For over 30 years we have nurtured our farm in Karjat, but the methods used at that time were very different. For example, we have a monoculture of mangoes but over the years we’re trying to incorporate as much from permaculture that we can.
The last decade we have been fully organic, from fertilizing to pesticides on the farm and crops. It hasn’t been difficult but timely and regular process are required for success.
Let’s go through some of the important steps of maintaining an organic farm.
How do we keep our fruiting trees free of pests naturally at Shalom farm?
We use a neem oil spray that we need to dilute in water and spray this on our trees 3 to 4 times a year. When available we also use jeevamrut to spray on the trees.
The neem stay does work well in keeping the pests out, we also physically remove any fire ants or caterpillar nests on the trees. Another important point to remember is for mango trees you need to cut the third branch off to ensure ample sunlight gets to the entire tree
Another specific issue with mango trees are leaf hoppers, this is really tough to take care off, but multiple sprays of neem trees, churning the soil and flooding it multiple times a year helps keep the population in control.
A tip derived from permaculture methods of farming is to grow an extra tree somewhere on the boundary, this tree is not sprayed but is kept to keep the ecosystem alive and for pests to thrive on rather than the other trees.
Fertilization of fruiting trees and vegetables at Shalom Farm
To keep the soil fertile is the important part of good fruit production. The most basic and yet necessary part to do this is mulching, do not burn or sweep away the leaves, but allow them to collect under the tree as they decompose they release nutrients into the soil.
Not just that, they protect the root system from scorching heat and become food for millions of microbes that work on the soil. We used to use vermi compost, but now our soil has earthworms living in it, so we don’t need to add that anymore but we do have compost pits and occasionally empty out this around the trees and mix it up.
We also purchase cow dung once or twice a year along with red mud and apply this all around the farm. Every odd month we purchase a 10 kg packet of bloom buddy and use this for the entire farm. We find a tremendous growth response so we’re still figuring out how frequently to apply this.
The last but not the least, all the kitchen waste it put into makeshift composters where we extract lichit from it, this is collected diluted and put around the farm. This helps root systems of trees and plants absorb more nutrients from the soil.
Live and Learn at Shalom Farm
This is the basics of maintaining a healthy organic farm at Shalom, if you would like to stay in Karjat where you can live and learn too, do get in touch with us. We would love to offer you a stay at a discounted price for voluntary work.
