Category: Organic farming

Hey my friends! I hope you are doing well and you are enjoying every profit from your businesses. As you are producing, there is someone ready to consume, but my question today is, “Have you ever thought of what is making you produce or consume?”

I know many people believe that it is their unique tactics that enable them to beat others in the market, ok fine! I do not deny it, for you to be successful in every business, you need to employ strategies that will maximise your outcomes.

But where are you getting all the factors of production, who holds them? Ok, let us not waste time.

Everything that we use during production and consumption comes from the earth. Mother earth is a provider for all, She naturally provided all natural resources, living or none living and for human beings to produce made- made goods and services, the earth provides a perfect environment. Although people have tried to manipulate some environments, the earth has proved to be the best mother. Thousands of years ago, the earth was beautiful. Mountains and forests were home to a variety of animal and birds. Rivers flowed continuously, oceans and seas were also homes to a variety of life. Life was just good. There was a natural ecosystem that ensured everything is in harmony.

Of all the living creatures, man proved to be controlling activities on earth, his control has ensured that he benefited more than other creatures. Due to his dominion, man has dominated every part of the earth. This has disturbed the natural ecosystem and has led to considerable damage of the earth. The activities of man has destroyed flora and fauna. Things are falling apart. Currently, everyone is raising alarm on the rate at which the ozone layer is being depleted. The climate is changing, countries are experiencing extreme wheather conditions. Rainfall patterns are now erratic, everything is just upside down. The most hard hit countries are developing countries, they do not have good technologies to predict weather patterns, families are vulnerable to extreme hunger and poverty.The future looks bleak, it seems as if the earth is exhausted and angry with the man’s behaviour.

What should we do now? If the earth is being destroyed at this alarming rate, it means that there is no future for the earth, if the earth is futureless, all creatures are also futureless because if the mother becomes helpless, how can the offsprings survive?

The good thing is that we still have a chance to change, we can still employ solutions that can protect our mother.

Let’s s rise and unite and build a sustainable future for everyone lest we all become extinct.

I know that you are asking me a question in your heart, and you are saying, “what can I do as an individual to save the earth. It seems impossible, but if we put our hands and heads together we can be somewhere.

let us build a culture of responsibility and accountability in our heart. Do responsible production and consumption. Consider sustainable production, practice recycling, reduce waste and reuse what you have.

Your company should be known for good production practices. Inspire others by introducing new production methods that are innovative and are saving our mother earth.

Never be greed! Greed has led the world into shame. It’s because of being greed that you cannot think of generations to come. Being greed causes people to emit harmful gases into the atmosphere.

Yes, we all need profits but think of the people around you and planet earth where you are doing your production activities. Think twice before you continue to cause damage to the earth. Think of how you will enjoy the profits if the earth is destroyed. We can only have a brighter future if we change our ways of thinking and producing.

A brighter future for the earth is also a brighter future of it’s inhabitants

Lets all unite and build a sustainable systems that allows the earth to be a safe place to dwell.

Did you know that farming can be very funny and interesting. You do not need to follow a rule book to be the best farmer. All you need is to be experimental so that you can come up with simple and easy ways to grow your plants.

So, today we are growing coriander using hydroponics. When we hear the word hydroponics, we think of the complicated method of growing. I know you are actually thinking of energy, air pumps, the cost of procuring grow profiles, substrate and water pumps.

But did you know that the method that you employ depends on:

• Your income
• Space
• Availability of electricity and other resources.

So now we are going to learn how we can grow coriander in a passive hydroponic environment which is cheap and simple to construct.

Resources required.

• A grow profile, in this case we are going to use green house plastic, bricks , one square metre chip board and net cups
• Coriander seedlings that has been raised hydroponically
• 30litres of borehole water. The water that I used had a pH of around 6.0
• Grow media. In my area pine bark is readily available so we are going to use pine bark but the choice is yours , choose a media which is cheaper for you but we are not going to use soil.
• Nutrient solution: there so many nutrient solutions available in your area so I advice you choose the cheapest and readily available solution. Here I am using aqua fert.

Come on ! Let’s start working on our grow profile. This is where our coriander is going to grow in.

Measure a 1m by 1m space which is at a position which receives full sunshine .

MaKe sure your area is gentle , I mean even or flat so that we have an even distribution of water in the profile.

Use bricks to form your square, make sure you have two layers of bricks above.

Now, if satisfied with the slope of your area, measure 2square mètres of doubled green house plastic.Ok you can use any plastic that is thick and ensure that your plastic will not tear when you pour water inside.

Layer the plastic inside your box made from bricks and allow the plastic to spill over in all borders so that it effectively holds water.

Pour 30litres of water in your grow profile and add ten to 15 mililitres of nutrient solution.

Spread the nutrients evenly in the water.

Drill holes on your chip flat board that fits your netcups. Make sure your board is flat and firm so that it can hold all the plants without breaking.

Lift Your flat board which has holes which fit your netcups and place on top of your water tank that you have made with plastic and bricks. Make sure it is fitting well on your tank .

Depending on your grow media, prepare your media the usual way and transplant your seedling to the grow profile Coriander can be transplanted in groups so you can have four coriander plants in one netcup.

When you are transplanting, make sure your seedlings has a long tape root. Ensure that the tape root is deeped in water when you put it in the grow profile.

ThIs is the easiest way of growing coriander. You can even go for a week without checking on your plants. Do not worry about oxygen. Next time I will explain how plants survive in a passive hydroponics environment.

I accidentally discovered this way of growing herbs when I forgot to transplant my coriander, when I came back after two weeks my coriander was nolonger seedlings but they had grown very big and healthy.

Since then I am religiously using this method to save water, energy, time and other costs associated with active hydroponic farming.

The most important thing is to check on your ph when you are transplanting your coriander.

NB: your water tank can be anything that holds water and allow plant roots to grow inside.

That’s it for today , please enjoy farming.

Hie Africans, I hope you are doing well regardless of the high temperatures this summer.

Today we would like to teach you how you can grow tsunga even in summer. During this period, it’s difficult to grow it and it becomes scarce at the farmer’s market.

But this should not stop you from consuming it, you have to find a unique way of having a constant supply even if the weather is not good.. The plants will quickly bolt due to adverse temperature but what is more painful is that the vegetable becomes more delicious when it is very scarce. It’s very easy to sell this vegetable this time as there will be no competitors, many farmers are discouraged to grow it due to high heat. So how do you grow yours in an open space?

You Need.

• A well drained bed with fully aged manure, I repeat manure, your space need to have enough organic fertiliser, you can even use organic liquid ferilisers if you have.
• Please it can be very difficult to transplant when the heat is very high so make sure you start your seeds on the final bed.
• Make sure the soil is always moist but do not over water as fungal diseases will appear.
• Water daily in the early hours so that when the sun is scorching , it will allow the water splashes to evaporate, this is applicable to those who use the horse pipe
• Please guard against insects and aphids by making sure your garden is weed free.

By practicing this you are assured of a constant supply of mustard in summer.

make sure you start new seeds after every three weeks to have a constant supply

Do Not forget we are organic farmers, please stay away from artificial fertilisers and pestcides.

Enjoy your fresh vegetables.

ChAo

Hey friends! I hope I find you well and you are all enjoying your farming,

If you are in Southern Africa, Its obvious that you are now feeling the summer heat every afternoon, do not just feel the heat without planning for your summer cropping. If you are one of those without plans, then cheer up, Bono Salus is a friend indeed. We have a full package for your summer crops, however, today we are only going to concentrate on two super plants.

Egg plants/brinjals and tomatoes

Did you know that these two a great friends, they go along very well, they actually share the same food and they ward off pests and insects for one another.

Imagine! This is super friendship.

So what message am I bringing to you guys?

Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, go ye into the supermarket, I mean straight to the seed corners, grab two packets that is one for egg plants and the other one for tomatoes, choose any variety

As for me, I have fallen in love with cherry tomatoes and the black beauty variety of eggplants.

Ok, let’s say you are not good at starting your own seed, fine that is not a problem, head to the nursery shop and grab the seedlings for the two plants, I bet it’s easier for beginners.

Please do not be excited and forget to pay!

Now, let’s get into the garden, remember, I like eating organically grown vegetables so let’s do it the organic way.

Come on let’s start now,

Choose a suny spot, your plants love basking in the sun so make sure the spot receives at least 12hrs of sunshine,

Dig holes which are 30cn wide and 30cm dip and put a spacing of 60cm between two holes and 100cm between two rows. Deposit enough we’ll aged compost, goat, chicken manure or cow dung in the holes and mix well with well draining soil.

Use any eye catching pattern during transplanting, but just make sure the two are growing together.

Practice good agronomy, ensuring that you give the plants enough water and avoid weeds at all costs

Natural calcium and potassium.

Use egg shells and banana peels to add the to minerals.

As long as you do your agriculture very well, in less than three months you can start harvesting depending on varieties chosen.

If you face challenges, do not forget to write to us for more tips.

You can only eat fresh and healthy food if you put more effort in your garden.

Bye for now my adorable friends, lots of love

Hello everyone, I hope I find you well, today we have an interesting topic and its about growing a squash called baby marrow. This plant is so wonderful as it bears a lot of fruits within a short space of time.

Yes ,I know you would love to pick up your fresh marrows straight from the garden but you have a confined space. Baby marrows need spaces about 150cm apart, imagine, it means it is going to take much of your space,

Do not worry about that today in this lesson we are going to learn how we can grow it organically at the same time maximising the little space that we have,

Come on guys let’s get in our garden.

Take your measuring tape , well aged chicken or goat manure, a hoe and a watering cane.

We only want to plant five zucchini plant, they are enough for a family of four, mark your area , we need 80cm between each row and between each plant 40cm. Dig your holes about 30cm deep, take one part of soil and add two parts of organic manure. Mix well and deposit the mixture in each hole up until it is 90% full.

Plant your health baby marrow organic seed in each hole but this must only be 2cm dip. Water thoroughly using the watering can. Do this as required up until the marrows germinate.

NB. Marrows are the easiest squashes to grow and they grow vigorously if they are well fed. Expect the first harvest in less than 2months. As the plant is growing, it will have huge foliage and it’s not necessary because what we want are the fruits. So to have more fruits we will train our marrow to grow vertically instead of being a bush. Look for supporters e.g bamboo trees or anything straight that is available.

cut all the lower leaves and leave it with few leaves at the top. Tie your marrow to the supporting tree, in this case it will start to grow vertically as it is fruiting. This will allow you to walk through easily and quickly recognize the fruit that would have matured. This method saves space and you are able to grow more than double at a limited space.

The more you prune the plant ant support it, the more it grows and bears more fruits.

As the plant start bearing fruits, beware of fruit flies and blossom end rot. Next time we are going to address these issues using organic method of farming.

Now it’s harvest time.

May be you have never tasted it , I mean you do not know how to consume it.

Well ! That is not a problem because today you are going to learn one or two ways of eating marrows or zucchini.

The first method is to eat it raw like what people do to cucumbers, I like it that way. Another way is to stir fry it and add it in your plate as a side dish. I also like to it in my soup. Another way is to blend it into a smoothie and drink.

Baby marrows are packed with many nutrients like iron, potassium, magnesium, rich in fiber and it also rich in vitamin c.only to mention a few. This means that those who consume them raw will enjoy more healthy benefit than those who cook.

Because of their mineral content, they help fight, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and high sugar levels. Since it has high content of iron, it fights anemia. This shows that every house hold must have this vegetable in the garden.

Some of my clients come to me giving me testimonies of how they felt better after eating raw baby marrows.

Well by now , I hope you are saying I now want to start my seed, before you do that just know that they do well in open field when we are in summer and they love full sunlight. This means that if we are in winter like here in Zimbabwe, you can not grow it outside, you need to have a green house.

That’s it for today, my friends , continue enjoying healthy food, and make it a habit to produce your own veggies on that limited space.

Remember eating is a necessity but choosing the right food is an art.

Therefore take heed, choose your food wisely so as to enhance your longevity. Bonosalus has it for you, come pick your fresh produce and start your journey of a healthy life.