Kitchen Gardens - a way to grow vegetables for home

Kitchen garden or home garden or nutrition garden is primarily intended for continuous supply of fresh vegetables for family use. A number of vegetables are grown in available land for getting a variety of vegetables. Family members do most of works. Area of garden, lay out, crops selected etc. depend on availability and nature of land. In rural area, land will not be a limiting factor and scientifically laid out garden can be established. In urban areas, land is a limiting factor and very often crops are raised in limited available area or in terraces of buildings. Cultivation of crops in pots or in cement bags is also feasible in cities.

The unique advantages of a kitchen garden or home garden are :

* Supply fresh fruits and vegetables high in nutritive value.

* Supply fruits and vegetables free from toxic chemicals.

* Help to save expenditure on purchase of vegetables and economize therapy.

* Induces children on awareness of dignity of labour.

* Vegetables harvested from home garden taste better than those purchased from market.

Nearly 200 square meter of land is sufficient for the family of five members. Usually a kitchen garden is established in backyard of house, near water source in an open area receiving plenty of sunlight. selection of crops suited to each season depends on agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the area. Depending on climatic and seasonal changes, modifications are to be done in layout and crop allotment.

In the above pattern you can view the kitchen garden selected crops to grow.

Kitchen garden layout

Layout of garden and selection of crops suited to each season depends on agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the area. Depending on climatic and seasonal changes, modifications are to be done in layout and crop allotment. General features / principles to be followed in the layout are follows :
• Perennial vegetables like drumstick, curry leaf and bilimbi should be allotted to one side of the garden so that they may neither shade remaining plants nor they interfere with intercultural operations. Shade loving vegetables like water leaf may be planted in perennial plot. One or two compost pits may be provided on one corner of kitchen garden for effective utilization of farm / kitchen waste.
• Fences on all sides should be made with barbed wire or with live stakes. Fencing on four sides may be planting chekkurmanis, ivy gourd, dolichos bean, trailing cowpea and ridge gourd. Fence may be made strong by planting agathi (Sesbania grandiflora) at 1.0 m. distance along the fence. An arch made of red or green Basella may be erected at entry point or gate of kitchen garden.
• After allotting areas for perennial crops, remaining portion is divided into 6-10 equal plots for raising annual vegetable crops. By following scientific crop rotation, three annual crops can be raised in the same plot. Companion cropping or accession cropping, intercropping and mixed cropping can be followed for effective utilization of space.
• Provide walking path at centre as well as along four sides. Path can be made attractive by planting red and green amaranth or indeterminate tomato on either side.
• Utilize ridges, which separate individual plots for growing root and tuber crops.
• As intensive and continuous cropping is done in a kitchen garden, fertility and texture of soil may be maintained by applying adequate quantities of organic manure frequently. Organic farming should be given thrust for a kitchen or home garden. However, in order to harvest good crop, chemical fertilizers are also essential.
• Since fresh vegetables are directly utilized, follow clean cultivation, mechanical removal of pest / disease affected plants, planting of resistant varieties, biological control, use of bio-pesticides or bio-fungicides for pest and disease control in a kitchen garden.
• In a kitchen garden, preference should be given to long duration and steady yielding varieties than high yielding ones, which require constant care.
• Crop arrangement : While allotting or arranging crops in each sub-plot, care should be taken to plant varieties / crops at ideal time of planting or season. Principles of crop rotation also should be followed in continuous cropping.
• A bee-hive may be provided for ensuring adequate pollination of crops besides obtaining honey.
• A cropping pattern for a model kitchen garden in the warm humid tropical condition of Kerala is furnished below. However, choice of the crop depends on the likes and dislikes of family members.

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#kitchengardens  #vegetablesforhome

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Sword beans - Native seeds

Sword beans which belongs to a beans family. It is mainly cultivated as a grain crop. The seeds are highly nutritious. The seeds are highly rich in fibre content.

Canavalia gladiata, the sword beans or scimitar bean, is a domesticated plant species in the legume family Fabaceae. It is used as a vegetable in interior central and south central India, though not commercially farmed.


The green peels of the fruit and the leaves are said to be posionous. Hence, they are fed to cattle.

Swapped the sword beans seeds from one of the organic farm. Sown one seed for trail. Presently it has grown 6 feet tall. But still no flowering. Will update the status soon.

#swordbeans

Edit: would not able to grow due to rains. Everything spoiled.

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Recharging Borewells

This is an article on Recharging Borewells. The ground water level is decreasing. When we recklessly draw water water from the ground which has limited rain water catchement sources, we need to think on how it can be compensated. Atleast to reduce the impact on ground water level, there is a need to revive the rain water harvesting catchments.

     Here, let us discuss on how recharging borewells in the farm can help to increase the ground water level.

 The traditional method to recharge the Borewells which made the major role in increasing the ground water level. This method is mainly dependent on rain water.

Step by step guide to set up the recharging borewell system in your farm. 
* Find your borewell casing pipe and clean the 10 feet radius, if you find any big rocks or other materials.
* Find the rain water flowing pathway and make a plan on how it can directed to borewell.
* Exactly 3 feet far distance from the boewell casing, dig a pit of depth 10 feet and 6 feet width.
* Connect two 2 inch PVC pipes to the Borewell.
* Fill first 3 feet with boulders stones.
* Next fill 40 mm Jelly stones for 2 feet.
* Next fill 20 mm Jelly stones for 1 feet.
* Next fill coarse Sand for half feet.
* Next fill 20 mm Jelly stones for 1 feet.
* After filling up, place netlon on top of the Jelly stones. So, it can act as a medium to stop the contaminated water.

 When the rain comes, make sure the rain water flows through the pit. The water will be filtered and directed to the Borewell for refilling.

 It is not preferred to let unfiltered water into the ground, for the contamination found in the surface water will spread into the ground water.

 While recharging is most advisable to dry and drying up well with reducing yield, even a running borewell can have recharging in case of surplus surface water which otherwise goes to drains.

I am also looking to implememt the same technique in my farm. Will update soon. We cannot reverse all the harm we have done, but we can at least reduce the impact of our harmful acts.

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Preparation of Vermi composting

About Vermi Composting
                  Vermi Composting  is the process converting wastes into compost by use of earthworms. Good Quality compost is produced in short period depending upon the number of earthworms. In other words 4-5 kg of wastes composted by 1000 earthworms (approximately 1 kg) in a day. The commonly used earthworms like Eudrillus sp. Perionyx sp., Eisenia sp, or any locally available surface feeding (epigeic) earthworms can be collected from the nearby soil and then used in vermi composting.

                   Vermi composting can be undertaken in a tank or on the soil surface. The tank can be constructed with bricks or stones on the availability of the materials. The height of the tank should be 0.75 meters, width 1 meter and length can be 3-4 meters or even more. The base of the tank should have a slight slope directing towards two drainage holes. A simple and efficient method of Vermi composting is well known in the rural villages of the India.

 

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Millet Movemet

MILLET Movement

With ground water level going down rapidly, there is an urgent need to revive them.

There are few ways to sustain.

There are few crops which requires less water and they are drought resistant. They can also be grown in rainfed irrigation. 

Millets like foxtail millet, finger millet, kodo millet, little millet, porso millet, barnyard millet, pearl millet etc ... Which are grain based crops which can be grown. 

The grain yield of finger millet using Guli vidhana method we can achieve 1 tons to 1.5 tons per acre. 

Except Finger millet, the  grain yield of other millets ranges from 500 kgs to 800 kgs per acre. 

Millets are healthy and increases your immunity. There is a farmer in Telangana who grows millets in a natural way using no chemicals. If you are in need to buy Processed millets get in touch. The details are given below. 

Share the message. Let it help him.

#milletmovement #foxtailmillet #barnyardmillet #kodomillet #littlemillet #browntopmillet

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Sweet potato grown from root slices

Finally succeeded in growing sprouts from the sweet potato cuttings.
Failed in few attempts.

Method we followed to grow sweet potato sprouts:

* Purchased sweet potato from the local farmer market nearby.
* Made sweet potato into few pieces with nodes using knife.
* Folded the sweet potato peices with wet gunny bag.
* Left it until we saw little green sprout on the nodes.
* After that planted in the soil. (Loosen the soil before planting)
* The below image showing 20 days sprout after transplanting.
* This was the big peice of sweet potato, thus many nodes with sprouts.

Methods which have failed

* Purchased sweet potato in market and made into peices by hand. After that
directly covered root with top soil. watered the roots. But didnt grown. They
have wilted and decomposed. Dont know might be due to rain or tight soil or due
to slugs.

Edit: didn't grown well due to eucalyptus tree shade in summer.

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Farm update February 2020

Farm update

The prices of the vegetables including bottle gourd decreased. Few resources say it's due to coronavirus. Thus, no exports or imports.

Bottle gourd price decreased to 60 RS per bag. The arrival of bottle gourd to Retail vegetable market also increased. Would not able to sell a bag to 60 RS in local markets.

Seed Saving

This February saved Brinjal and Okra seeds.

Extracting Brinjal (green) seeds will take long time. Need patience. The seeds will be sticky. Often add some water to your hands while extracting. After extracting the seeds, dry them under the shade. After drying, take a seed and try to break. If it is brittle, you are ready to save it in a bottle. If it does not breaks easily, you still need to dry under the shade. This variety is a drought tolerant. Planted 2 feet sapling on September 2018, still yielding but low in quantity. Found this sapling nearby the farm. At beginning, it took more time for yielding.

Saving the Okra (white purple) seeds is easy. See the okra plants, if any okra is dried, yo can pluck it and save in bottle. It can also be grown under shade. We grown this variety under bottle gourd shade. This variety is drought tolerant. It can grow to the maximum height of 4 to 5.5 feet.

Both the seeds are available for seed swap. Both are native varieties. So, only native varieties for swap. Kindly message us through the FB messenger at the top right corner of the website, if you are in desktop mode or visit contact us page to message us.

#seedswap #abcdfarming #okra #brinjal

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Experience on supplying farm grown vegetables to local farmer market.

From the past 1 month, we have been supplying Bottle gourd. Don't know where to start from...! Would like to share our experience in supplying vegetables to local farmer market.

We planted bottle gourd seeds on the end of October 2019. It started yeilding from January 2020. Here, we used organic (poultry manure) as well as chemical fertilizers (N:P:K). Thus, it is semi organic.

The bottle gourd is harvested for every two days once. That is only one day intervel between the harvests. The price of bottle gourd were down. The farm gate price of 20 to 24 bottle gourd in a bag was RS. 100 to RS. 130.

If we sell directly in the Local vegetable markets, we have a choice to atleast raise the price to 150 to 170 RS per bag(depends on the quality of the bottle gourd). But here too, there are few vendors who asks for negotiation.

This are the beginning days, we supply in low quantity from 2 bags to 4 bags on each harvest. Day by day, the vendor contacts are increasing.

Presently, we are supplying to Bagalur Retail vegetable market on (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday). We will be near Bagalur Govt. Hospital (place where buyers and sellers meet)  @5:30 am with vegetable bags to sell.

On Saturday,  chikka Thirupathi @5:30 am- on every Saturday "santhe" takes place. popular known place to  buy/sell chickens, sheep, goat, etc.. and also vegetables. We were here on only one day. Saw many Livestock varieties.

On Sunday, K N Doddy @5:30 am - on every Sunday "santhe" takes place. Didn't went to this santhe. But trying to visit... :)

Do's when selling:

• Be polite
• Good Packing of the vegetable
• Quality and Quantity of vegetables should be good.

Don't when selling

• Say the exact price, don't ask for high price.
• Don't speak too much regarding the price.
• don't pack vegetables which are rotten.

If any suggestions or would like to ask anything message us through Facebook window which you will find on the right top of the window.

#abcdfarming #localvegetablemarket #bottlegourd #supplyingvegetables

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Sowing different seeds in the same row

Sown few Desi variety seeds in a small canal.
Irrigation : drip pipe
Manure: Didn't applied any manure. In the same place, before I sown bottle gourd and pumpkin seeds. The vines spread over and suppressed the weeds. The dried leaves became black compost. Cleaned the vines and sown the below seeds.

Would not able to upload all images. Storage space error. Will correct the errors and update soon.... Please refer Facebook page htttp://facebook.com/abcdfarming/

Yellow beans (native variety)        The seeds are white in color. They outer skin of beans is yellow.
It has medicinal properties. It will increase the immunity. It is a dwarf vareity.
it is a three months crop.

String beans (native variety)         It is a climber, which reach a height of 10 m. seeds are white in color and
outter skin is green in color. The yeild is high. It is a 3 month crop.

Cucumber (summer) (native variety)         It is a climber. The fruits will be crispy and tasty. It is a 45 days crop.
It is recommended to grow this crop in summer. It will Grow even in winter but germination rate
is limited. As it drought tolerant crop, it is good to plant it in summer.

yellow Muskmelon (native variety)        It is a climber. Used in desserts. Usually planted in summer.

Okra (Native variety)         It is also know as Ladies finger. It is four month crop. Used in daily foods. Will reduce
constipation.

Castor seeds (Native variety)         It is a oil seeds yielding plants. The oil is usually used as hair oil. Used in sidda for
treating cold and stomach infections.

still Unknown (would be native variety)         Dont know the name. I found these seeds in a pot which was in the attic. Enquired with
people in the village but in vain. Eager to know, how it grows. Hence, sown few seeds.

White avarekai, black avarekai, piegion pea (native variety)         Both white and black avarekai are climbers. They yield beans which are tastier.
pigeon pea yield a type of beans which are smaller. it grows 5 to 7 feet tall.

Round bottle gourd seeds (native variety)         This is Round Vareity. This Bottle gorud are tasty when made a sambar. Few artisians
used this dried bottle gourds for making crafts. This is a six month crop based on the climate
conditions.

desi White Chilly (Native Variety)         This is 3 year crop. on the begining of the fruiting, the fruits will be white in
color. After ripening it will turn to white. These chilly are so spicier.
        

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Must know Airlayering, a way for Afforestation

Airlayering is a procedure to grow the roots on a stem or branch of a particular plant or tree.

Tried Airlayering on henna plant.
The pictures are listed below.

•  Firstly, removed the outer bark of the henna plant using knife.
•  Before removing, make sure the knife is clean.
•  After that scratch untill you find the dark and centre of the branch.
•  Then clean it with water.
•  Make a dough ball, using cowdung and topsoil.
•  stick the dough ball to the branch.
•  And cover the dough with the plastic cover.
•  Make sure to tightly tie the plastic cover to avoid inlet of insects.
•  wait for 30 days to 45 days. until you see roots growing in it.
•  Here in henna plant, I watched roots growing on 26th day. However I separated the branch on 30th day.
•  on evening I separated it. Kept the branch in water.
•  The next day morning I planted it in the soil. But it has dried.
•  Asked suggestions with other Airlayering experts. They advised to not wait for planting after separating the #airlayered branch from plant.

Failed in first attempt.

On December 31st airlayered gauva tree branch.

On January 1st airlayered Neem tree Branch.

Still not able to see roots on both the tree branches. Will wait and update to you soon.

#airlayering #abcdfarming

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Solutions for slugs to avoid consuming sprouts

Solution for slugs

Sown different types of native variety seeds in a single row. Sprouted well. But the slugs consumed the sprouts. 

Searched solutions to eliminate the slugs from farm.  Tried sprinkling salt around the plants but in vain. Nearby neighbour was using snail kill, a chemical product to get rid of slugs. 

Using a chemical product was not my aim. I tried every possible organic solution to get rid of slugs but in vain. I purchased the product and crushed them into small pieces. Sprinkled them and the next day the slugs were dead. 

There were more than hundred slugs dead. 

Note: If anyone would like to contribute an organic solution to get rid of these slugs. You are welcome...!

Like previous year, this time planting sown pumpkin 
and bottle gourd in the same row. This time too no till
farm. just cleared the weeds. when clearing the weeds and dried pumpkin shoots and bottle gourds, saw the weeds were decomposed without receiveing the sunlight as pumpkin and  bottle gourd took over them. Pumpkin seems to be one
of

the crop in suppressing the weeds. 

Previos year i would not able to post all the details from
sowing, manuring, pests, pruning, marketing from 25 bottle
gourd and 15 pumpkin plants. But, this time would like to
share each and every thing from sowing to harvest.

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About Beema Bamboo

About Beema Bamboo

• Beema Bamboo is a throneless variety.

• The Bio mass and Rigidity is more compared to other Bamboo varieties.

• The hallow in the middle of the Bamboo is less.

• Yeild of the Beema Bamboo is nearly 50 tons from 4th year consecutively.

• After 4th year you can harvest Beema bamboo every year. The yeild increases in consecutive days.

• As it is a thornless variety, harvest made easy.

Below is a image of Beema bamboo cut into peices.

Cultivation of Beema Bamboo:

• The land should be cleared and dig 3ft height and 3 feet width rows.

• Farm yard manure and Top soil mixed well.

• Plant the Beema Bamboo saplings at distance 10 feet x 10 feet. Can purchase Beema Bamboo saplings at the Rs.30 per sapling.

• The company recommends to plant 1000 saplings per acre.

• The NPK 19:19:19 fertigation is used from bamboo growth.

• Weeding should be undertaken.

• Every 3 to 4 days water should be irrigated.

Yeild and Income:

• After three years of planting, we can harvest Beema bamboo.

• Expected yeild per acre after 3 years is 40 tons.

• Market price per ton ranges from 4k to 5.5k

• Expected Income excluding the maintenance expenses will be around 1Lakh to 1.5 Lakh.

• Second harvest starts in 4th year, the expected yeild is 50 tons.

• After 3 years, every year we can harvest bamboo and yeild will increase consecutively as new clums come up.

Courtesy:

Info provided by 
Growmore BioTech,
Hosur

Note: Please contact Farmers who are already into this cultivation before planting. 

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