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4
THE 2-WEEK CYCLE SYSTEM
5
GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
One crop such as peas will take its nu- Experiences at Las Pulgas
trients from the top of the soil, while the
carrots will take nutrients deeper down The Garden Farm at Las Pulgas introduced
in the soil. the system of 2-week cycles with beds of
On the other hand the peas will provide companion plants after having used the
nitrogen to the soil, because the pea plant traditional system in the beginning.
is a legume living together with bacteria on With the system of growing four rows of
its roots that are able to make use of the one crop and then four rows of another
nitrogen in the atmosphere. crop, there were many problems with
pests and diseases.
The principle of companion planting has These problems have been greatly reduced
been used in making the 2-week planting after changing to companion planting.
plans for all the three seasons described
in this booklet. (MZIVWMIHJSSHXLI]IEVVSYRH
The crops have been paired so that they
benefit or at least do not harm each Another principle that has been used in
other. making the described 2-week cycles, is that
the Garden Farm must provide a variety
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THE 2-WEEK CYCLE SYSTEM
of vegetables the whole year round and You will probably need to adjust the sys-
MRWYJGMIRXUYERXMXMIW tem, as you get more experiences.
The 2-week cycles therefore have more =SY[MPPRHXLEX]SYRIIHXSTPERXQSVI
of some crops than of others because of one crop and need less of another but
we eat more carrots or onions than for start with this proposed two-week cycle
example garlic. system.
It is also different how long time the plant
will give vegetables. All the rest of us would very much like to
When the carrots are ready, you harvest be informed of your experiences with the
them in one go, and you will need to plant 2-week cycles and how you adapt them
a new crop. along the way to suit your local condi-
But the eggplants, the tomatoes and the tions.
green pepper will continue to give veg-
etables for some months. Enjoy the Garden Farming.
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crops appear in the 2-week plans.
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GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Even week numbers plant the Odd week numbers plant the
following ten double rows: following ten double rows:
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8
THE 2-WEEK CYCLE SYSTEM
Planting Crops
August - October
Even week numbers plant the Odd week numbers plant the
following ten double rows: following ten double rows:
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GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Planting Crops
November - January
Even week numbers plant the Odd week numbers plant the
following ten double rows: following ten double rows:
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10
STARTING UP YOUR GARDEN FARM
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GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Planting distances
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STARTING UP YOUR GARDEN FARM
If it is not possible to sow them, then you Root crops, beans, spinach and herbs can
must dry the seeds and store them, so that be sown directly.
they will not germinate too early.
How to produce seedlings
How to sow seeds
You can produce seedlings with two dif-
Before sowing you need to prepare the ferent methods.
ground to make sure that there are no
large lumps of soil or stones. Using a planting tray
Work over the surface to give a fine One is to use a planting tray. If you cannot
smooth surface with the soil broken down buy the kind they use in nurseries, then
into small particles. you can use any tray or box of plastic or
Seeds that can be sowed directly are for wood.
example rape, cabbage, tomato, onion, You will need to make many holes in the
pepper, lettuce. bottom, so that the water can run off and
With small seeds it is an advantage to mix not drown the seedlings.
XLIQ[MXLWSQIRIWERHXSEZSMHYWMRK You can also roll pieces of banana leaf or
too many seeds in the planting row. paper into containers of about 2 cm in
Scatter the seeds into the planting row diameter for the seedlings.
with your hand. Rake gently and then wa- 8LIRI\XWXITMWXSPPXLIFSXXSQSJXLI
ter the ground carefully. tray or box with a layer of prepared mate-
rial for the seedlings to grow in.
Tomato, green pepper, eggplant, beet The material can be good topsoil mixed
root, cauliflower, cabbage are usually [MXLVMGILYWO[LMGLMWFYVRIHVWX
transplanted. Or you mix equal parts of top soil with
washed river sand.
You need to cook the mixture to avoid
spreading diseases to the seedlings.
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GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Producing seedlings directly in ing the tray out in the sun at least two days
the soil before planting. In this way the seedling
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If you do not have a planting tray or a suit- MRXLIIPH
able box, you can produce your seedlings
directly in the soil. Transplanting should be done in the late
Again, you need to ensure that the soil afternoon or evening or on a cloudy day.
is suited for the seedlings. It should not The seedlings should be 6-8 weeks old
be too rich, since the seedlings will then when transplanted.
develop a larger root system. It will then Do not touch the roots and do not ex-
FIQSVIHMJGYPXJSVXLIQXSWYVZMZIXLI pose the roots to the sun, when you
transplanting. transplant
Therefore, you should mix some washed Hold the plant above the primary leaf and
river sand into the topsoil. plant it in a way that it is level with the soil
You will also need to place some grass surface. Make the hole large enough so that
and twigs to burn the soil before sowing the roots hang free and are not bent.
the seeds.
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MANAGING YOUR GARDEN FARM
4
Crop rotation
Managing your Garden Farm
bring up nutrients from deeper down in
the soil.
Crop rotation is the practice of growing ;LIR]SYKVS[PIKYQIGVSTW]SYMR-
different types of crops in the same area crease the amount of nitrogen in the soil,
What are the advantages of crop rota- since the bacteria on the legume roots will
tion: \RMXVSKIRJVSQXLIEMV
1. When you grow a new crop after the
old one, you avoid building up of diseases In your crop rotation you should always
and pests in the soil. The pests that attack include deep rooted crops. This will bring
for example maize will not be the same as nutrients up from further down in the
the ones that can attack groundnuts. soil and the need for tilling the soil is re-
2. Crop rotation improves the soil duced.
structure and fertility. When you grow
deep-rooted crops, such as okra, cassava, It is advised to use marigold as a rotational
groundnuts, tomatoes, beans, cow peas crop once a year on each of the beds. The
or carrots, they will open up the soil and roots of marigold will send out some plant
chemicals that will repel nematodes - a
kind of very small worm that often be-
comes a pest.
Weeding
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GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
8LIQYPGL[MPPEPWSQEOIMXQSVIHMJGYPX
for weeds to appear.
The cover should never touch the plant
stems as this can cause rot.
You should never cover with material that
is infected by disease or contains insects.
Watering
Roots of legume plants normally have nodules with In the dry season, or if it does not rain, leaf
RMXVSKIR\MRKFEGXIVME-JXLI]EVIVIHMRWMHIXLIR vegetables need at least 6mm a day and the
they are active, and the bacteria can be trans- SXLIVZIKIXEFPIWEXPIEWXQQEHE]XLEXMW
JIVVIHXSSXLIVWF]QM\MRKXLIWSMP[MXLWIIHW
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per bed of 10 square metres.
Besides helping to get a healthier crop, It is best to water in the late afternoon, and
weeding has some other advantages. It RSXHYVMRKLSYVWSJIVGIWYRWLMRI
helps to change the microclimate below
the plants. Sun and wind can penetrate Making manure tea
deeper in a weeded crop. This will reduce
the humidity, which again can prevent Manure tea can be made from animal
some pests and diseases. manure or green plants. It is good for the
Weeding also helps to loosen the soil. production of healthy crops.
Water can infiltrate more rapidly and Reasons why manure tea is important:
roots of the cultivated plants can develop
in a better way.
The growth of weeds can be prevented or
delayed by using mulch.
Mulching
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MANAGING YOUR GARDEN FARM
17
GARDEN FARMING INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Removing the leaves helps your sweet If you want to collect seeds from your own
potato to grow fast and produce more plants, you must select healthy plants that
roots. have the characteristics you want. The
Plant the cutting into the soil by covering seeds should be collected when they are
the whole stem with soil. mature.
Only the leaves of the tip should stick out For crops such as maize and beans it is easy
of the ground. to see when the seeds are thoroughly dry
When planting sweet potato, remember and ready for collection.
that it does not like fertilizers that are high Some seeds are inside the fruit such as in
in nitrogen like chicken manure. tomato, eggplant, squash and peppers. The
It makes them grow lots of leaves but then
they will not produce potatoes.
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MANAGING YOUR GARDEN FARM
Biopesticides
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