Natural & Organic Farming — Quick Reference

Input recipes

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# JEEVAMRUT (200 litres — soil microbial inoculant)
10 kg desi cow dung + 5L desi cow urine
2 kg jaggery + 2 kg gram flour
Handful of soil from under a large tree
Ferment 48 hours, stir twice daily
Apply: 10% dilution, drench soil every 15 days

# COMPOST (ready in 45-60 days)
Ratio: 3 parts dry (leaves, cardboard) : 1 part wet (kitchen waste)
Add cow dung as activator
Turn every 7-10 days, keep moist not waterlogged
Apply: 1-2 kg per sq. metre before planting

# NEEM SPRAY (broad-spectrum organic pesticide)
5 ml neem oil + 1-2 ml liquid soap per litre water
Spray both sides of leaves, in the evening
Repeat every 7-10 days preventively
Targets: aphids, whitefly, mites, caterpillars, fungal disease

# CHILLI-GARLIC SPRAY (chewing pests)
10 green chillies + 10 garlic cloves, blended in 1L water
Strain, dilute 1:10, spray on affected plants

# BORDEAUX MIXTURE (fungal disease — apply BEFORE monsoon)
100g copper sulphate + 100g lime in 10L water
Apply preventively to avoid blight and rust

Container depth by crop (terrace/home garden)

Depth	Crops

|---|---|

Shallow (6–8 in)	Coriander, methi, spinach, radish, microgreens
Medium (10–12 in)	Tomato, chilli, capsicum, beans, cucumber, okra
Deep (14–18 in)	Carrot, potato, beetroot, turmeric, ginger

Container soil mix: 40% garden soil + 30% vermicompost + 20% cocopeat + 10% sand

Seasonal planting (most of India)

Season	Months	Crops

|---|---|---|

Summer	Feb–Jun	Okra, cucumber, bitter gourd, amaranth
Monsoon	Jul–Oct	Leafy greens, ginger, turmeric, beans
Winter (best)	Oct–Feb	Tomato, chilli, peas, carrot, cauliflower

Coastal zones: expect elevated fungal pressure year-round, not just monsoon. Hill regions: shift winter crops earlier. Semi-arid: mulch + drip irrigation are required, not optional.

Certification quick reference

	PGS-India	NPOP

|---|---|---|

Cost	Free	Paid, third-party audited
Model	Farmer peer-review group (5+ members)	External auditor
Conversion period	~2 years, documented	Set by auditing body
Use case	Domestic sale, small/home growers	Export, retailers requiring 3rd-party cert

Water conservation quick numbers

Method	Saving	Notes

|---|---|---|

Drip irrigation	~60% water	DIY kit for 500 sq.ft: ₹3,000–5,000
Mulching	~50% water	3–4 inches dry leaves/rice straw
Farm pond (1 acre)	Season buffer	20×20×2m lined pond, ₹25,000–50,000, often subsidised

Economics quick reference (1 acre vegetable farm)

	Input cost/year	Yield

|---|---|---|

Chemical	₹40,000	5T
Organic — Year 1	₹25,000	4T (transition)
Organic — Year 3+	₹5,000	5–6T + 20–50% premium price

ZBNF's four pillars (quick list)

1.Beejamrut — seed treatment, applied before planting

2.Jeevamrut — soil microbial inoculant, applied every 15 days

3.Mulching — water conservation + continuous in-place composting

4.Waaphasa — soil aeration/moisture management to prevent waterlogged roots

Free resources

•Subhash Palekar ZBNF — search YouTube

•PKVY scheme — govt subsidy for organic transition

•PGS-India — free organic certification: [pgsindia-ncof.gov.in](https://pgsindia-ncof.gov.in/)