Creating a fruit orchard our unique way

Do read our farming philosophy that is based on natural farming. The goal was to plant the saplings before the monsoon arrives. It was a race against time with barely 3 weeks to prepare the land, procure saplings, and plant them. Idea was to plant at least 30 varieties of native, hardy fruit bearing trees. After careful research. we decided on 32 varieties. Next step was to find a nursery that could get us those varieties. After talking to many fellow farmers we zeroed in on the nursery.

Land preparation started in earnest. As per our unique way, we did not want to do extensive ploughing, but basic shrub removal and pit digging had to be done. Unexpectedly, the land identified was very rocky and we could not go as fast as we expected. This slowed us down by 2 weeks. However, it was a blessing in disguise as the pre-monsoon rains stopped for 2 weeks. The initial plan was NOT to put irrigation as it was raining regularly. The stop in showers made it clear that irrigation line was definitely a pre-requisite. It was an experience to learn how to put a drip line, a story by itself, maybe for later.

Finally, with the pits dug and the irrigation drip line in place, it was time to procure the saplings and start planting! The big day arrived and booked a porter and transported the saplings from the nursery to the farm. With all the hard work done, it was relatively easy to plant the saplings.

It’s been a month now and they are growing quite nicely. Touch wood! Rains have restarted, and the babies seem to be enjoying their new home. Now it’s time to look after them and give them a healthy dose of jeevamruth every 15 days!