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Hobby farming and some of the reasons for this movement For thousands of years farming and ranching were done at home, by the family that was to use the products of their own collaboration with the land. This continued until human ingenuity produced a rudimentary form of the division of labor, and farming began to be seen as a separate occupation just like woodworking or stone cutting. Please note that this is a drastic oversimplification, and there have always been self sufficient groups who raised their own food, and built their own homes. The modern tendency is to look at those groups as being subsistence level farmers, although that carries the wrong connotation. It is true that some people in some areas of the world eked out a bare living from the soil, and lived in what we might see as deplorable conditions, but it is equally true that some communities thrived while doing so. There is nothing wrong with this system, and there is nothing wrong with the modern division of labor model.
Economics
Economics are always a good reason to return to self sufficiency. Periodically we are reminded that we may be too dependent on a system which might fail in one way or another, and we move back to providing our own basics. Some hobby farmers do so for profit. Hobby farming for profit is a natural outgrowth of our entrepreneurial spirits, and can lead to some nice paydays if managed well. Whether it is to supplement the family income, or supplement the family diet, there is plenty of motivation.
Companion Planting for Home Farming Native American companion planting methods for home farming
The ancients have stolen all our best ideas. A.T. Robertson A lot can be learned by studying the past. Modern people are obviously not the first organic farmers, and the lessons from the past can translate well into our own age. Ancient Native Americans and other early agrarian and semi agrarian societies developed farming techniques based on companion planting which still make sense today. Whether these developments occurred as a result of religious beliefs, or whether the religious beliefs were used to explain the method were developed as a result of the methods and a need to develop ideas to perpetuate this knowledge is a source of debate among modern thinkers, but either way, the fact that the methods exist, and work, is not in question. A common companion planting example is the method known as the 3 Sisters technique. We are not able to assign a precise age to this practice, or an exact time period when the terminology, and religious significance came into being, but it seems to have been widespread in a variety of Native American cultures since very early times. Similar practices have existed in other cultures, along with the pairing of foods that compliment each other in ways that science now understands as being necessary for the utilization of plant nutrients for the human body. Whether this combination came about for religious reasons, nutritional reasons, or agricultural reasons, or a combination of all may be a matter for cultural anthropology, but whatever the reason, the modern gardener can benefit from the practice in the same manner as his agrarian predecessors. The 3 Sister farming concept is very simple. Corn or maize is planted in a block for the purpose of self pollination. Vine, or pole beans are planted between the stalks, and squash are mixed into the garden providing living mulch.
Plant the corn in hills 5 feet apart, with 4 seeds per hill. When the corn reaches 4 inches, the plot should be weeded, and the beans should be planted, 4 per hill around the stalks. The squash should be planted at the same time as the beans, centered between the corn and beans, with 4 seeds per hill. The squash will need to be thinned to 2 per hill after they developed leaves.
The 4 seed planting process is similar to the old folk saying; one for the mouse, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow or some other variations of this old saying. The corn will develop ahead of the beans, providing a natural pole for the beans to grow onto. The beans will add nitrogen into the soil for use by the other crops, and the squash will provide a growing ground cover for shading out grass and weeds. The food produced from this garden is complimentary as well, with the beans, providing protein, carbohydrates from the grain, and mineral nutrients and oils from the squash for a well balanced meal. Companion planting and nutrition work well together on the table.
Pest control
Pest management can be broken down into 2 parts, the first of which is, or at least should be, pest prevention. The second is pest control. Prevention is always better than dealing with the aftermath. Control is what you do when you failed to prevent. We understand this with auto accidents, and disease, but often forget when it comes to our homes and gardens.
Pest prevention
Pest prevention for home organic farms is really a matter of keeping your plants healthy. This can be accomplished by:
Choosing the right varieties Grouping plants according to elemental needs Attention to the plants internal calendar Soil structure Soil fertility Soil moisture
If these factors are balanced, your plants will be healthier, and more disease and pest resistant, thus preventing the majority of pest problems. Failing this, or if other factors have conspired to bring on a pest invasion, or if some pests just managed to get through the prevention barrier, it may be necessary to resort to pest control.
Biological
Biological pest control is one method suitable to organic farming. Biological pest controls include lady bugs, spiders, praying mantis, and other bugs that feed on the insects feeding on your garden.
Botanical
Botanical pest management agents are made from plant oils and naturally occurring pyrethrins. There are products available to target and safely kill unwanted pests, but like most commercial insecticides, they will kill beneficial insects as well, so caution should be exercised.
Physical
Physical pest control is the removal of pests by hand. This is often done with a stream of water, a net, or by picking the bugs from the plant using the fingers. This method is often slow and tedious, and may be impossible for very large home farms, but can be effective in many situations.
Balance in variety
Variety in the insect world is needed. Insects that pollinate plants should be present in sufficient abundance pollinate the garden. Insects that eat other insects such as ladybugs, spiders, and the praying mantis perform pest control work. Some plant types ward off bugs with natural insecticides and repellents, and some, like sweet potatoes, even keep other plants and weeds away. Having a diverse selection makes success more likely.
Balance in varieties
Having the proper plant varieties, at the proper time, and in the proper places goes a long way toward the balance needed for successful organic produce production. Weak plants invite insects and disease, and plants grown out of season or in other situations that compromise their health will be susceptible. Balancing these factors is the key to organic farming for real people like us.