Planting in between coconuts

While planting vegetables between coconut trees, it has been a problem since taking care of small plants planted in between weeds is a problem. So thought of using some designated places for planting Ash guard, Pumpkin and Indian broad beans (Avarakkai). Reason for selecting these plants are since creepers just go over the grass once established and need less care.

Basically instead of planting anywhere just wanted to keep some designated places so that it can be easily located and since more mulching is given it grows well. Also if some cowdung is applied once, the residual fertility will be there for the next season.

In areas where Pureria is established planting in between is not possible since small plants will be strangulated. This issue wouldn't have been there, if the cover crop is white clover or similar which is 8-12 inches in height. Since we don't have such cover crop, this is the only alternative.

Initially cleared weeds in circles and tilled the soil using spade, then planted ash guard pumpkin and Indian borad beans seeds, along with green gram. Green gram seeds were sown so that area becomes noticeable after some time also if they provide some shade.

Later avoided tilling and just kept mulching around. One good thing is that once we have mulched places, we can keep mulching them in summer and apply some cowdung, so that next time when we plant it becomes easy, because of all that residual fertility. Also in mulched area soil becomes loose which makes planting also easy.

If the mulch is light, plants push through. Indian broad beans needs less moisture. Also young plants are eaten by slugs and other pests, when they are surrounded by green gram or other plants, are not easily attacked.

Pumpkin - this time moisture was less, so not sure, if they will survive, no rain for a month. Also need to put 3 seeds minimum so that at least one germinates and survive.

With cut mulches formed a bed, so can be used for ginger,turmeric or taro planting in the next year.

Growing Sunhemp as green manure crop

This time bought around 50Kgs of Sunhemp seeds at 85/per KG from Coimbatore. Planning to use it as a green manure crop for vegetables, rice and also in coconut area. One good thing is that it is easy to establish them without tilling and also in existing ground cover.

A vegetable patch, after this planning to grow some vegetables in this area.

Coconut area....they come easily through mulch and also seeding them close works well.

18-September-2018

Since there was not much rain for a month, growth of sunhemp has reduced.

Desmodium scorpiurus which had sown earlier, comes up here along with sunhemp

01-October-2018

In the vegetable area, sunhemp was cut and mulched. It was much easy to cut using scythe. Planning to plant ash gourd and pumpkin in this area. Cut small opening and put handful of dried cowdung and kept it.

Covai Seed festival Chinnavedampatti, Coimbatore

Attended the Covai Seed festival held K'Sirs international school, Chinnavedampatti, Coimbatore on July 21-22,2018. 

There were many groups with seeds from different parts of the country. Could see lot of rice, millet, vegetable seeds. Some photos.

Paddy seeds, one person gave me around 15 seeds of upland rice from Orissa, a variety called 'Kabari', never used to happen in this type of seed festival.

Some cows see in the school
 

TheTsirs International School