Contents:
Organic Gardening
Notes on Organic Farming
Planting Vegetables ORGANIC FARMING  Gardening adds quality to the way you live, and might even add quantity to your life. Tierra Maria Estates, a 33-hectare residential farm subdivision in Lipa City, Batangas shares some of the benefits of gardening, particularly organic gardening. Organic gardening is growing vegetables and fruits using whatever nature provides.
1. Puts garbage to good use. One can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste. Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it certainly helps to put garbage to good use and so saves the environment. Decaying plants wastes such as grass clippings, fallen leaves and vegetable scraps from the kitchen are the building blocks of compost, the ideal organic matter for your garden soil.
2. Chemical-free. Organic farming does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. This is especially important when growing vegetables. Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but research links pesticide use to health problems ranging from mental impairment, cancer, hormonal imbalances and lowered sperm counts. 3. Prevents erosion. Organic farming practices help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion. Organic fertilizer - compost - improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity.
4. Cost saving. One does not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for the control of pest and disease come straight from the kitchen cupboard. 5. Grows healthier plants . A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds and keeps moisture in, thus growing more robust vegetable and fruit bearing plants. In addition, organic vegetables have been proven to contain a higher concentration of nutrients. Another great benefit of organic gardening is that the foods you produce will have a longer shelf life and taste a whole lot better. Research has shown that without additives and other such elements, organic foods can be stored better and longer than foods with chemicals and processes. 6. Saves the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat. Organic gardening practices help to keep the environment safe for future generations. 7. Healthier for the body. Most importantly, when you produce organic foods, you are producing all natural, safe, and much healthier foods. These foods will have a greater amount of nutrients and minerals within them than those grown with the help of commercial products. You are reducing your family's risk of ingesting harmful additives and pesticides, and increasing their nutrition at the same time. Tierra Maria Estates offers large lots ranging in size from 750 to 1200 sqm. providing ample space to indulge in backyard farming- organic gardening, high value crop cultivation, flower or ornamental plant growing or aquaculture. For details and more info, please visit or contact Tierra Maria Sales Center Office at Telefax (043) 312-2388 and CP 0917-8124545 or click Real Estate News above to get tips on Notes on Organic Farming. Back to Top NOTES ON ORGANIC FARMING Composting: 1. Prepare the microbe inoculants for the compost. Mix the following: 1 tablespoon EM-1 (“effective microbes”) 1 tablespoon molasses 1 liter water Place the mixture in a covered container and wait for at least 3 days (better 7days). Poke a small hole in the container to allow gases to escape. The mix becomes “activated EM” (awakened microorganisms). The peak population of microbes is at 28 days. 2. Shred the materials which are to be composted. 3. Spray the shredded materials with the prepared microbe inoculants (#1, above), using the following mixture. at least ½ liter of activated EM (may use up to 1 liter of activated EM) 16 liters water (1 backpack sprayer) This preparation is good for 1 ton of raw material While this solution is being sprayed on to the shredded material, another person should toss/fork over the shredded material so that all particles are sprayed upon. 4. After inoculating the pile of shredded materials, do not add any more moisture. Just turn the pile everyday so that it is well aerated and the good microbes get enough oxygen. The temperature in the compost pile should go up, indicating that it is “cooking”, that there is decomposing activity. The pile should be hot already from 2 inches from the surface towards the center. 5. After 2 weeks you will have a good ripened compost which is ready to use. If there are big pieces left in the matured, dried compost, you can run the lot in the shredder again. If you are not yet satisfied with the result of the 2-week compost, only then add moisture to it (compost booster, see formula below). If you do this the material will continue to decompose. Continue to fork over every day. Compost Booster 30 ml beer (minimum) 30 ml regular cola (minimum) 25 ml liquid dish soap (don’t ever use soap with anti-bacterial elements, like joy) 16 liters water Mix and spray on your compost when it feels dry or once a week Notes on composting: 1. 1 liter of EM-1 has 100 tablespoons, and can be used for 100-200 tons of raw material to be turned into compost. 2. It is important to have your compost pile on a covered, cemented surface, to get good quality compost where the nutrients are preserved. 3. If flies invade the compost pile, it indicates that the nitrogen is too high. To correct, add some brown things like coco coir, sawdust, dried leaves. 4. Ideal mix for making compost: 1 part green materials, as source of nitrogen (fresh leaves, weeds) 30 parts brown materials, as source of carbon (dry leaves, etc) Types of leaves to be used for composting: Dicot plants – the leaves have “webbed” veins. These leaves are easy to decompose. Monocot plants – the leaves have parallel veins. These leaves take longer to decompose. You should have a mix of different leaves to make compost. When the carbon content is too low, the compost pile will start to stink. Add brown materials. 5. If your compost does not get enough nitrogen, inoculate it with compost booster. “Ripened compost” and period of effectivity: 1. 2-week compost – it takes 6 months for the plants to consume its elements. It’s a mix of different states of compost. The 2-week compost is the best stage of compost to be used. 2. compost which has been inoculated some more, medium grade compost – the nutrients are available up to 3 months. 3. humus – nutrients are consumed in 1 month. Back to Top PLANTING VEGETABLES 1. Use the best and freshest seeds available. 2. Prepare and sterilize garden soil for potting. See procedure below. 3. Prepare the potting medium which is a mixture of: 1 part compost 3 parts sterilized garden soil (Verify this proportion) The seed-starting medium must be: - free from competing weed seeds - free from soil-born diseases, fungus, and microbes (including the good ones) - able to absorb and hold quantities of moisture - not so densely packed that vital air is excluded 4. Prepare containers for potting. Various materials are possible. For the seedlings paper and plastic containers are ideal. 5. Plant the seeds in the containers. Simply lay the seed on the surface of the sterilized soil. For a certain number of containers you may want to put 2 seeds to provide extra seedlings to make up for those seeds which may not germinate or grow satisfactorily. Keep the trays under a roof for 2-3 days to acclimatize. (VERIFY IF WE NEED TO WATER THE SEED THE FIRST 2-3 DAYS) 6. After 2-3 days transfer the seed trays to a sunnier place, still covered with a roof similar to the roof of the bigger plants. Water the plants after lunch with spray. When you spray, make sure there’s enough sun to dry the leaves; don’t water at late afternoon because then fungus and other diseases set in. At this stage the plant does not need to be fertilized because the seed itself contains the food that it needs (verify this) 7. After 2 weeks in the first container, transplant the seedlings to bigger containers (60mm pots). The seedlings will be about 2 ½ inches tall. Even if the seedlings are not 2 ½ inches they really have to be transplanted for: - room to grow - richer soil (1 part compost + 3-4 parts sterilized garden soil) - stimulation of feeder roots - easier selection and evaluation - the algae which has formed on the surface of the little containers will suffocate the plants and they will die After transplanting the 2-week old seedlings, water them with compost tea (see formula below): On the first 3 days after transplanting, water 2-3 times After 3 days water once a day. Keep the seedlings in good light with partial sun but under a roof. 8. After 2 weeks in the second container the young plants which are now 5-6 inches are transplanted to the prepared beds on the ground. 9. Transplanting to the ground: a. Prepare the beds, which can be 1 meter wide on the inside. b. Enrich the soil with fresh compost, or just-shredded materials called “green manure” If you are just starting with the organic farming, treat the fresh compost with activated EM. Activated EM can also be sprayed on top of the soil. Make a trench along the length of the bed (pahaba), put the fresh compost in the trench, and cover it with soil. Do not turn it over so that the compost is not exposed. For a 1 meter wide bed, make 4 trenches so that the compost is evenly distributed. c. Mark the distances for planting the young plants by imprinting circles, one next to the other on the soil, using an appropriate size of pot or other stencil. Make holes on the center of each circle and plant one young plant to a hole. Take great care in removing the plant from the container from which it comes, and in handling it. Hold the plant by its leaves and not by the stem. (check how deep the plant should be planted) d. After transplanting, water the plants evenly with plain water. (count 1-5 per plant) After watering the newly-transplanted plants with plain water, water them with compost tea. Apply the compost tea by the side of the plant and not directly on the plant. Apply about one capful of compost tea per plant (cup size, about 2 ½ inches high and 2 ½ inches diameter), or use a sprinkler with a steady flow (not shower). The compost tea used here is about 3 cupfuls (2 ½ inches high X 2 ½ inches diameter) of the pure compost tea, mixed in 16 liters water, or as much tea as needed to get the desired color of solution. e. When plants are newly transplanted, water with plain water every day, even 2X if it’s really hot. After 3-4 days, it is OK to water every other day. Procedure for sterilizing garden soil: STEAMING 1. Sieve the soil to remove the bigger particles. 2. Steam the sieved soil in a steamer until the top of the pile of soil feels hot to the touch. 3. Cool the soil and store in covered pails. SOLARIZATION 1. For every 1 kilo of sieved garden soil, add one cup of water. Put the mixture inside a plastic bag and seal it. 2. Put the bag under the sun for at least 6 hours per day for at least 1 week, turning and mixing the mixture everyday. 3. After 1 week all microorganisms/fungi should be killed, and the soil is ready for planting seeds. 4. Store sterilized soil in covered pails. Procedure for making compost tea In a container, put: 1/3 part compost material 2/3 part water Soak together for several hours to get a dark liquid which is the compost tea. The black thing is the humus acid. This pure compose tea is diluted and used to give quick nutrients to plants when they are not doing so well, or when you are transplanting seedlings. The diluted compost tea which is used is: 3 measures (2 ½ “diameter X 2 ½” height cup) pure compost tea, mixed in 16 liters water. OR as much pure compost tea as is needed to get the desired color of solution Formulation of the mud bricks for the borders of the vegetable plots (beds) 10 big cooking oil cans of earth, sieved 1 bag cement Mix with enough water to make the right consistency for bricks. Size of bricks: Length: 12” Width: 4” Height: 6” Note: the “canals” or distances between plots is 12”. 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