Insect Biology & Ecology   |  Fertilizers   |

I found the following previously unpublished interview with Mother Bhakti Marga of Gita-nagari Farm in my files and wanted to share it with our HKRL readers. Although the original interview was done in 1985, I think it shows some valuable perspective on the topic of growing our own seeds. I hope readers will enjoy it and let us know your own activities in saving seeds in different parts of the world. The conference discussed here was the National Gardening Association Seed Conference, 4-6 October 1985. (Hare Krsna dasi, HKDD)

HKDD: Why is it important for us to learn to grow seeds?

BHAKTI MARGA: Growing seeds is an integral part of self-sufficiency. It is the order of the spiritual master that we become self-sufficient so we don t have to rely on outside sources to support our community. [Satsvarupa Maharaja] acknowledges that presently we may not be able to do so much in the way of large projects that require a lot of expenditures, but he emphasizes that even now we at Gita-nagari should strive towards self-sufficiency, because we have a good start on that. We have the cows and a good ox program, and we have a vigorous agricultural program; that s the basis for self-sufficiency. This farm is somewhat of a model for other farms. So [Satsvarupa Maharaja] wants us to become leaders in the area of self-sufficiency. He wants us to research and do foundation work so that other farms around the world can take advantage of the information we gather.
HKDD: Specifically, what were Gita-nagari s objectives in attending this particular conference?

BHAKTI MARGA: First, we wanted to learn more about growing vegetable seeds. This includes technical topics like hand pollination and how to select appropriate varieties. Simply growing seeds is not enough; we want seeds that are vigorous, productive and well adapted to our area. This includes seeds for beans, squash, melon, tomatoes and potatoes (tubers), etc. Second, we wanted to learn more about production of seeds for field crops such as corn. At Gita-nagari, we already have a program for growing open-pollinated field crops, but we found information of interest for further research. In general, a farm is in a vulnerable position is it doesn't grow the seeds for its primary feed crops. At Gita-nagari for example, growing our own seed corn is important for us to have a really strong cow program. As far as self-sufficiency goes, if a farm can t feed its cows, there won t be any dairy products. It's all tied together.

HKDD: What other practical things came from the conference?

BHAKTI MARGA: We made contact with people who are storehouses of information on agriculture. Now that they know who we are, they respond with more interest when we write because they know our specific situation. We We've already got responses from some of them.

For example, we got some practical information on summer squash seed. We We've been relying on a hybrid zucchini, and hybrids are generally considered undesirable for saving seeds. However, one grower told us that it is feasible to save seeds form hybrid zucchini. Since you have to hand pollinate anyway [Gita-nagari raised it s zucchini in poly tents to protect them from insects], just study the characteristics of the various plants and cross pollinate to get specifically what you want. Some hybrid melon and eggplant can also be used to produce seeds, but not tomatoes or corn, for example. It saves years of work, knowing we can save the seeds of more reliable hybrids without having to search out the parents. We also got some ideas on how to deal with Fusarium wilt in watermelon. One plant breeder told us to seek out varieties introduced by the University of Florida. Because they re in an area where vine crop diseases are widespread, they We've researched this problem. I went through the Garden Seed Inventory, a listing of all open-pollinated seeds in the U.S. and Canada and located companies specializing in these Florida disease tolerant and disease-resistant varieties.

HKDD: Any other useful information?
BHAKTI MARGA: Yes, regarding proper storage of seeds. Seed growers say that the first few weeks after the seeds are collected are critical in terms of seed storage. If seeds are stored properly, you will lose more in that period than over a period of years. This makes it difficult, because seeds are harvested during the busiest time in the garden. Yet, to make our efforts worthwhile, we have to organize procedures for cleaning and storing seeds efficiently. When you re harvesting vegetables or field crops for consumption, it doesn't t matter so much, but if your purpose it so collect seeds, items harvested have to be taken care of properly, immediately. During the first few days, seeds must be promptly cleaned and stored in a cool, dry place
-- even warm and dry -- but dry. If the seeds are not dry enough when they are collected, dry them until they snap when bent. We can avoid problems with poor germination by caring for seeds properly.

HKDD: What were your realizations from the conference?

BHAKTI MARGA: There was a lot of emphasis throughout the conference on the world-wide problem of genetic erosion. I can explain this for you. Plant breeders rely on having a wide variety of plants in each species. When a certain variety is known to be susceptible to some disease, for example, then they breed with other varieties to produce a strain that is resistant to that disease. Or they breed for tolerance to climate, soil conditions, shade, etc. This wide variety of plants is called "genetic diversity."

Plant scientists regard areas such as India, Africa, and Latin America as centers of genetic diversity, because of the tremendous variety of plants grown there. For example, when you go to an Indian market, you find many different varieties of produce and grains. If you go from village to village, you may find that each village has a different variety. Farmers have been growing these plants for thousands of years. When plants are grown in this type of situation, scientists call it in situ preservation of seeds, because the seeds are automatically preserved in the course of human life. Unfortunately, these environments are disappearing because of modern civilization. Because of the shift away from the agrarian way of life, farmers don t want to maintain their tradition any longer. The government or seed company comes in and says, "Here s a new hybrid, you can increase your yield and be freed from poverty if you grow this instead of your old type of seed." The result is that they give up the seeds that have been their family heirlooms for maybe a thousand years. Then, once the seed is not planted for a few years, it loses its vitality and is gone for good. That s what "genetic erosion" means. So in situ genetic preservation is falling apart in these areas, and that has scientists worried. The only alternative to preserving seeds as part of a traditional culture is ~r situ preservation of seeds -- artificial preservation outside the natural course of life. That s what the seed bank in Arizona is about, for example. Seeds are stored in a little jar and then planted and harvested every few years -- not for a consumable crop, but just to preserve that variety. Or some idealistic do-gooder works day and night to maintain a five acre garden where he s cultivating 3000 different varieties of plants to try to preserve them for future breeding. Since the whole world depends on genetic diversity, if it s in the hand of a few people who could die or lose their government funding, it s a very fragile arrangement. That's what scientists are worried about. I was thinking that actually, according to the Bhagavatam, their fears are justified. It states that by the end of the age of Kali, there will be only one species -- humans. There won t be any plants or even animals. Humans will eat one another. And even though these scientists don t know about the Bhagavatam s prediction, they can feel there is going to be some dire consequence to the path of exploiting the world that human civilization is currently taking. On the other hand, also according to sastra, these consequences can be suspended for the next 10,000 years by the grace of Lord Caitanya s sankirtan movement. Logically, we can see that the propagation of ISKCON farm communities all over the world is one aspect of this sankirtan movement. In fact, the farms of the Hare Krsna movement offer the only practical solution to this particular problem.
us to do in developing this open-pollinated seed program, but if we do it for Krsna, it s definitely going to be a valuable and useful project. Additional information:

HKDD: How is that?

BHAKTI MARGA: The basic spiritual reason is that if we water the root of the tree, all the branches and leaves will automatically be nourished. Prabhupada often used this example. If we satisfy Krsna, then all the needs of the living entities will automatically be taken care of. On our farms we are protecting the cow. Because we can please Krsna by protecting His favorite animal, then He will reciprocate and society will become happy.
That s one way to see it. From the external perspective, our farms provide the only kind of environment where practical solutions to the problems of genetic erosion will naturally evolve. As we expand this work with open-pollinated seeds — as part of our program for self-sufficiency -- we have the facility to maintain genetic diversity without even being particularly concerned about it. Our farms in Latin America will automatically have a certain amount of genetic diversity, just in the process of developing open-pollinated seeds suited to their area. So will our farms in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America. By Srila Prabhupada s desire, we have these farms all over the world, and his instructions are that we should live a simple village life as Krsna did in Vrndavana. Saving seeds naturally fits in with this lifestyle. We grow a variety of crops. And, we don t just harvest, save a few seeds and throw the rest away -- we actually use our crops for food and seed. This is the in situ genetic preservation that scientists are looking for. If we stick to Prabhupada's order with determination our practice and knowledge will not die out. Third world farmers may lose interest in growing traditional open-pollinated crops if they think they can make more money by growing hybrids. A person who grows two thousand varieties of crops in his garden may eventually lose interest. And, the government may lose interest in subsidizing seed banks.
But we can't lose interest, we can't get tired of what we do. It's the order of the spiritual master. There is so much work for us to do developing this open-pollinated seed program, but if we do it for Krsna, it is definitely going to be a valuable and useful project.

Seed Savers Exchange
Route 3, Box 239, Decorah IA 52101 USA. Publishers of the Garden Seed Inventory. A network of mostly small-scale growers and gardeners dedicated to preserving open-pollinated heirloom vegetables and other useful plant varieties. Peace Seeds, A Planetary

Genepool Service and Resource
2385 SE Thompson St. Corvallis OR 97333. Over 700 varieties of native seed available, including many exotica plants and herbs. The

Seed Finder, by Jean Jeavons.
Ten Speed Press, Box 7123, Berkeley CA. Mail order sources
for thousands of useful, unusual and heritage crops, tools also.
$4.95 paperback.

Gardening by Mail III: A Sourcebook, by Barbara Barton.
Tusker Press, P.O. Box 1338, Sebastapol, CA 95473 USA (707)829-9189. Over 2000 listings of seed and plant sources, garden suppliers and service in the U.S. and Canada. Nurseries, seed companies, plant societies, magazines, books and much more. $16 plus $2.50 shipping.

   

Insect Biology and Ecology: A Primer

(The following is located on the Internet at http://www. nysaes.cornell. edu... It is found on the Cornell University Home page and is entitled: Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America).

For the reader who is unfamiliar with the biology or ecology of insects, this primer will provide needed background information.

This segment is comprised of several paragraphs of general insect information and five subsections:
Insect Anatomy
Insect Reproduction
Insect Growth and Development
Insect Classification and Identification (omitted for brevity sake)
Insect Ecology

Insects are the dominant life-form on earth. Millions may exist in a single acre of land. About one million species have been described, and there may be as many as ten times that many yet to be identified. Of all creatures on earth, insects are the main consumers of plants. They also play a major role in the breakdown of plant and animal material and constitute a major food source for many animals.
Insects are extraordinarily adaptable creatures, having evolved to live successfully in most environments on earth, including deserts and the Antarctic. The only place where insects are not commonly found is the oceans. If they are not physically equipped to live in a stressful environment, insects have adopted behaviors to avoid such stresses. Insects possess an amazing diversity in size, form, and behavior.

It is believed that insects are so successful because they have a protective shell or exoskeleton, they are small, and they can fly. Their small size and ability to fly permits escape from enemies and dispersal to new environments. Because they are small they require only small amounts of food and can exist in very small niches or spaces. In addition, insects can produce large numbers of offspring relatively quickly. Insect populations also possess considerable genetic diversity and a great potential for adaptation to different or changing environments. This makes them an especially formidable pest
of crops, able to adapt to new plant varieties as they are developed or rapidly becoming resistant to insecticides.

Insects are directly beneficial to humans by producing honey, silk, wax, and other products. Indirectly, they are important as pollinators of crops, natural enemies of pests, scavengers, and food for other creatures. At the same time, insects are major pests of humans and domesticated animals because they destroy crops and vector diseases. In reality, less than one percent of insect species are pests, and only a few hundred of these are consistently a problem. In the context of agriculture, an insect is a pest if its presence or damage results in an economically important loss.
The adage "know your enemy" is especially appropriate when it comes to insect pests. The more we know about their biology and behavior, including their natural enemies, the more likely we will be able to manage them effectively. Insect Anatomy
Insects and closely related organisms have a lightweight, but strong exterior skeleton (exoskeleton) or integument. Their muscles and organs are on the inside. This multilayered exoskeleton protects the insect from the environment and natural enemies. The exoskeleton also has many sense organs for detecting light, pressure, sound, temperature, wind, and odor. Sense organs maybe located almost anywhere on the insect body, not just on the head.

Insects have three body regions: head, thorax, and abdomen. The head functions mainly for food and sensory intake and information processing. Insect mouth-parts have evolved for chewing (beetles, caterpillars), piercing-sucking (aphids, bugs), sponging (flies), siphoning (moths), rasping-sucking (thrips), cuttingsponging (biting flies), and chewing-lapping (wasps). The thorax provides structural support for the legs (three pairs) and, if present, one or two pairs of wings. The legs may be adapted for running, grasping, digging or swimming. The abdomen functions in digestion and reproduction.

The internal anatomy of insects is characterized by an open circulatory system, a multitude of breathing tubes, and a three-chambered digestive system. With the exception of a heart and an aorta, there are few blood vessels; insect blood simply flows around inside the body cavity. Air enters the insect through a few openings (spiracles) in the exoskeleton, and makes its way to all areas of need by way of branching tubes, which permeate the body. The insect digestive system is long and tube-like, often divided into three sections, each with a different function. The Insect nervous system transports and processes information received from the sense organs (sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch). The brain, located in the head, processes information, but some information is also processed at nerve centers elsewhere in the body.

Knowledge about the structure and function of the insect exoskeleton has proven critical in developing insecticide formulations that are able to penetrate this multilayered protective covering. Studies of insect communication have led to the discovery of chemical compounds used by insects to locate each other or host plants, and many of these have now been identified and produced synthetically. For example, pheromones are very specific compounds released by insects to attract others of the same species, such as for mating. Synthetic pheromones are now widely used to bait insect traps for detecting the presence of a pest, to determine its abundance, or for control. Control may involve the use of many traps to "trap out the pest or the pheromones can be dispersed throughout the crop to "confuse" insects, making it more difficult for them to find a mate.

As simple as it may seem, knowing what type of mouthparts an insect has can be very important in deciding on a management tactic. For example, insects with chewing mouthparts can be selectively controlled by some insecticides that are applied to plant surfaces and are only effective if ingested; contact alone will not result in death of the insect. Consequently, natural enemies that feed on other insects, but not the crop plant, will not be harmed.

Since insects obtain oxygen through their spiracles, plugging these opening causes death. That is how insecticidal oils control insects. Components of the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis enter the digestive system and break down the gut lining. Knowledge of the nervous system of insects has led to the development of several types of insecticides designed to disrupt normal nerve function. Some of these are effective simply by contacting the insect.

Insect Reproduction
Most species of insects have males and females that mate and reproduce sexually. In some cases, males are rare or present only at certain times of the year. In the absence of males, females of some species may still reproduce. This is common, particularly among aphids. In many species of wasps, unfertilized eggs become males while fertilized eggs become females. In a few species, females produce only females.

A single embryo typically develops within each egg, except in the case of polyembryony, where hundreds of embiyos may develop per egg. Insects may reproduce by laying eggs or, in some species, the eggs may hatch within the female which shortly thereafter deposits young. In another strategy common to aphids, the eggs hatch within the female and the immatures remain with the female for some time before birth.

 

Insect Growth and Development
Insects typically pass through four distinct life stages: egg, larva or nymph, pupa, and adult. Eggs are laid singly or in masses, in or on plant tissue or another insect. The embryo within the egg develops, and eventually a larva or nymph emerges from the egg. There are generally several larval or nymphal stages (instars), each progressively larger and requiring a molt, or shed of the outer skin, between each stage. Most weight gain (sometimes >90%) occurs during the last one or two instars. In general, neither eggs, pupae, nor adults grow in size; all growth occurs during the larval or nymphal stages.

The two types of metamorphosis typical of insect pests and natural enemies are gradual (egg>nymph>adult) and complete (egg>larva>pupa>adult). In gradual metamorphosis, the nymphal stages resemble the adult except that they lack wings and the nymphs may be colored differently than the adults. Nymphs and adults usually occupy similar habitats and have similar hosts. Gradual metamorphosis is typical of true bugs and grasshoppers; complete metamorphosis is typical of beetles, flies, moths, and wasps. The immatures of these latter species do not resemble the adults, may occupy different habitats, and feed on different hosts. Some moth and wasp larvae weave a silken shell (cocoon) to protect the pupal stage; in flies, the last larval skin becomes a puparium that protects the pupal stage.

Insects are cold-blooded, so that the rate at which they develop is mostly dependent on the temperature of their environment. Cooler temperatures result in slowed growth; higher temperatures speed up the growth process. If a season is hot, more generations may occur than during a cool season.

A better understanding of how insects grow and develop has contributed greatly to their management. For example, knowledge of the hormonal control of insect metamorphosis led to the development of a new class of insecticides called insect growth regulators (IGR). The insect growth regulators are very selective in the insects they affect. Based on information about insect growth rates relative to temperature, computer models can be used to predict when insects will be most abundant during the growing season, and consequently, when crops are most at risk.

Insect Ecology
Ecology is the study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment. An insects s environment may be described by physical factors such as temperature, wind, humidity, light, and biOlogical factors such as other members of the species, food sources, natural enemies, and competitors (organisms using the same space or food source). An understanding or at least an appreciation of these physical and biological (ecological) factors and how they relate to insect diversity, activity (timing of insect appearance or phenology), and abundance is critical for successful pest management. Some insect species have a single generation per season (univoltine), while others may have several (multivoltine). The striped cucumber beetle, for example, overwinters as an adult, emerges in the spring, and lays eggs near the roots of young cucurbit plants. The eggs hatch, producing larvae that emerge as adults later in the summer. These adults over-winter to start the cycle again the next year. In contrast, egg parasitoids like Trichogramma overwinter as immatures within the egg of their host. During the summer they may have several generations.

Insects adapt to many types of environmental conditions during their seasonal cycle. To survive the harsh winters, cucumber beetles enter a dormant state. While in this dormant state, metabolic activity is minimal and no reproduction or growth occurs. Dormancy can also occur at other times of the year when conditions may be stressful for the insect.

If is often better to consider insects as populations rather than individuals, especially within the context of an agroecosystem. Populations have attributes such as density (number per unit area), age distribution proportion in each life stage), and birth and death rates. Understanding the attributes of a pest population is important for good management. Knowing the age distribution of a pest population may indicate the potential for crop damage. For example, if most of the striped cucumber beetles were immatures, direct damage to the above ground portions of the plant is unlikely. Similarly, if the density of a pest is known and can be related to the potential for damage, an action may be required to protect the crop. Information about death rates due to natural enemies can be very important. Natural enemies do nothing but reduce pest populations and understanding and quantifying their impact is important to effective pest management. This is all the more reason to conserve their numbers. Taken from:
Hoffinann, M.P. and Frodsham, A.C.
(1993) Natural Enemies of Vegetable
Insect Pests. Cooperative Extension,
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 63pp.

 

  

FERTILIZERS: GROWING YOUR OWN
by HABIB GONZALEZ

Restoring an abandoned dairy farm in the central coast of New South Wales, Australia, is just one part of our job. Cleaning up the old messes and overgrowth left us with huge piles of cut hedges, brush and saplings. All the biomass is a portion of the answer to the other part of the job, that is, to begin the production of organic medicinal herbs. In order to become certified (organically) internationally, we must eventually produce herbs of the highest quality by sustainable means, ones which do not deplete the soil.¹

Those messy piles of slash am put through a tractor powered chipper of 100 nun. (4”) capacity, then the chips are spread over a two meter wide strip of weed cloth around the perimeter of tire herb fields. They form a barrier to keep the Kikuyu and couch grasses from over-running the herbs. The chips break down over the next year and are put on the fields.

The waist high paddock grasses and weeds are cut twice, raked and collected intO compost piles, well mixed with chicken and horse manure. Each cutting yields a pile four meters long, two meters wide and two meters high, a good start for the coming season.
 
 

   
 

The two farm ponds are productive since I introduced Water Velvet (Azolla sp.) into each one. A small amount of chicken manure pellets along
the shallow edges of the new ponds helps to start the Azolla growing. In four weeks we harvested six pads of nitrogen rich plants from the surface of the little pond, after starting with one shoe full of small plants. To give an idea how prolific Azolla can be, it can double its weight every three to five days and can fix mare nitrogen than land based legumes, up to four kilograms of nitrogen per hectare of pond per day (1.78 — 3.57 lb (acre/ day)2^.

A one meter by three meter worm farm made from old logs and timbers, filled with wet paper and cardboard, old hay and horse manure, makes up the fourth part of our nutrient program. One kilogram, about 4000 head, of manure and compost worms daily convert their weight in kitchen and garden scraps or junk mail, into high quality castings and more worms. These egg rich castings and surplus worms will regularly be distributed around the farm to aerate and enrich the soil.

The fifth part of this homegrown fertilizer effort is the inclusion of nitrogen fixing trees into the production areas as windbreaks, shelter belts and sources of nitrogen rich leaf drop, and mulch cuttings. Coral trees (Casuarina sp.) Wattles (Acacia sp .) Tree Lucerne or Tagasaste (Chaemocystus Palmensis), and She Oak ( Casuarina sp.) are some of tile easily available trees in this warm temperate area.

These methods preserve the soil fertility, which supports the initial commercial crops of tire farm. By caring for the soil, the community planned for this valley honors the blessings given to us all — pure land, water and air. A good news message for all with ears to hear.

Footnotes:
 1.  Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM — Basic Standards of Organic agriculture and food processing. Okozentrum Imbach, 0-6695, Tholey-Theley,  Oennany, 1992, p.5
 
 2. Introduction to Freshwater Vegetation, Donald M. Riemer Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., NY, 1984; p. 92.
 
 Habib is a Sufi devotee of the Lord and his sister is an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. The  knowledge and experience that he brought to the 1993 Permaculture conference at Saranagati dhama  was one of the conference's highlights. Vd.
 

Growing the King of Vegetables

Potato is an important staple and certainly one of the most versatile of vegetables. It is easily stored which adds greatly to its appeal especially with us being situated in the northern regions and growing under colder conditions. Unfortunately, our first attempt at potatoes was less than a success. The reasons were primarily lack of fertility and thin topsoil. Potatoes, being a root crop and a heavy feeder, just didn't have much of a chance the first year in our premier garden bed.

Then one day, a neighbour dropped by and suggested that instead of using plastic mulches to kill the grass as a means to establish a new garden bed, I should use Roundup, a herbicide. His rationale was that I could have the garden bed ready in no time and save so much labour and fuss. I was surprised because he knew I was growing organically. In any event, the conversation drifted onto potatoes. He informed me that his father grew some of the best potatoes imaginable by digging a trench deeper than required and lining the trench with fertilizer, covering it over and then plant the potatoes.

As the conversation ended and he faded off into the sunset, I looked at the garden bed and said "Thank you Krsna for telling me how to plant these potatoes." The only difference from my neighbour would be the substitution of compost instead of his inorganic fertilizer.

  Potato rows should be three feet wide (36") with the potatoes being planted at a depth of approx. 5 inches. So above, we dig the trenches approx. 12 inches deep allowing room  for an application of compost


Several inches of rotted compost is then applied to the bottom of the channel.


Then it is time to cover the compost leaving approx. 5" depth which is the recommended planting depth for potatoes


It is now time to place the potatoes 6" apart. These potatoes are from last year's crop and is our 3rd season planting our own seed potato. The variety is Kennebec and we are happy with both their quality and storability


Now the potatoes are covered over. As the potatoes grow, they should be hilled in order that none of the potato crop willcome in direct contact with the sun because this produces a mild toxic effect in the potato.


Now with the crop planted, we tramp the soil down to ensure seed to soil contact and then mark the rows.


A good idea while cultivating is to take the weeds, shake off the soil from around their roots and lay them on the ground with the roots up. This will prevent them from re-rooting and having to cultivate the same weed twice.


A healthy potato crop. Photo taken on July 2, 2002

 During our first year using this method an old time organic farmer, Carmen, happened to drop by. He was in his early 70's, a lifetime farmer, always a smile on his face and his farm has never been touched by any herbicide or inorganic fertilizer (his father was also an organic farmer). He is also an avid gardener and grows much of his own produce. Upon arriving, he took a look at the potatoes and said they were one of the best crops he'd seen. Hearing this, we felt encouraged that we had lucked onto a good technique. Actually, it is a bit of a no-brainer. If you can provide potatoes this quantity of fertility, they pretty much should do well.

Though, we have had good luck with this method, it is labour intensive. Devotee friends have dropped by wanting to buy some potatoes. The response is usually a chuckle and then inform them that they couldn't afford the price. With all that work, and remember they haven't been harvested yet, I don't know what a reasonable price to ask is. So we usually give a quantity as a gift and forget the payment [now don't everyone come here looking for your free potatoes. There is a definite limit to my generosity :)].

I think it important to note that while there is work involved in gardening, especially with the above method of planting potatoes, we find it a very rewarding and healthy pastime. The physical activity coupled with fresh air and sunshine is a great combination. But the satisfaction of offering our own home-grown produce to our Deities and Srila Prabhupada is hard to describe. We may not be wealthy but we feel few can beat us in the category of quality of life and the garden/farm plays an essential part of that. Of course, none of it would have been possible without meeting His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada to whom we are eternally thankful. This lifestyle is such a wonderful accompaniment to the devotional practices that Srila Prabhupada has provided that we feel particularly blessed. We pray that he is pleased by these endeavours and provides us fresh insight and intelligence on how to further develop self-sufficiently for his pleasure.

 

The Garden Seed Planter

  Seeding garden vegetables can be a time intensive and arduous job. With this in mind, a vegetable seed planter was purchased to aid us in planting veggies at the proper depth and in straight rows. The device comes with a variety of seed plates with each plate designated for a specific size seed. In the case of the model we purchased, a secondary set of plates was available at an additional cost. If the garden beds are small, or you do not want to plant a large area, then the planter may not prove useful to you. The garden planter. The front wheel opens a furrow where the seed is deposited and the rear wheel packs the planted seed. The bar on the side is set at the required spacing between rows and marks the path  of the next row as you plant the seed.   Different plates are designed to place vegetable seed at a specific distance apart providing different planting densities. Seed plate for peas in planter and ready to go The shoe at the bottom of the planter is adjustable allowing the planting of different vegetable seeds at their proper depth The hopper is filled with seed. The changeable seed plate has already been installed. Fill the seed up to the line shown on the top of the seed hopper. The planter depositing seed while simultaneously marking the next row to be planted This illustrates how the seed falls into the furrow and is covered by the chain and then pressed down for firmsoil contact by the rear wheel. Kidney beans sprouted and growing 11 days after planting Mung dahl sprouted and growing 11 days after planting


 

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