Farm Update May, 2021 in Visuals

 General Update :  The farm is not having much activity. Due to COVID lockdown,  Subbu and Kandan are confined to homes.  Even in remote villages, the movement is highly restricted by police.  They visit the farm once a day, pick flowers and vanish back to home. The Covid sickness and death news that is coming from the villages is not encouraging.    Each of the villages are loosing people to this deadly disease.  Since one per family have to attend the funeral, they come to know each other.  People who go to Higround hospital die and the body gets transferred to crematorium by organised groups. Period.

Adjascent to the farm, the narrow tar road is getting widened.  For this road widening, the contractor is dumping mud upto the compound of the farm. I believe he is constructing a concrete wall to hold the mud. That means two things

a)    Farm will a wide approach road from the main road.  This is good for future.

b)   The farm will have steep elevation protecting the farm. I asked Subbu  to plant tees between road and farm so as to act as fence for future. Like hundreds of unfulfilled instructions, this may get staked up.

The wall coming to the left is upto which this road will widen

The gap between Road and farm compound. My worry is people
should not start using this as regular path. Which subbu says cannot be because there is no
entry or exit for this.  Presently this is a service strip. May get covered with shrubs
I want trees to be planted here. So that traffic will not fall from the curved raised road onto the slope.

The scene near the enterance.  The trees have become matured.
Subbu says he spends time in this shade. It can instantly make one happy.

Not bad at all. All the trees that were recently purchased are growing well. 
This patch of land was dull earlier

The Jasmine patch. The only revenue yielding crop today
Though the output is only 200 grams.  I guess extreme hot sun is now allowing
flowering. If I were there I would experiment with a canopy
But such trails if done through workers have failed and resulted in money/effort loss. So not attempting

I also have in mind of setting up a distillation plant for extracting jasmine scent. Again
this needs inquisitive mind and sincerity.

Some more young trees

It is heartning to see the girth of the trees have broadened. These were coconuts that I was worried
since they grew fast and hence less strength. But now it can survive.

No medicine, no pesticide, not even fertiliser.  Just natural growth.

This is how electricity is carried from main room to pump room. Three wires hung from
a stay wire. The plastic separator clips keep the wires away from each other
otherwise they are also insulated. But insulation will break due to heat and rubber becoming brittle

Beautiful view of Farm Pond.  The color of water is muddy. Sometime it will be clear.  This is used by migratory birds.

A forest look or resort look. I can now slowly invite people for farm tourism.

Classic view of WIndmill

Kandan's work is visible here.  The gooseberry tree is visible have become tall.  The ground is loose
thanks to constant maintenance. Ready to absorb water. Incidently last week it was raining there.

Extremely high density of wild herbs in fence side.  Must be a paradise for those who are interested.

The windmill tower now with proper ladder ( a project by itself).
Look at the small animometer that was kept aside for few years, now again fixed on tower.

Finally the iconic windmill. The trees competing with it.

Farm Update in Visuals - 27th Aug, 2017

Subbu is back in action.  Everyday we speak.  Together what we decided is this  - "Let's Go forward."

Now that we have backup plans in place for water, I told Subbu that we must do something to earn to make this a sustainable even if that is in small sale. Not that we have not attempted in the past, but this year is special in the sense that we have now water security for the first time.   We hope we can continuously grow now.  For marketing in my mind i have the original plan of inviting small vegetable peddlers or sell these vegetables in Nanguneri Town through known people.  In the long run, we may move the produce to further distance or sell through online.

The Windpump is working fine. Subbu had recently replaced a worn out bearing with new and sturdier one purchased from tirunelveli.   Grease is packed.  Only wind is low.  Diseal generator and  pump are working and is very handy.  Only that it consumes around 2 liters (Rs. 60/- ltr) every hour, but provides an assured volume of water for irrigation.   Electricity (single phase) is there, but I need to invest on a pumpset and accessories.  Subbu and team are very strongly asking for it as they calculate that using electricity will work out cheaper than diesal.    That is going to be a huge investment (another post later).  The cost of accessories (pipe, wire) outweighs the cost of pump itself as per preliminary quote obtained.

As promised already, Subbu had created raised mud bars for vegetables.   The choice i left it to him.  No.  he did not listen to my wish list and took his own call. He wants to grow cucumber. He says it is selling Rs. 400 a bag.  I thought myself "what will happen during the harvest time?" everyone will now be sowing cucumber. This is the stupid cycle the farmers go through every time.

I believe he had already sown bringal, cucumber etc.... seeds purchased from Valliyoor.  It must have got germinated by now. These photos are one week old as Subbu's phone was held for repair. Neverthless I am happy that some of the patches that were earlier showing less growth have not been tilled, manured and raised bars are made.  Almost slowly every inch of space of the farm should be growing something or other in coming days. That is the wish.... Praying for one more rain.

The traditional irrigation method.  I cannot influence these guys. They just follow
the same old methods.  Note that the mud is still very dry. Just only one rain had come in the past.  

The shed visible is the generator shed - recently constructed

Good shape of Amla tree

The old coconuts  planted last year have grown. The new ones are sprouting.