2023 - Drought

This year summer was very harsh, didn't receive summer rains and temperature touched 40 degree. I had stopped watering all together and farming was just rain fed. Last two years since there was enough summer rains, didn't have any issue. But this year coconut trees and cocoa trees started wilting. I lost one coconut tree completely as of now, few trees are badly affected. It would take 3-4 years for these trees to recover fully.

Could see that few coconut trees which were surrounded by mango and jackfruit trees were doing relatively well. The shade provided by the evergreen trees were quite effective in fighting the summer. At the end of the rainy season, I had cut and mulched grass, mexican sunflower and super napier grass at the base of the tree, but that alone didn't help.

While going through one video of Panos Mainkis, natural farmer from Greece, he mentions about the need of evergreen trees to shade the farm. So at this point, thinking of growing mango trees and jack fruit trees around the coconut tree along with mexican sunflower,super napier grass and also banana plants. Also decided that mexican sunflower and super napier grass will be cut only twice, may be in July and September, after that they will be allowed to grow so that there will be shade.

Another approach to fight the drought is to use the cover crop Mucuna Bractecta which grows very fast 10-15 cm per day and also within 6-9 months, would fill the entire field. It withstands summer and would provide a green cover even at the summer, this should allow the coconut trees to fight the summer. But issues with this is that they have to be cut and controlled frequently and also it is not eatable for cattle, if eaten may endanger their life. So planning to try this out in one area of the farm.

07-06-23

Since rain is delayed, loosing more coconut trees, lost 3 of them as of now. Feel like going for Mucuna solution, even though it is a hard decision.

Paddy cultivation - first season 2023

It is time to start paddy cultivation and I do organic tilled way in my 0.35 acres of paddy field. After the last rice cultivation nothing was being done in this field and touch me not and other grasses were growing. Received couple of good rains now, so wanted to grow daincha as a green manure crop, tilled the field and broadcasted 5kgs of daincha seeds and then tilled one more round.

Daincha seeds were given by the tractor driver at 30/- per kg and he took around 1 hour for tilling the field.

03-July-2023

Land was ploughed using rotovator

July 6-2023

After this rain started heavily and could not use the line tiller since land was too wet. Hence ladies put the seeds in rows in their own way. Seed was put in cowdung water for a night and then sown.

No-till experiment - 2023

This year also planning to do no-till experiment in my two plots in which I had tried rice last year. It was lying idle in the summer and had some weeds, cut them and mulched back. Also had piled up cut pureria last year which had decomposed, spread that also in the field. Weeds were much less after the no-till, can see that very strong weeds have disappeared.

Planning to do rice for the first crop and finger millet and foxtail millet as the second crop, and if moisture is still there, cow pea after that. To the extend possible planning to have a cover always, so that bare soil is not exposed.

23-April-2023

2nd plot before cutting weeds

1st plot after cutting weeds

This time will be trying happy hill rice, attapadi upland rice and kattamodan or chennellu

11-July-2023

Grass was cut using Scythe and planning to cut using brush cutter.

Kozhikulayan (കോഴിക്കുളയൻ) - traditional variety mango

 Kozhikulayan (കോഴിക്കുളയൻ) is a traditional variety mango found in some parts of Trichur (Thirur,Kolazhi etc). Its basic taste is of Komanga/Vattamanga which is a famous variety found throughout Kerala. It weighs around 200-300gms and seed is polyembrionic and no worm attack, hence seed would give the characterestics of mother tree.

Bought this from a shop in Puthissery, which is a place in Muthuvara-Adat road. They sell it at 60 rupees per Kg. 

Ginger in backyard

Last year's ginger was harvested and some are being used at home and some are kept in a pit for use for next season.

Some taro also is kept in the pit.

Some beds are being prepared with leaves spread on it, beds are not raised. Also dumping kitchen waste directly on them, in situ composting. 

Long handled sickle with a bend

I use Scythe very heavily for cutting weeds and cover crops. At tight spaces Scythe can not be used since it needs more space for swinging. Also when the grass is very thin, especially in walk ways, Scythe is not a good option. Either I should use brush cutter or some sickle. With small handled sickle cutting is very tedious since we have to bend a lot. So thought of making a long handled sickle with a bend so that it remains horizontal to the ground, similar to Scythe. Even though I have to bend, but it should not be much. 

The blade became very thin, so if it hits the ground, it will bend. Also it is heavy, so using it for long time with one hand becomes difficult. The connection from the wooden handle to the cutting blade is very thick, hence it became more heavy, have to further tune it. But it is going to be one of the tool which I will be using more often.

Feb-2023

Wanted to make it a bit more thin, hence replaced the iron bar connecting handle and cutting edge with a more light one. Originally it was 375gms and after this change it became 305gms. Also the pointed edge was removed since it was hitting the ground often. Now it is quite OK, except that the handle is not very comfortable and also since the blade is very thin, it bends some times. Still it is a quite useful tool

Turmeric Patch 2 - Harvest and getting ready for next cultivation

After harvesting Patch2, cut grasses were used for mulching. Also road side grass also was cut and leaves gathered from road also used for mulching.