine Agniastra on the pest like Leaf Roller, Stem Borer, Fruit borer, Pod borer.



Courtesy : subash palekar 

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Mulching three types by subash palekar

There are three types of Mulching -

A. Soil Mulching.
B. Straw Mulching.
C. Live Mulching.

A. Soil Mulching (Cultivation)

There are three purposes of the cultivation. To circulate the air in the soil, to stop the raindrops to flow and to conserve them in the soil and to control the weeds. Because, the oxygen is essential to the roots and micro-organisms in the soil. Conserved rain water storage is essential for the growth of the crops and the stoppage of the rainwater flow to restrict the topsoil erosion. Weeds are to be controlled to stop the competition of the weeds with the crops for water vapour and sunlight. Not for food. Because mother soil is ‘Annapurna’. In the nature, there is no any competition for food in between any two plants. If, it is the truth that, the aeration and soil moisture is essential for the roots and soil micro-organisms, then, the cultivation should be practiced in that soil layer, in which, these feeding roots and micro-organisms are active. In which layer these roots and soil biota are active? They are active in the top most 4.5 to 6 inch (10 to 15 cm) topsoil layer. So, the cultivation of the soil should be practiced in only this 10 to 15 cm layer. Bellow this layer, there are stock roots, not feeding roots! Air and moisture is essential for only feeding roots, not for stock roots.



B. Straw Mulching (Cultivation)

In Hemanta Ritu, the seeds become matured. At the same time, the leaves start to mature totally. The green leaves now start to change in pale yellow and then whitish yellow colour. During this colour changing process, the tap roots and secondary godown roots lift up the four nutrients i.e. nitrogen, phosphate, potash and magnesium from the yellowish leaves and deposit them in to their godown (Godown roots). But, rest of the nutrients remains in the leaves. Why the roots lift these nutrients from the leaves and deposit in the godown roots? There is reason. Please, understand one thing, that nature never does any thing without purpose and preplan. Nature wants to supply these four prominent nutrients to the ratoons in next generation by this uplifting and depositing in the godown roots. This cover of dried straw biomass of the previous plants or crops is called straw mulching. By this straw mulching cover, the nature has achieved so many targets. First, the seeds are covered by this straw mulching to save from birds, insects and animals. Second, the microclimate is created to activate the micro-organisms and local earthworms. Third, the favorable condition is created to decompose the godown roots and to prepare the humas stock in the soil for future new crop generation as a reserve bank. Fourth, the soil moisture is conserved in the soil and transpiration of soil moisture is restricted for the continuous soil micro-organisms utilization. Fifth, the humas saturated soil particles and soil biota in the upper most 10 cm layer of soil surface are saved from the severe heat waves of sunlight in Grishma Ritu (summer), from cold winds in Winter Ritu and from heavy stormy rain drops of pre-mansoon and mansoon raindrops; which spring forward with the dreary demon speed of 7 meter (30 feet) per second on the soil!



C. Live Mulching (Symbiotic Intercrops & Mixed Crops)

Live mulching means that intercrops and mixed crops, which give the symbiosis to the host main crop. In the nature there is a symbiosis. All vegetation is a whole family and each member plant is dependent to other plant. In forest, you will see that, there is a five-layer system. Big tree, medium tree, bush, grasses and layer of fallen dried leaves on the surface of land. All five layers are dependent upon each other. Grasses are growing in the shadow of bush or shrub. Shrubs are growing in the shadow of medium tree. Medium tree is growing in the shadow of big tree. All are living. If they are living without any family disputes, without any debates, it is the symptom of symbiosis. Nature has managed all vegetation family members in two groups. Those like shadow and those do not like shadow. The grass family monocot crops like paddy, wheat, Juar, sugarcane, Bajra, Ragi, Maize, millets and monocot grasses do not like shadow. They like full sunlight. They can grow in highest intensity of sunlight also. But, spices crops do not like straight sunlight. They want shadow or low intensity of sunlight. Some fruit trees like Grapes, Pomegranate, Orange group, Banana, Sapota, Mango, Areca nut, Betel nut, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Clove tree, Coffee and other do not like full sunlight. They live and grow in low intensity of sunlight. The mixed crop pattern of Monocot in Dicot & Dicot in Monocot helps to supply the essential elements to the crops. The Dicot supplies Nitrogen by means of nitrogen fixing bacteria & Monocot supplies other elements like Potash, Phosphate, Sulphur etc.

courtesy subash palekar 

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Preparation of Jiwamrita and Ghan- Jivamrita for soil fertility management

Hi friends, I am really surprised for the ancient days farming where no chemicals but the plants were growing very well without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I enquired with some old aged people, they said about the importance cow dung, cows urine, compost, lime, pulses, and so many.  By keeping the reference of those ideas I started surfing in the internet about the natural farming. Surfing through the internet i found the website of subash palekar which made be interested and like to share his ideas in my blog.  Here is the explanation of the Jivamrita and its preparation and all the credits goes to subash palekar.

How to Prepare Jiwamrita


When we apply Jiwamrita to the soil, we add 500 crore micro-organisms to the soil. All these are beneficial effective microbes. Our soil is saturated with all the nutrients. But these are in the non-available form to the roots of the plants. These micro-organisms convert these non-available form nutrients into available form, when we add Jiwamrita to the soil. These micro-organisms available all the nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash, Iron, Sulphur, Calcium etc) to the roots of the plant. After applying Jiwamrita to the soil, the local earthworms start their work. These earthworms bring the nutrients from 15 feet deeper soil to the upper surface and get available to the roots. How the trees from the forest get all these nutrients? These local earthworms and other insects do this work. These uncountable micro-organisms, insects and earthworms work only when they have a favorable definite microclimate i.e. 25 to 32 °C temperature, 65 to 72 % moisture and darkness, warmth and deception in the soil

Take 200 liter Water in barrel.



Take 10 Kg Local Cow Dung and 5 to 10 liter cow urine and add it in the water.



Then add 2 Kg Jaggery, 2 Kg Pulses flour & handful soil from the bund of the farm in it.



Then stir the solution well & keep it to ferment for 48 hours in the shadow.Now Jiwamrita is ready for application.




Jiwamrita Application

Apply the Jiwamrita to the crops with each Irrigation water OR directly to the crops.




Jiwamrita Spray

Spray 10% filtered Jiwamrita on the crops.



Ghan-Jiwamrita

Take 100 Kg Local Cow Dung, 2 Kg Jaggery, 2 Kg Pulses flour, Handful soil from the bund. Then mix it well by adding small amount of Cow Urine. Then spread it & keep it in the shadow for drying. Afterwards make its powder by hand & apply to the crops in the proportion of 100 Kg FYM & 10 Kg Ghan-Jiwamrita



courtesy: subash palekar 

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Preparation of Bijamrita for the seed treatment

Hi friends, I am really surprised for the ancient days farming where no chemicals but the plants were growing very well without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I enquired with some old aged people, they said about the importance cow dung, cows urine, compost, lime, pulses, and so many.  By keeping the reference of those ideas I started surfing in the internet about the natural farming. Surfing through the internet i found the website of subash palekar which made be interested and like to share his ideas in my blog.  Here is the explanation of the Bijamrita and its preparation and all the credits goes to subash palekar.

Since thousands of years, our farmers were treating their seeds by Local cow urine, cow dung and little soil from the bund of the farm or land of the farm. This was the traditional method and also a totally scientific method. But, after the arrival of Agricultural Universities, all good things in Agricultural sector were destroyed and all unnatural and so unscientific techniques were imposed on the farmers and indirectly on the urban consumers. Agricultural Universities propose you now all dangerous poisons for seed treatment. When you apply any poisonous fungicides or medicines to the seed, all useful effective (our friends) microorganisms are destroyed in the soil. When these poisonous chemicals treated seeds germinate and grow, these poisons are also sucked by the roots with the soil water solution and are deposited in the body organs of the plant i.e. vegetables, grains, fruits, tubers etc. When we eat these produce, these poisons are transmitted to our body and causes T. B., Diabetes, Cancer, Heart problems to the eater consumers. As well as, when farmers purchase these fungicides & medicines for seed treatment, a big exploitation of the farmers occurs. Now we are going to stop this nonsense. We are going to start our ancient techniques. On that ancient technique, I have done some additional experiments. Because of highly poisonous soil, it was needed. After those research experiments, final seed treatment formula was ready to hand over for farmers. That is ‘Bijamrita’.


Take 20 liter Water, 5 Kg Local Cow Dung, 5 liter Local Cow Urine, 50 Gram Lime & Handful soil from the bund of the farm.




Take 5 Kg Local Cow Dung in a cloth and bound it by tape. Hang this in the 20 Liter water up to 12 hours.



Take one liter water and add 50 gm lime in it, let it stable for a night.



Then next morning, squeeze this bundle of the cow dung in that water thrice continuously, so that all essence of cow dung will accumulate in that water.



Then add a handful of soil in that water solution and stir it well.



Then add 5 liter Deshi cow urine or human urine in that solution & add the lime water and stir it well.



Now Bijamrita is ready to treat the seeds.

How to use Bijamrita


Add Bijamrita on the spread seeds of any crops, treat these seeds well by hands, dry it well and use for sowing.

Courtesy: subash palekar

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List of companion crops to reduce pests and for weed management

Basil

Plant near: most garden crops

Keep away from: rue

Comments: improves the flavor and growth of garden crops, especially tomatoes and lettuce. Repels mosquitoes.

Beans, Bush

Plant near: beets, cabbage, carrots, catnip, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, marigolds, potatoes, savory, strawberries

Keep away from: fennel, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots

Comments: potatoes and marigolds repel Mexican bean beetles. Catnip repels flea beetles.

Beans, Pole

Plant near: corn, marigolds, potatoes, radishes

Keep away from: beets, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, shallots

Comments: same as for bush beans.

Beets

Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, kohlrabi, onions

Keep away from: charlock, field mustard, pole beans

Comments:

Borage

Plant near:  squash, strawberries, tomatoes

Keep away from:

Comments: repels tomato worms. Improves flavor and growth of companions.

Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts

Plant near: beets, buckwheat, calendula, carrots, chamomile, dill, hyssop, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, onions, rosemary, sage, thyme, wormwood.

Keep away from: strawberries

Comments: marigolds repel cabbage moths. Nasturtiums repel aphids.

Cabbage and Cauliflower

Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, celery, chard, spinach, tomatoes.

Keep away from: strawberries

Comments: tomatoes and celery repel cabbage worms.

Cantaloupe

Plant near: corn

Keep away from:

Comments:

Carrots

Plant near: cabbage, chives, early potatoes, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, rosemary, sage, salsify, wormwood.

Keep away from:

Comments: onions, leeks, and wormwood repel carrot flies

Chives

Plant near: apples, berries, carrots, grapes, peas, roses, tomatoes.

Keep away from:

Comments: Improves flavor and growth of companions. Deters aphids and Japanese beetles.

Corn

Plant near: beans, cucumbers, early potatoes, melons, peas, pumpkins, soybeans, squash.

Keep away from:

Comments: soybeans deter chinch bugs.

Cucumbers

Plant near: beans, cabbage, corn, early potatoes, radishes, sunflowers.

Keep away from: late potatoes

Comments: Radishes deter cucumber beetles. Cucumbers encourage blight in late potatoes.

Dill

Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, onions

Keep away from: carrots

Comments: Improves flavor and growth of cabbage family plants.

Eggplant

Plant near: green beans, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes

Keep away from:

Comments: green beans deter Colorado potato beetles.

Garlic

Plant near: cabbage, cane fruits, fruit trees, roses, tomatoes

Keep away from: peas, beans

Comments: deters Japanese beetles and aphids. A garlic oil spray deters onion flies, aphids, and ermine moths. A garlic tea helps repel late potato blight.

Kale

Plant near: aromatic herbs, buckwheat, cabbage family, marigolds, nasturtiums

Keep away from: pole beans, strawberries

Comments:

Kohlrabi

Plant near: cabbage/cauliflower companions (except tomatoes)

Keep away from: fennel, pole beans, tomatoes

Comments: kohlrabi stunts tomatoes

Lettuce

Plant near: beets, carrotsparsnips, radishes, strawberries

Keep away from: cabbage family

Comments: lettuce tenderizes summer radishes.

Marigolds

Plant near: all garden crops

Keep away from:

Comments: stimulates vegetable growth and deters bean beetles, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots.

Marjoram

Plant near: all garden crops

Keep away from:

Comments: stimulates vegetable growth.

Mustard

Plant near: alfalfa cover crops, fruit trees, grapes, legumes

Keep away from:

Comments: stimulates growth of companion plants.

Nasturtiums

Plant near: apples, beans, cabbage family, greenhouse crops, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash

Keep away from:

Comments: repels aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, and Mexican bean beetles and destroys white flies in greenhouses.

Onions

Plant near: beets, cabbage family, carrots, chamomile, lettuce, parsnips

Keep away from: beans, peas

Comments: deters most pests, especially maggots.

Oregano

Plant near: all garden crops

Keep away from:

Comments: deters many insect pests.

Parsley

Plant near: corn, roses, tomatoes

Keep away from:

Comments:

Parsnips

Plant near: onions, radishes, wormwood

Keep away from:

Comments: onions and wormwood help keep root maggots from parsnips.

Peas

Plant near: beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, early potatoes, radishes, turnips

Keep away from: garlic leeks, onions, shallots

Comments:

Peppers

Plant near: basil, carrots, eggplant, onions, parsley, tomatoes

Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi

Comments:

Potatoes

Plant near: basil, beans, cabbage family, corn, eggplant, flax, hemp, marigolds, peas, squash

Keep away from: apples, birch, cherries, cucumbers, pumpkins, raspberries, sunflowers, tomatoes, walnuts

Comments: hemp deters phytophthora infestans. Basil deters potato beetles. Marigolds (dug into crop soil) deter nematodes.

Radishes

Plant near: chervil, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, nasturtiums, root crops

Keep away from: hyssop

Comments: radishes deter cucumber beetles. Chervil makes radishes hot. Lettuce helps make radishes tender. Nasturtiums improve radishes' flavor.

Rosemary

Plant near: beans, cabbage, carrots

Keep away from:

Comments: repels bean beetles, cabbage moths, and carrot flies.

Sage

Plant near: cabbage family, carrots, tomatoes

Keep away from: cucumbers

Comments: deters cabbage moths and carrot flies. Invigorates tomato plants.

Soybeans

Plant near: corn, potatoes

Keep away from:

Comments: chokes weeds and enriches soil.

Spinach

Plant near: celery, cauliflower, eggplant, strawberries

Keep away from:

Comments:

Strawberries

Plant near: borage, bush beans, lettuce, pyrethrum, spinach

Keep away from: cabbage family

Comments:

Sunflowers

Plant near: cucumbers

Keep away from: potatoes

Comments: can provide a trellis and shelter for shade-loving cucumbers.

Swiss Chard

Plant near: bush beans, kohlrabi, onions

Keep away from: pole beans

Comments:

Tarragon

Plant near: all garden crops

Keep away from:

Comments: improves vegetables' flavor and growth.

Thyme

Plant near: all garden crops

Keep away from:

Comments: deters cabbage moths.

Tomatoes

Plant near: asparagus, basil, cabbage family, carrots, gooseberries, mustard, parsley, onions, rosemary, sage, stinging nettles, marigold

Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi, potatoes, walnuts

Comments:

Turnips and Rutabagas

Plant near: peas

Keep away from: knotweed, mustard

Comments: mustard and knotweed inhibit the growth of turnips and rutabagas.

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