Do you have a farmland? Do you love farming? Yes i do!This is farming season in my locality. Some of us living in the eastern part of Nigeria can relate with me. So as a poultry farmer, crop cultivation is not far from what i know because animal husbandry and crop production are interrelated. All of them falls in the field of Agriculture.
So as a farmer, I have to start my work with land preparation, that is clearing the land and burning it. My farm land is filled with elephant grass. A very tough and stubborn grass that is very difficult to eradicate. Yet i was able to burn the grasses and till the ground. I tilled the ground in ridges, yes i prefer it that way because it helps me to plan on how i would plant and position different crops. unlike previous years, i added melon seed to the crops to be planted. This is because, it is a major thickener for soup in my home and the price has become too expensive in the market, so i decided to grow and process my own for family uses. I dedicated three ridges to planting it so that i wont crawl and overshadow other crops, i also planted the seeds on areas that are not farm land but have been overshadowed by weed to help check for weed. Generally, the farm needs to be weeded at least 3/4 weeks after planting but melons have special need. It needs early weeding more than other crops. The grasses around it need to be cleared around 2weeks of planting due to its crawling nature.
Another crop I planted is cassava stem. Cassava tubber has life saver in my locality. It is a good staple as it has a wide variety of uses. It can be used as tapioca, flour, cassava flour, some species can be cooked as porridge. I also planted maize. Yes, i love maize because i always snack on fried corn with our local palm kernel. Or fried corn with fried breadfruit It also tastes delicious when cooked with beans. There comes a separate portion for my green leafy vegetables especially the fluted pumpkin leaves and my okra, my favorite recipe for soup. I also love the pumpkin leaves in vegetable/ egg sauce for rice and yam, the taste is superb and it is nutritious too. I love having them in my garden always, they useful especially for a meal being a mother whose children are too selective on food. They can request their favorite draw soup which i can urgently prepare with ease by going straight to my farm land to harvest some.
Though i have few yam and cocoa yam tubers in the farm. Next farm season, my target is to grow as many tubers of yam and coco yam as possible and possibly have a barn to store them. This is among the knowledge i acquired from my late grandmother. Even am not living in a village or rural area where having barns and all that is obtainable, i know i can devise a means of having it at home or close to my farmland. I love subsistent farming especially for my family. It gives the opportunity to enjoy fresh varieties of food. Do you like farming? What do you enjoy most about cropping ? What aspects do you find boring or tiresome? Share with us in the comment section . This is may inleo! All pictures mine.
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