Life in the Farm - Point Forest at Last - Farm Update 27-Nov-2014

1. The windpump is down for the past 1 week. The bearing has slipped. Subbu has given up fixing it temperorily. It is raining in the farm. We need a permanent solution. I have asked ABS for a solution and they have sent the design problem to POLDAW engineers. Solution has been found in the form of an iron patti to keep the bearing in its place. This is ready last saturday and is being sent through courier. As usual ABS company required too much of followup to get this done. The spare should reach by Monday.

///    Subbu was so happy today to talk about his fish project. May be it was his dream for many months which came true atlast. Hard work pays.   ///

2. The fishlings are doing well. This is 2nd day.  Subbu said  he brought around 1500 Catla and balance 1000 other mixed varities. There was large number of people buying fish from the Papanasam vendor. Standing in queue, people were seen buying 40K etc.   Just for fun, we have gone for all varities. Each fishling cost Rs. 1/- .  Oil cakes (punnakku) of 40Kg has been dissolved in water as feed on the pond. It should take care for another 15 days. Cowdung also will be dissolved after few days.  I asked Subbu to fetch lotus roots from the Chirumalanji Sastha Temple to be put in the pond.

Our Fish tank

3. There is a large bird hovering around it seems. Subbu told next week we can expect more birds. I asked him to take photos. We need to protect the fish siblings from them. A net perhaps will do.  we can expect more life forms to emerge from the pond. Frog, snakes etc..  This is pure fun.

4. The first lot of banana trees may need support. Per subbu they will start flowering and fruit bearing in next 10 days hence. They are Andhra Tholuvai variety and are around 40 trees in all.

5. The new kerosene pump is yet to be started. Need to purchase tubes for drawing water.  It may require oil mixed petrol to start and run on kerosene. It is a Korean make Model LT30CX 5.5 HP mini portable costing 15K INR. This is to be used as emergency in case of windmill down.

6. As the ground is soaked with water with continous rain, not attempting to sow any vegetable seeds. Waiting for rain to stop.

7. The seeds sent for my "point forest" (Click here) is finally in its place.  We have made a round corner raised mud pit with bricks for lining and have strewn the 200 odd wild species seeds that I had collected over a period of one year and couriered it. I hope to grow here all things that can be conceived. The plants must grow on its own. No help will be provided. Fittest will survive. This will be micro forest for insects, birds and small mammals.

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Farm Update 30th June, 2014

It is sometimes required to pause, re-collect all pending things and list down them as action items.  Today I had a long telephone call to Subbu and passed on the following. I read that twice to him so that he remembers. Moreover the points were delivered in such a way that we start discussing from one end of the farm and traverse to the other end. So that while looking at that part of the farm, he remembers the action item.  So we start from a corner....

1. Already the 50 Nos of  Andhra special variety Banana plants that were laid near the windmill is sprouting. Now as per our original plan, we were supposed to buy Karpuravalli banana. Subbu told we will go for 250 Nos to begin with. Presently banana samplings are rounded with mud and water is poured through hose from windmill. The bunding will be done later once it attains a height.

2. The windmill boring pipe has been extended by another 30 feet  totalling 130 feet. That involved removing entire length of the pipe including central rod from borewell and then re-fitting again with extended length with pump at the 130th feet. This was a full day activity and was done on Friday. There was a risk that if not done properly they may loose the train of pipe and it will fall down to 300 feet never to be retrieved along with pump. Anyway our guys were careful and experienced.   After this and some adjustments, the windmill is making no noise at all. It is having smooth operation. Presently the water outlet has been raised to 15 feet below  above the ground level. That means water is flowing like a shower and everyday our guys are taking bath in that shower. Great.

3. Water tank of 1000 liter capacity is being planned. It will be ready-made plastic tank to be purchased for around Rs. 6000/-.  The iron stand for that has been ordered in Valliyoor welding workshop with a simple design with 4 angle pillars. That will be 10 feet height Costing around Rs. 10000/-. Iron costs around 56 per KG.  This stand will be mounted on a cement foundation of 3 feet height totaling around 14 feet.  That must build water pressure in the hose for a gravity assisted irrigation. Our experiments that we did earlier is coming handy to take such decisions.

I must mention here that One of our friends had earlier suggested experimenting with Cement pipe to be used as raiser stand to water tank as a cheaper alternative. Mounting the pipe vertically up like a pillar can be done over concrete base. But after that placing a platform slab of 5 ft by 5 ft will be a challenge. That platform will have a water tank. There is no way such a platform can be balanced at the tip of cement pipe unless a clamp is done. Moreover cement pipes are not manufactured properly with quality cement. It cannot be safe. I guess.  But still this experiment is open and need to try later.

4. Subject to pressure, small sprinklers will be setup. Basically I told to buy two brass sprinkler guns and weld them to a tripod stand. So that it can be moved.  There will be some vegetable raised beds will be made adjascent to the tower. This is for seed multiplication only. So many varities as we collect in small place under supervision.

5. It is time now to visit Nursery at Parassala, Way to Trivandrum from Nagarcoil.  Need to buy 30 Coconut saplings and other trees. This time we want to buy useful fruit trees and few outdoor trees for roadside planting during Rainy season in July.  The neighbourhood Sastha temple will get renovated soon. It  will be good to have some trees there too.

6. We need to now put proper road inside the farm. A modest one with a width of  5 feet is enough for small tracktor and carting.  I donot know if we need to bring mud from outside to raise the path.  If we donot do this now, due to rain, there will be too much slush created making it difficult everyday to move around.

7. Need to put a dustbin inside the farm. Day by day polythene covers are getting accumulated.  They are simply thrown down by workers to be carried by wind. They are landing here and there and are also spoiling the neighbouring farms.  I asked subbu to by fence mesh and bend it and make a round shaped open holding area where people can throw all plastic bottles and bags. We can decide what we do later.

8. We will be implementing "Point Forest" Soon. I communicated what it is to Subbu. And asked him to buy concrete rings from Parappadi town.  Basically I told him it is for growing small wild bush to attract and grow spiders and other insects to act as predators for worms which will affect crops.

9. Need to plan and buy Co4 Grass cuttings. We need to grow cow-grass in one place.

10. Swale cutting and cutting of a small fish pond should be done quickly. I have explained where and how. Just need to execute. We cannot do this after rain comes. Moreoever we need to catch the rain water.

11. It was decided to put 3 stay wires to the windmill tower for additional safety.

12. I asked Subbu to plan for a main metal pipe underground from Tower to far end.  We will take lateral pipes as and we require. Presently two lateral pipes are planned one to reach near Gate and another the opposite end. The pipes if laid should look like a Cross.

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"Point Forest", creating a micro forest in farm

This fellow is after the nuts

I have this habit, while taking a walk along with my spouse every day.  Whereever I see any seeds, I pick and pocket them. Sometimes I have spoilt my pants. And seeds,  they are plenty everywhere on the road. Many a times I have been warned to behave civilized. But the sight of seeds attracts me so much, i start behaving like the scrattle (saber-tooth squirrel ) of The Ice Age.

Banyan Berries

Over a period I have accumulated different varieties of seeds, from road side, jogging park, public places and so on....  Even from fruits that we eat. They are all over my home. In cup board, inside fridge, my desk and hidden in my almairah to be forgotton.  The below beautiful berries for example were picked up near by office. They belong to Banyan trees. Ofcourse they were fresh and had some worms in it. I had to carry wrapped in table napkin paper, finally got squeezed and created mess inside my lapttop bag.  Neverthless there is a collection now of a small forest.

Different types of seeds collected

Point Forest : I would like to call this project as Point Forest, inspired by Telugu friends who open Curry Point on road side of Andhra Pradesh.  The curry points are small 10x10 shops selling all types of eatables, especially delicious curry.  "Point" because it is so small.

Carrying that forward, this Point Forest will be very small in size and sit at middle of a busy farm. To create it we will use concrete rings as shown in figure.  Put one of the rings on the mud in the farm, anywhere randomly, fill with nursery soil and spread the collection of the seeds. Water them regularly. My guess is that many of them will sprout at its own time creating small trees, bushes,  shrubs and so on.. Let it grow undisturbed in the midst the busy farm crops.

Why the Point Forest is required ?:   I presume that having such a small micro eco system within the farm, will create a resting place for small insets, birds and animals. It will increase the food chain, encourage their multiplication. What more ? if the plants are worthy, we can even replant them elsewhere and multiply. They will also add beauty and break any monotony. We can also get to grow what we want to grow.

Tailpiece: The cement rings can be painted Green.

I wanted to try this concept this month, but could not. As ground reality was different when I visited the farm which did not allow me to complete my agenda.  I cannot have spoken about these higher concepts, when basic things had to be paid attention,  I reserved it for some other time. Perhaps next month when the shower starts.  This one shown is my test PointForest that I created on a small pot in my balcony at Pune.  You can identify different trees and shrubs in their germinating stage. Nice little forest.  All these have come just by sprinkling the seed collection or throwing the seeds after eating the fruit and watering them daily.

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