Seedlings - Nursery
Chief Editor : HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami
E-mail : Bhakti.Raghava.Swami@pamho.net
Date Produced : January 15, 2017
Serial No : 3 of 54

 Every farm needs a permanent nursery to raise
seedlings & saplings
 Off season vegetables can also be grown in nurseries e.g.
Coriander, Methi in summer etc.
Why?

 Bed Preparation
 Sowing
 Transplanting
 Harvesting
Steps


Nursery – Raised Beds
 6-8 inches high, 3 feet wide with 1.5 feet walkways
between adjacent beds
 Never walk on the beds only in the walkways
 Beds take an entire season to stabilize (3-4 months)
 Beds should never be dismantled only repaired
 Keep length same e.g. 15 feet so you can start keeping the
exact count of the seed
Contd.
Bed Preparation


Nursery – Raised Beds
 Making Bed
 Pure, sieved leaf mould compost best for nursery beds – has no
pathogens
 First time or whenever the beds are empty broadcast & grow variety of
green manure crop for 25 days, cut & use as mulch
 This is like feeding nutritious salad for the bed
 Horse gram, Moong , Cow pea etc. will decompose in 5-10 days & bed is ready for
sowing
 Makes soil soft and workable and allows roots to go deep enough
 Make Bed->Add leaf compost-> Work it in -> Add more leaf compost
 Edges can be stabilized with wooden planks but not really required
 Bricks not the best – Expensive & will disintegrate
Bed Preparation


 Bed Preparation
Sowing
 Transplanting
 Harvesting
Steps


Nursery Beds - Seed Sowing
 Prepare the seeds for sowing
 Wash thoroughly if seeds have been chemically treated
 Soak in Cow Urine for 30 minutes
 Shade Dry
 For Tomatoes etc. sprinkle Trichoderma to protect against root rot
 Sowing Depth is 4 times the seed thickness
 Make depression to required depth using a straight rod
Contd.
Sowing


Nursery Beds - Seed Sowing
 Sow the seed at the specified spacing
 Space occupied by the seedling at 4-6 leaf (transplanting)stage determines spacing
 If spacing too close, the seedlings will be thin, unhealthy & because of poor aeration prone to
pest attacks
 Proper spacing will usually take care of pest and disease
 Fill the depression with leaf mold compost
 Will help even if seeds buried deeper by mistake
 Water using garden hose, rose can or micro sprinkler to water twice
a day for 10-12 days
 Drip is not suitable
 Too much pressure can uproot the seedlings
 Cover with paddy straw (or thin leaves or net) till seeds start
germinating
 Keeps the seeds warm & provide the required darkness
 esp. Celery, Leek & Onion
 Remove cover after germination
Sowing


Sowing on Bed
Sowing


Nursery Beds – Seedling Care
 After 10-12 days (2-4 leaf stage), water only once a day
 This hardens the seedlings and they have better root formation
 Evening watering can cause fungal problems
 For snail problems use thin layer of Hydrated Lime (Chunna) around
the nursery or in the alleys
 For other pest problems, neem oil spray or gliricidia liquid manure
will usually suffice
Contd.
Sowing


Nursery Beds – Seedling Care
 For Thinning don’t pull out
 Disturbs the roots of the seedlings
 Either nip or cut with scissors
 Weeding very essential.
 At least 2-3 weedings required before transplanting
 Fill soil around the seedlings at the time of the weeding
 With Leaf Mold Compost, less weeds
 Harden the seedlings by removing the shade net at least 6-7 days
before transplanting.
 Otherwise you will lose 15-20%
 Seedlings will be too thin. They will droop and not come up properly
Sowing


 Bed Preparation
 Sowing
Transplanting
 Harvesting
Steps


Transplanting
 Best time to transplant when 4-6 leaf stage
 Harden by removing shade-net from top for at least 2 days to
acclimatize the plant
 Remove seedlings so that the roots are surrounded by the original soil &
Micro-Organisms.
 Transplant in evening after 4:00 p.m. (2 hours before sunset) & during
descending
 Plant gets whole night to recover
 Otherwise seedling takes 7-8 days to recover instead of 5 days
 Spacing depends on size that it spreads eventually
 Water immediately
 If oversize, nip off the leaves to reduce transpiration losses
 Cabbage, Cauliflower can go way inside
 When Sowing & Transplanting you have to personally monitor
Transplanting

Seedlings in Trays
Transplanting

Seedlings in Trays
Transplanting

Seedlings in Blocks
Transplanting


 Bed Preparation
 Sowing
 Transplanting
Harvesting
Steps


 Vegetables are picked every day or every other day so lunar
rhythms are difficult to apply
 Picking should be done in morning when temperatures are low
say before 8:30 a.m.
 Put in cold water preferably ice cold especially leafy vegetables
 Dip and take out
 Less you wash the better from storage point of view
 Put in a crate in shade immediately
 Don’t leave the crate in the sun otherwise heavy wilting due to
transpiration
 Pack in thin wrap
 Wilting because of transpiration
 Chilling is done at 4 degree centigrade
Introduction


 Beans
 Need to be picked before the seeds inside swell unless you want the seeds
as vegetable
 Broccoli
 Tie it just before it flowers. It swells up
 Pick Broccoli with tender nutritious leaves on the sides.
 Cut only the top portion
 In 25 days, it will have side shoots – very small broccoli come on the sides
 Cauliflower
 Should not be exposed to sun i.e. people prefer white
 Tie two leaves (break but still attached) around the head (should cover the
top portion where the sun comes in) to prevent yellowing.
Picking Tips








 Cabbage
 Pick when they feel like a hard ball
 After cutting 8-9 small button cabbages come out
 Leave only two opp. each other. You will get 500 gms. Together
 Give a Nitrogen boost by giving additional compost
 This is possible for early cabbage sown in early November & you will
harvest in late march
 Beet
 For storage, Remove all leaves except the center one (will last longer 5-6
days)
 Otherwise excessive transpiration losses
 Beet root can be left in the field for longer time
Picking Tips


 Tomatoes
 Will crack up if too much or too less water
 Critical period for watering is when they begin to ripen
 Pick as soon as they turn red
 If some unripe tomatoes are still left at the end, remove plant with the roots
an hang it upside down & harvest over many days as they turn red
 If tomato gets blight (burning & curling of leaves), remove & the tomatoes
as well as the plant
Picking Tips




 Carrot
 Pick when the place where the leaf is coming out elongates i.e. becomes
like a stem
 Remove all leaves except the center one
 Radish
 Pick when the place where the leaf is coming out elongates i.e. becomes
like a stem
 Cool quickly after harvest
 Remove all leaves for storage (except for immediate sale). Else it will wilt.
Picking Tips






 Sweet Corn
 21 days (25-26 days) after silk comes out, you can harvest (break ) it.
 Should be in milk stage. Open one and when pressed, it should splash
 Sweetness deteriorates very quickly (within 2 hours) so best to pick when
you need it
 To preserve, don’t remove sheath and dip in ice cold water
 Blanching (dip in boiling water for 2 minutes) & store in deep freezer to
preserve for longer (6-8 months) periods
 Brinjal
 Pick when you press it, it should bounce back. That is the first time to pick
 Picking should be done every second day, else production falls
Picking Tips




 Garlic
 When the leaves start drying (50%), they can be pulled out
 Shade dry for 4-6 weeks
 Form plaits and hang as a bunch with a string
 Keep big ones for next year’s seeds
 Never remove skin of garlic
 Spring Onions
 Harvest when nice & green
 Remove any burnt tips for marketing & put in water
Picking Tips


 Onions
 Harvested when the leaves are totally dry
 They can be pulled out or by digging parallel to the line
 Take to a shaded area and cut the leaves leaving 4” & put them there for
drying
 If you cut leaves right to the bottom, they will start rotting
 Onions normally stored in wooden framework where air can go in. Also
can be hung like garlic but not generally done because of more space
requirement. Best is to adopt local cultural practices
 Outer skin v.imp. for good storage
Picking Tips


 Peas
 Best to pick just before you consume it for max. sweetness
 For preserving put in ice water & refrigerate
 Spinach
 All leafy veg. should be picked first thing in morning
 Pick outer leaves which will be uniform (3” or 4” long)
 As soon as Spinach bolts it becomes bitter so last harvest before
bolting
Picking Tips




Potatoes
 Best storage if not washed
 Harvested after 110 days
 Don’t give any water for last 20 days – there will be no soil
attached to it and hence no cleaning
 Protective skin builds up
Picking Tips

Thank You

ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry
Promoting Rural Development in India
www.iskconvarnasrama.com
OM Sri Surabhi Campaign
www.srisurabhi.org


ABOUT THE
EDITOR
 Name HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami
 Age and Gender 71, Male
 Country/Province of Origin Canada, Ontario
 Educational Degree and Year B.A, 1968, M.Ed., 2004
 Educational Institution State University of Yogyakarta
 Professional Work/Experience Social Worker/Counselor
 Affiliation with ISKCON Since 1974
 Present Service in ISKCON Minister, IDVM-India