I am finding that ash guard is an easy crop, if it is grown at the beginning of rainy season, it just grows well and you should make sure that it has some place to climb and there is enough sunlight.
I usually grow it at home and with a single string it climbs all the way to terrace and spreads there and produces enough fruits. This time did same thing at the farm, allowed it to climb on a tamarind tree and it produced 4 fruits so far, photos coming up soon.
For next season no till will be done with fodder grass mulch. Fodder grass has been growing in the field at around 8 feet apart rows. Also growing the same in nearby areas, so that there is enough mulch, but still it looks like more fodder grass may be required to cover the 0.1Acre area completely.
Cut the grass growing in the field and also fodder grass and mulched. Also planted some lablab beans seeds here and there and in one field cowpea seeds.
Plan is to cut and mulch the fodder grass in every month and also clear the grasses which is coming up so that next year will have a clean ground to start with and put the rice seeds in seed balls in advance so that they come with rain.
These dogs were guarding me when myself and Palani were clearing the grass. It took 3 days work to clear the complete area.
I used to grow happy hill rice in grow bag on terrace. While counting the rice grains from a single plant, found that each head is easily 200 grains, like that 3-4 heads are there from each plant. Assuming 3 heads, we get 600 grains from a single plant, this is very conservative calculation, it can easily go upto 1000 from a single plant.
I was thinking if the productivity is so much growing food should be manageable. The major task in rice farming is about weeding in 0.1 acre and this has to be done at least twice. I thought this should be doable even if I have to do it by myself.
Mulching can be done in advance to make sure that weeds does not grow, this has to be monitored closely and if there are some areas with more weeds, that area has to be mulched more.
Some more calculations...
Average weight of a rice grain is 20mg, as per AI of Whatsapp. If we sow 500 gms of seeds and the productivity of each plant is 600 grains, simple calculation would give 600 * 500 gms = 300,000gms i.e 300Kgs. This is assuming all the plants survive and all give 600 grains. Anyway we have discounted to 600 grains, which can be boosted to even 800, if we think practically. At least 250Kgs should be a reasonable harvest to achieve.
1 acre is 43560 sqft, and 0.1 acre is 4356 sqft, if we have 500gms and each grain is 20mg, there are 25000 grains...i.e 25000 plants in 4356 sqft, i.e 5.7 plants in per sqft, which is quite reasonable.
Also we have to make sure that field is completely covered with mulch in the summer and before sowing remove all the weeds manually, there will be minimum if there is good amount of mulch.
Fukuoka san always aligned with nature's way in the farming. He observed nature and made sure that crop seeds germinate when they naturally germinate in nature. That way nature provides protection for the crops. One example to this was that, when I planted turmeric in raised beds they never used to do very good, mainly because I put them when soil is sufficiently wet after the rain, so in this case mostly they would be germinating in the storage area itself, later grows in the soil. But now I can see some unharvested turmeric grows very well, when they germinate at the right time and grows well. Being root crops, they never gets overgrown by weeds.
Similarly you see rice seeds germinate on the road sides, they grow well, because the germination is at the right time, then they grow with weeds and survive. When we artificially put the seeds, then they are mostly delayed and loose in competition with weeds. So next time, for rice, planning to put seed balls and keep them in soil so that they germinate at the right time.
Lady's finger which grew from seeds fallen from last year
Happy hill rice harvested from 1st crop was sown again in the backyard. Cleaned the area thoroughly to remove all the grass and spread some cowdung and sown the seeds and spread farm made compost and then spread the cut grass. One variety of grass which grows from each cut piece was removed from mulching. Sowing was completed on 24-Aug-2024.
30-Aug-2024
Initially farm had just many types of weeds, later thought leguminous cover crop may be better and introduced pureria javanica. Now there is napier fodder grass which also produces enormous amount of grass mulch.
In natural way of farming book, under chapter Fruit Trees, Fukuoka San says, to establish while clover as cover crop. White clover remains hardy for 6-7 years or 10 years with good management and after that weeds reemerge, mainly climbing and vine weeds, bindweed, kudzu and sorrels. Those plants resistant to clover survive and re-establish themselves.
Thus after 10 years weeds takes over again and this is not a problem as long as weeds do not interfere with farming operation. According to Fukuoka San soil becomes unbalanced when clover is grown year after year on the same land, emergence and succession of different weeds is more natural and conducive to soil enrichment and development.
Fukuoka San also says he has no intention of insisting a cover of clover, a weed cover will probably do just as well. Only issue is that weed cover may become very thick and cutting is very hard and it may also interfere with farming i.e fruit picking and tending trees. If weeds take over again he suggest to sow clover again or sow vegetable seeds.
Basically it may be just enough to grow weeds without disturbing soil, basic idea is to grow as many plants as possible so that all the sunlight is harvested and put back to soil.
I have a variety of cover crops in the farm - fodder grass, mexican sunflower, pureria javanica and have been planting vetiver also in some areas. In rainy season, it grows very tall and blocks the view and also wild boar stay in it and it becomes dangerous to walk around. But in summer season a green cover is a must since there is four months of summer season without a single drop of rain and without irrigation coconut trees and mango trees gets affected.
Made a plan to cut the fodder grass and shrubs twice an year in the middle of rainy season, after the rain stops all cutting and cleaning is stopped. But this time, even though started cutting after the planting, cutting went on, so it looks like may be a single cutting and clearing is enough.
Earlier I used to cut the weeds and gather them at the base of the trees which is a difficult task, now decided that gathering them at the base does not really makes a difference.
So as of now, orchard management involves cutting the cover once and leaving them as it is.
Last year, turmeric didn't do well, so didn't harvest it. This year it is growing quite well without doing any weeding or fertilizing, only that fodder grass is growing in that area and keep on doing mulching with cut grass.
Farm has one jackfruit variety which is very tasty. I have been trying to propagate it multiple times, but none of them survived. I used to germinate them in May-June and plant the seedlings by July and they will be quite small by the time I plant them. This time wanted to grow them in nursery and then plant them after an year so that they will become reasonably big.
27-Aug-2024
02-Sept-2024
In 2024 mango season, V.K.Sreeraman a cine artist put a facebook post about variety of mangoes being sold in a mango shop in Choondal,Kunnamkulam,Trichur. There were lots of different varieties mentioned which were not heard of. Myself and friend Anil wanted to visit and buy few of those varieties. Could not see all the varieties mentioned, most of them had been sold out, bought few kgs of priyoor, black andrews, chandrakkaran type and found another big mango, it was not having any name, bought 1 kg of that one also.
The new type without name was quite good mango with a basic taste of famous variety komanga. Its seed was polyembryonic hence put in grow bags,three germinated and multiple seedlings were separated and kept in grow bags for next season.
27-Aug-2024
In the coconut orchard, I grow the following for making the land fertile...
1. Local fodder grass - This is seen locally and especially on the road sides, this has very vigorous growth - in rainy season, can be cut in every 15-20 days. Main attraction is that it is perennial and hence will remain green to some extend in summer also and hence there is year round coverage
2. Mexican sunflower - This was introduced after reading that permaculture people value this a lot and calls this as dynamic accumulator. This also is perennial and produce a lots of biomass and easy to cut and mulch. Leaves decompose very fast.
3. Super napier grass - This also is perennial and produce lots of biomass and will be ready for cutting in every 25-30 days
4. Pureria Javanica - This is leguminous and does not survive summer here
5. Subabul - This grows naturally and is an invasive species and hence many plants will be there under each tree. Leguminous and perennial
6. Other local weeds - typically annual
Super napier fodder grass and mexican sunflower grows to a height of 8 feet and it gives a wild view to the farm. Decided that will cut them at least twice an year. Cut mulch will be left there itself, some mulch will be piled under the coconut trees.
mexican sunflower piled around coconut tree
28-06-2024
Decided to grow mango saplings to a good height of 5 feet or more and then plant in the rainy season. The reason for this decision was that few mango saplings planted were lost in the summer. If they are very strong plants, chances of loosing them is less.
I have few plants from last season...These are Karthikeyan, Dukran, IMCP Kilichundan, Cheriya Priyur etc...Few plants like DS Red, Thiruvarambu, Gira,Lalitha and Kuttiadi.
Also collected some seeds of another variety which is said to be of good taste, would like to grow them for an year and plant throughout the farm.
08-July-2024
they are growing quite well
16-July-2024
Chettadi is an indigenous rice which grows vigorously and have a duration of 6 months. Not sure if it require lots of water or will do well in upland conditions also, just giving a try. When tried in farm few years back, it grew well and had to cut it twice, and after each cutting it grew much thicker.
One month old seedlings...
03-Sept-2024
Every year I plant few papaya seedlings with start of monsoon and uproot them and plant in the farm when rain has established well. Have seen that saplings which are at least a foot or more survive well. This year used some old seeds and nothing germinated. But I saw few plants which came in the backyard, uprooted them and planted in grow bags. When rain is established well, will be planting them.
Mango seedlings collected from Sakhil of IMCP group, Gireesh Sir etc...are being planted this year. Only plants which have grown really well and have reached around 5 feet is being planted this year. Idea is to establish them well before the next drought.
The following varieties are planted....Red ponnus, Golden Ponnus, Blue Ponnus, Manikyan, IMCP kilichundan, Chelan, Dukran, Sakhi, Kanimangalam etc...Each one will be photographed and growth will be monitored in this page.
Blue Ponnus
Dukran
Jaan Priyur
Kanimangalam
