Daily DOSE Farm

Mini Spiral Garden

2010-11-12T22:19:00.004+08:00

The 3rd Pinoy Herbal Festival will be held at the AANI Herbal Center this coming November 19 to 21. The 3 day event will feature a lineup of free seminars about herbs and health and also herb propagation. I was invited to talk about herb propagation and how to start a small herb garden.

I am not a fan of power point presentations, during my lectures, I usually bring an actual product or machine to show my audience instead of a picture from my computer. Sometimes I show them pictures only because I can't bring the farm to them.

With my upcoming lecture, I decided to make a small garden that I can bring during the event.

Here's how I made my mini spiral garden:

All it needs now are the herbs. Come and see the finished product on November 21, 9:00 a.m. at the AANI Herbal Garden, Quezon Memorial Circle.

Latest Project: Vortex Brewer

2010-10-15T20:19:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since we posted something here.

For those who read the whole blog or those who know me, I'm sure you're all aware that we make Compost Tea Brewers. We've been using them for more than 4 years now and so far, we've never seen a better local version of a compost/vermi tea brewer... until now!

For the past 2 years I've been thinking of making a Vortex Brewer. I've seen pictures and videos of this all over the internet. Only this Monday I decided building one. It was a bit easier to build than I expected as long as you have the right tools.

Enough of the intro, here it is:

I will be posting more pics soon. I will also post a video of the actual brewing action.

Busy as a BEE!

2010-06-27T22:22:00.003+08:00

I'm very sorry for not posting any updates on our blog. I would like to announce that we're still very very active and still very much into organic farming. In fact, I think this time is the busiest we've ever been since we started the farm several years ago.

To make it up with you guys, we will be conducting FREE seminars and forums about organic farming. We will be doing this every first Saturday of the month. We will be teaching how to make organic fertilizers like fermented fruit extracts, fish amino acids, lactic acid bacteria, vermitea, and more. We will also be inviting friends who will share their technologies to us.

The venue will be at the AANI Herbal Center, inside Quezon Memorial Circle. For instructions on how to get there, call, 4972755. We will start at around 8am and finish at 12 noon.

Leave a comment here if you have questions or you want to suggest a topic to discuss during the seminar/forum.

SEE YOU THERE!!!

The making of Daily DOSE Farm

2009-10-31T15:05:00.002+08:00

This video was taken 3 years ago when we were just starting Daily DOSE Farm. Here you will see the other parts of our farm and some weird activities that we do when we have, well, nothing to do. :) We hope you enjoy watching. :)

Thank you for watching!

Farm Tour

2009-08-12T22:46:00.003+08:00

Here are some (class) pictures from the recent (08/09/2009) farm tour at our farm in Candelaria, Quezon. We will be posting more pics soon.

Click images for a larger view. More pics to come!!!

Organic Fruit Fly Attractant (video)

2009-07-28T19:37:00.002+08:00

We've posted a picture about this before, now here's a video.

We hope you enjoy and learn something from this short film.

This is our very first video, but certainly not our last.

More videos on organic farming to come...

New Books!

2009-06-03T17:47:00.003+08:00

I think the title should have been "Newly Acquired Books!"

These are recent additions to my collection of "Organic Agriculture, Environment, Soil Science, Entomology, Herbs, etc." related books (you get what I mean).

I just finished reading the one in the middle.

My next read would be the one on the left.

The one on the right is a bit technical but still interesting.

There's been a lot of new additions to our collection since we first showed you our bookshelf in the January 2008 post entitled "Books!"

Now, if you need a specific book about organic farming and can't find it in our local book stores, feel free to post in anywhere on this site and I'll be happy to look it up for you.

Our New Product - Stevia Powder

2009-05-03T23:06:00.003+08:00

What you're looking at is more than 2kg of stevia powder. It takes about 500 grams of fresh leaves to make 100 grams of dried leaves. It took us a more than 2 weeks and more than 10 kilos of fresh stevia leaves, taken from more than 100 stevia plants to produce what you're seeing in this picture. Now, let me ask you, how much would you sell these?

Winds of Change

2009-05-03T22:04:00.002+08:00

Its been almost two years since we started Daily DOSE Farm and we've learned so much since then. There have been ups and downs. We've been so down that we even thought of putting this project to a halt, but we can't because the happiness it brings us is priceless. The feeling of harvesting your first crop, picking your first fruits, feeding the chicks, and learning from nature is truly a heart warming experience.

We started with salad greens; lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, etc. Then we tried growing chickens, then herbs. We have very few problems growing them all. We only have one big problem - TRANSPORT. We have no easy means of bringing our goods to the consumer. Ten crates of vegetables and herbs are too many to fit in a small car, we have to borrow my dad or brother's truck. But not anymore! We've solved this problem, not by buying a bigger car, but by converting bulky herbs into powder. We are now air-drying or herbs.

We are now focusing on culinary and medicinal herbs and gave the salad greens a bit of rest. Daily DOSE Farm is now planted with lots of stevia (stevia rebaudiana) accompanied by gotu kola (centella asiatica) and bordered with cat's whiskers (orthosiphon aristatus). There are plans of planting more medicinal herbs like moringa (malunggay), saluyot, sambong, turmeric, etc.

Solar Dryer

2009-04-14T21:19:00.003+08:00

After 3 days of hard work, 2 calloused fingers, and a few cuts, I've finally finished (almost) our solar dryer. All we need now is the glass to cover the "hot air harvester" - more about this later.

Here it is!!!

From this angle you can see the exhaust at the top and the air intake at the bottom. At the back is the door.

Here's a better view of the air intake. Hot air goes in there.

This is where hot air exits. We'll be installing a fine meshed screen at the vent to avoid insects or other foreign objects from getting in.

I haven't made trays yet, but hanging bunches of leaves/herbs would work just fine.

This is the "hot air harvester" that i was talking about. The black part is made of GI (galvanized iron) metal sheet painted with black. The reason why its black is because black absorbs heat better. A glass sheet will cover the top part of the "hot air harvester" leaving about 4 inches of space in between the metal sheet. The bottom of the harvester will be left open so air can enter. Then the air will be warmed up by the metal sheet. Since hot air rises, it will enter our dryer and pass through whatever we place in there and exits through the vent. Herbs, fruits, meat, fish, are just a few examples.

We'll be posting more pics of our dryer in action soon after the paint cures.

I hope you got the idea on how this solar dryer works. If you have questions, feel free to post it at the comments section below or send us an email.

More Info About Stevia

2009-04-04T00:01:00.002+08:00

Stevia shrubs can live for years and years. This is one of our oldest, she's two years old.

They have an extensive root system and they don't want to share space. It would be best to plant them one stevia per spot. A single stevia will grow and live longer compare to those planted in twos or threes.

Here's the proof.

Edible Flower

2009-04-03T23:18:00.007+08:00

There are a lot of edible flowers, even roses are edible, but don't try to eat the ones that came from flower shops because they are bombarded with lots of chemicals to keep them fresh.

Before we show you our featured flower, let us show you the fruits and try to guess what kind of flower we're talking about.

Some of you might say these are pole beans or "sitao"

Guess again...

Here's another clue, take a good look at their seeds...

Give up?

Ok let us now show you the flower...

This is the KATURAY

We're no culinary experts so we can not share recipe ideas for this flower. What we know about this plant is that they are very easy to germinate.

They grow from seeds and bear flowers in less than 2 months.

This is a nice addition to your garden if you have a couple of square meter to spare.

Here's a 2 month old seedling

They also make a nice hanging decor... :)

Spiral Garden Update

2009-04-03T22:55:00.004+08:00

Remember our tarragon that grew more than 4 feet? They were growing so fast that the basils near them can't keep up. And the lavender beside them were overshadowed. To give way for new growth, we decided to prune our "giant" tarragons. It worked well and now all the herbs beside it are happy, especially the lavender which is now taller than the tarragon.

Solar Dryer Part 1

2009-04-03T21:06:00.003+08:00

I thought gathering materials for our solar dryer was the easy part, now its proving to be the harder part of this project. :)

Maybe the reason is we don't want to spend more than 100 pesos (about $2) for this project. How? We will recycle and beg for materials. :)

Here's what we'll be needing:

1 whole sheet of plywood or at least 7 sheets measuring 18 by 36 inches each.*

8 pcs. 1"x1"x36" or 1"x2"x36" wooden planks

8 pcs. 1"x1"x18" or 1"x2"x18" wooden planks

1 30"x 36" flat metal sheet

Black paint

A thin sheet of glass measuring at least 18"x36" or a sheet of clear UV treated plastic, the kind they use for greenhouse roofing

hinges

nails

clean plastic net

We'll stop here for now.

So far the only materials we got are the first three. Maybe we'll get lucky tomorrow. :)

*If you want a bigger dryer, make sure to get bigger and longer materials.

Pending Projects

2009-02-25T09:54:00.003+08:00

I have two plans, the left and the right... :)

One is to make a vortex brewer. Its the same principle as the brewer that we're already using but this one uses additional principles of biodynamics.

Diverse, Organic, Sustainable and Eco-friendly + Agni Hotra Homa + Biodynamics = WOW!!!

My second project would be to construct a small solar dryer. So we can dry our herbs to make tea. I will post detailed pictures and instructions here in our blog for those who want to build their own.

Maybe I'll start making the solar dryer first. Please remind me to start these projects on March 13 :)

We're Still Alive!!! :)

2009-02-20T18:29:00.002+08:00

Please forgive us for not posting recently on our blog. We promise next month to have lots and lots of new topics for you to read and enjoy. I would also like to take this chance to recommend a good book entitled, "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte. It's been published 10 years ago and finally its available in the Philippines. :) It's a book about companion planting.

Keep those questions coming. Send your questions at nonatus@gmail.com

We have to have Aphids

2008-10-17T13:46:00.002+08:00

At Daily DOSE Farm, we can't afford to loose aphids. That's why we plant legumes all the time because its their favorite. You might think we're crazy for wanting aphids in our farm. The real reason is because of this alligator looking insect below.

I don't know if you can see her. Click the image for a better view. (I don't crop images, sorry. And I hate editing too...) That's a ladybird larvae munching on a black aphid. She can eat around 5000 aphids throughout her lifetime.

That's the best shot I can take from my stock lens. Is there anyone out there who can lend me a macro lens... :D

Extreme Stevia Pruning

2008-10-17T13:26:00.002+08:00

When your stevia starts to bear flowers, it's time to prune them.

The one in front is a newly pruned stevia. Almost all of the leaves were taken for processing.

The one behind it has started to bear new leaves. This is one hardy herb.

What looks dead after pruning starts to regain life after several days...

P. Rangers

2008-10-17T13:08:00.002+08:00

Here are some shots of our free ranging pigs.

Piglet giving me his most intimidating face. Still looks cute though...

I wonder what he's telling his big brother... hmmmm...

Parting shot... :)

Woody

2008-10-16T23:31:00.002+08:00

During the Agri-Link expo at the World Trade Center Philippines, I brought with me one large sized stevia. Large enough to be a mother-plant. Everyone was surprised to see a woody stevia plant. Here are pictures of some herbs we planted directly into the soil.

3 month old Stevia

8 month old Rosemary

2 month old tarragon

Spoon and Fork

2008-10-16T23:17:00.002+08:00

More than a year ago I gave you tips on how to choose the best tools for your garden or farm.

Remember the photo from that post? The spade fork you're seeing on the left is the one on the photo last Aug. 4, 2007. It still looks brand new despite being used and abused every single day. Now I bought him a partner. Let's see how long this stainless steel spade would last?

Lettuce for Agri-Link

2008-10-08T14:39:00.002+08:00

We've prepared ready to plant lettuce seedlings in trays for you.

These will be available for sale along with other herbs during the Agri-Link expo at the World Trade Center Philippines, Gil Puyat (Buendia) corner Macapagal Road, Pasay City. The exhibit will start tomorrow, Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, 2008.

We will also be selling different planting materials. Our booth is located at the Outside Exhibit area. Booth no. 3

Stinging Nettle (True and False)

2008-10-08T14:02:00.003+08:00

For those who do their research on the web and read foreign books on organic gardening, I'm sure most of you have seen or read about this plant or weed. It's one of the best ingredients for composting.

The stinging nettle have a fearsome reputation for, guess what, stinging. They have stinging hairs that come off when it gets in contact with something, even other plants. The hairs becomes a needle that injects several chemicals that gives the victim a burning sensation.

Here are two nettles. Similar but not the same. One is a true stinging nettle and the other one is another kind of nettle. The one at the left is what we need to avoid.

The difference is the flower. I wouldn't dare to touch the one at the left.

A closer look.

In Tagalog, Stinging Nettle is called "Lipang-Aso"

Natural Enemies

2008-10-08T13:39:00.002+08:00

This young mung bean is being attacked by hundreds of black aphids. But help in on the way.

On the left corner, with a combined weight of about 50 mg. (one aphid weighs around 0.5 mg)

"The Black Aphids Gang!!!"

On the right corner, weighing only 5 mg. The Champion and favorite of gardeners worldwide...

"The Ladybird"

(this one is an Asian Orange Ladybird)

NATURE REALLY KNOW HOW TO MAINTAIN BALANCE IF WE ONLY WORK WITH HER...

Green Manure Review

2008-10-08T13:20:00.003+08:00

It's been more than a year ago when we posted procedures on how to prepare your elevated beds for green-manuring. Here are some shots of mung beans grown as green manure.

Three days after planting.

One week.

Three weeks.

Happy 50th day!

2008-10-01T22:45:00.005+08:00

Pablo (the typhoon) visited during their 50th day so they have to stay indoors. Great time to check their average weight.

Most of them weigh around 1.7 kg. Some 1.5 and the lightest is 1.2 kg. This one comfortably sits while being weighed.

Old habits are hard to break. This one still love to read his own weight.

Chicks will be Chicks

2008-10-01T22:28:00.002+08:00

Even though they're 50 days old and weigh 1.7 kg, they still have their chick feathers (I don't know what those feathers are called, i just call them chick feathers).

And they love playing with my pocket zipper. Some want to have a chicky-back-ride...

Not just chickens...

2008-10-01T22:21:00.000+08:00

We also have some free-ranged pigs... :)

YUM!!! 3X

2008-10-01T22:05:00.003+08:00

No need for words...

Makes my mouth water just by looking at it... :)

Herbs in Bloom

2008-10-01T20:56:00.007+08:00

The tarragon is now 4 feet tall and started to flower.

The flowers are edible.

If you or a relative has high blood pressure, then we suggest you plant this herb. It's called "cat's whiskers" locally called (guess what) "balbas pusa" because its flowers look like cat's whiskers. This herb grows abundantly in rural areas but they call it taheebo - it is not. Taheebo is a tree and the part used for tea is its bark. Unlike cat's whiskers where we use the leaves for making tea or even salad.

A closer look at the flowers, no doubt, they really look like cat's whiskers.

I hate it when…

2008-09-26T16:27:00.003+08:00

Whenever I’m in an exhibit or at our store, I encounter different people interested in organic farming. People from all walks of life, from kids who ask the most difficult questions, to government officials who spend other people’s money for their farm, and mostly, retired executives who want to spend the remaining years of their lives planting fruit trees (which they should have done years ago). Anyway, whenever I meet someone who I think is really interested in organic farming I usually give them pointers and tips on how to start their organic farm. I often teach them more than what they need to know (for free). What really upsets me is when people show a lot of interest then just disregards the information you just shared with them. Here are some actual scenarios:

Encounter no. 1:

There was this couple who overheard me talking to someone about the health benefits of organic food. The guy suddenly joins us in our conversation and shared some stuff regarding health. He was good, he really knows what he’s talking about. Then several minutes later while we were at the peak of our discussion his wife butts in holding a folder. She started showing different graphs from health statistics to killer diseases. Then at the end of her presentation comes the bottled “fountain of youth”. Now they are talking about how I can get rich by selling this product. I have to give them credit for their persistence.

Encounter no. 2:

For those who know me and those who read our profile, you know the reason why we went into organic farming. It’s more of being friends with the environment and caring for Mother Nature. It makes me happy whenever I meet other people who share the same passion. It makes me happier when they are of our age or younger. Anyway, what irritates me is when someone you just talked about organic farming and its health benefits thanks you for the talk turns around to leave and lights up a cigarette. I really feel cheated when this happens.

Encounter no. 3 (this happened just a few hours ago):

I was at the AANI store at Quezon Memorial circle when this familiar guy, in his early 60’s, approached me asking about papaya. I’m really sure I’ve met him before. Then he reminded me that he was the one who asked how to plant papaya several weeks ago. The first time we've met, he was the kind of guy who was really interested to learn. He invited me to sit down and discuss with him the whole process of planting papaya. I taught him almost all he needs to learn. He even asked me to write the procedure for him. From digging the hole, applying compost, up to post harvest procedures. I wrote it all in detail. He thanked me after that and even told me that he was going to buy everything he needs from our store. I told him what’s important is that he practice organic farming. Now he’s back and guess what, he wants me to write the whole procedure for him again because he lost the first one. He asked as if I owe him something. Instead of giving him what he wants, I taught him some principles in organic farming. We talked mainly of crop rotation and its importance. At the end of our discussion he told me “matrabaho pala mag-organic” and “I don’t have time for organic farming…” Well, he should have realized that when he lost the guide I wrote for him.

Other people that annoys me:

People who use chemical fertilizers and call their vegetables organic.

People who buy their vegetables from “bagsakan” markets and sells them in flea markets labeled organic. Go to hell you guys!!!

People who knows very little and acts as if they know it all. These are usually people who use the word “organic” as if it was an expression. “Organic yan sir/ma’am!”

People who think that if you use chicken manure, your plants are automatically organic. I got two words for you… …anti biotic! :)

Thanks for reading this unusually long post of mine. Let me tell you what I usually tell my students, “organic” is not just a word, not just a practice, but a way of life…

Raymond & Mariel @ work

2008-09-19T14:35:00.006+08:00

DDF Update

2008-09-19T14:35:00.002+08:00

I've been so busy for the past few days and wasn't able to get photos from the farm.
The farm in general is doing well. The vegetables are getting enough sunlight and rain. The sunshine chickens are growing steadily fast. At 5 weeks, most of them weigh 1 kg. Some of them even weight 1.2 kg. Some of the herbs are starting to bloom. The tarragons are now more than 4 feet tall and started to form flower buds. Did you know that tarragon flowers are great for salads?

I will be posting pictures next week. 'Till next time.

First Encounter of Another Kind

2008-09-04T11:48:00.004+08:00

This is their first encounter with 100% healthy organic fruit, in this case a dragon fruit. I bet some of you haven't even seen or tasted one of these.
This is just one of the many kinds of fruits, vegetables and herbs they'll be eating at Daily DOSE Farm. Not to mention an array of live, high protein insects and worms... Yum Yum!!!

They Just Turned 21

2008-09-04T11:35:00.003+08:00

They really love to look at the scale while being weighed.

Ashamed or proud, I'm not sure...

Me, I'm proud. Our Sunshines are now weighing around 500 grams each at 3 weeks.

Tarragon Update!

2008-09-04T11:23:00.002+08:00

More than 3 feet tall and still growing...

The tarragon herbs dwarfed the lavenders beside it.

Bigger Chicks, Bigger Home

2008-09-04T10:55:00.002+08:00

Despite of having a very bad morning on the first day of September - I hit my head hard on a drawer, I can't wait to visit the farm to see how the chicks are doing.

The boys of Daily DOSE did a great job in securing the area for the chicks.

They look like a bunch of road runners zooming back and forth, enjoying their new home.

Watching them made me forget the pain from the mornings encounter with the drawer. :)

Drying Stevia Leaves

2008-08-30T22:08:00.004+08:00

Air drying is the cheapest and easiest way to dry stevia leaves but it takes time. Not to mention that its hard to do this during rainy season.

At Daily DOSE Farm, we use a small oven to dry our leaves. Just make sure to dry them at around 60 degrees Celsius for at least 20 mins or when they're crunchy enough. Simply use a coffee grinder to pulverize them.

Seven days later...

2008-08-20T18:35:00.004+08:00

This time she made sure that I wasn't cheating and looked immediately at the weighing scale.

170 grams in 7 days.

She's the biggest among 102 chicks. Average weight would be 140 grams.

A bigger home

2008-08-20T18:29:00.004+08:00

The Sunshine chicks are growing fast, we have to keep up and make bigger homes for them.

It took me several days to look for a perfect spot to keep the birds safe and warm.

I was eating some rambutan when my imagination finally gave me an idea. Then i found myself hauling a truckload of rice hull from my neighbors rice mill.

My friends are now installing nets and roofing as I type.

My dad's going to kill me... :D

Five days later...

2008-08-20T18:05:00.004+08:00

Sometimes i talk to my chicks and try to convince them to eat more... I think they did... :)

This was a conversation between me and one of my chicks...

Me: WOW! You weigh 100 grams already...

Chick: WHAT!!! I'm not that heavy!

Me: Well... Take a look...

Chick: I really am heavy...

Me: Don't go on a diet now...

TO BE CONTINUED...

STEVIA!!! Stevia kayo dyan... :)

2008-08-20T17:31:00.006+08:00

My favorite herb... 15 times sweeter than sugar, 300 times sweeter when processed. WOW...

I won't put more details about stevia here since there are thousands available on the net. What I want to show here is that this herb can easily be propagated and commercially produced here in our country. I started with two (2), yes two, small pots of this herb a year ago. Now I've propagated about four thousand.

I plant them in small seedling bags.

Stevias produce flowers but don't produce viable seeds. We propagate them through cuttings. Use the non-flowering soft tips for propagation.

This is a good example of a non-flowering tip.

Always remember to prune your stevia. But if you have lots of it, it's OK to let it bloom. They invite lots of beneficial insects.

We've decided to allot a small portion of our small farm for this herb.

Please remind me to post instructions on how to propagate this lovely herb.

Enter the Dragon (fruit)

2008-08-20T17:06:00.004+08:00

I highly recommend planting Dragon Fruits under trees or beside walls or fences. They provide great tasting fruits. And also they are very hardy come rainy days or the hottest of weathers.

There are three kinds of dragon fruits that are grown in our country. They differ in taste and meat color, white (common), red (sweeter than the white one) and yellow (the sweetest among the three).

The one with white meat (shown in picture) produces the biggest fruit.

The Sunshines at Daily DOSE Farm

2008-08-20T16:32:00.004+08:00

Our very first batch of Sunshine Chicks

Our Brooders.

I made three of these. It has a floor area of one square meter and a height of around 18 inches. Elevated 12 inches above ground. With four 25 watt bulbs with individual switches so we can regulate the heat easily. It took me 4 days to finish 3 sets. I never knew i had carpentry skills 'till i tried building these. :)

Nice pose!!! Now that's one hot chick... :)

This is their first day at DDF, they seem to like it. Average weight at day one was 35 grams.

Organic Termite Elimination

2008-08-20T16:13:00.003+08:00

Termites are one of the most abundant insects in the world. They can be found in rainforests up to the deserts. They're also the most destructive. The most effective and surefire way to eliminate a termite colony organically is to find the queen and put her to permanent sleep. One kind of fungus is said to infect termites - metarhizium anisopliae. It's locally available but used only for the control of weevils and other beetles.

Look at the size of that queen termite!!!

Oooopppsss... Where did it go?
Yum yum yum!!!

Organic Fruit Fly Attractant

2008-08-13T11:17:00.004+08:00

These are Oriental Fruit Flies. Fruit tree growers and most farmers are very familiar with these insects or, most would say, "pests". Organic farmers use pheromones placed inside traps to attract and confine them. The pheromone contains methyl eugenol as active ingredient. This mimics the scent of female fruit flies thus attracting the males.

But why are these fruit flies gathering around this plant? This plant contains methyl eugenol. This plant is very common, its a basil.

Organic Breakfast

2008-08-07T23:04:00.002+08:00

Nothing beats beaten eggs... :)

Look at the eggs, see how they shine? That's because they're eggs from our Sunshine hens. :) (corny... hehehe...)

Some of our Sunshine Chickens are now laying eggs... They taste great!!! We sometimes eat them raw or mixed with hot rice. Here we made an omelet with potatoes and tarragon. Sarap!!!

TARRAGON!

2008-08-07T22:34:00.004+08:00

... and we're back :)

I never knew the herb tarragon can grow up to five feet tall. I always see them in small pots being sold in almost every herb shop. A friend of mine gave us some and we decided to propagate them. Their leaves were less than an inch long when we took the cuttings. Look what happened after several weeks...

the leaves grew more than 3 inches long...

and now the they're more than two feet tall...

Our Apologies

2008-07-04T12:32:00.005+08:00

We finally got our camera fixed. I was going to post photos of our farm but my Internet connection wont allow me to post pictures. Maybe its because I'm using a five year old laptop and a dial up connection. I tried to upload pictures but it took forever to finish.

If ever you have questions regarding organic farming, just send us an e-mail: nonatus@gmail.com

Don't forget to view previous posts, I guarantee you, you'll learn something. :)

Spiral Herb Garden

2008-04-14T21:58:00.003+08:00

How to make a spiral herb garden:

You'll need some rocks or bricks. In our case we used rocks taken from a nearby river.

Pick a spot for your spiral herb garden. It should receive at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Draw a spiral using a watering can. That's where we'll lay our first layer of stones.

Dig around the area where the first layer of stones will be set. This will make your spiral garden stable.

Set the stones like so. Then fill the inside with rich soil.

Add the second layer of stones, starting from the middle part of the spiral garden up to the center. Again, fill it with rich soil.

Add the third layer of stones only at the center part of the spiral garden. Then add some sand or pebbles inside the middle part, this will improve drainage.

Dig a pond on the lowest part of the spiral garden. This is where you'll place water loving plants.

Make sure that the pond is the lowest part of your spiral garden and the center is the highest part. Plant drain-loving plants at the center (highest part) and damp-loving herbs at the lower parts.

We will keep you updated on this project. Visit us next time...

Lettuce Overload

2008-04-14T20:45:00.004+08:00

It seems that lettuce is becoming ordinary in weekend markets. We gave a rest on planting lettuce and started propagating our herbs in the spiral plot.

These are Sweet Basil seedlings. They are Organically Grown from seed to seedlings.

These are the famous Gotu Kola (centella asiatica). What's their use again? Oh yeah! they are the main ingredient in most memory enhancer food supplements.

These are Lavenders. Maybe the only lavenders propagated without any rooting hormone. The mother plant of these lavenders are also organically grown.

This is my favorite herb, Stevia (rebaudiana). 30 times sweeter than sugar (300 times sweeter when processed). A lot of my friends have tried propagating this herb and failed. You want to know why? I'll let you in on a secret...

More than 95% of herbs we buy from the market were grown with rooting hormones and chemical fertilizers. After bringing home a very healthy herb, do we continue to add chemical fertilizers? NO! Because we want our herbs to grow organically. And maybe that's what the people from the store tell us "Organic yan ma'am/sir!" So what happens? It starts to wither and often times, they die. If this is the case, what should we do? First! Look for and buy from good people who religiously practice organic methods. Ahem! Ahem! Second, since they grow the herbs themselves, for sure they can share some pointers on how you can grow them yourself. Third, visit this blog often for more pointers, or e-mail us for questions. :)

Nutrient-dense Tomatoes

2008-04-03T20:45:00.002+08:00

Have you heard about nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits? It is said that plants with high Brix reading are more resistant to pests and diseases, have higher nutritional value and tastes way better than ordinary crops. I happen to have a refractometer, an instrument that measures %Brix. I tested a regular tomato from the grocery for %Brix, it has a reading of almost 2. I heard that there are some varieties of cherry tomatoes that has a Brix reading of 12. I wonder, how about our tomatoes? Hmmm... Let's see...

These are the tomatoes from our farm. They are healthy, disease free and looks really yummy. Can you guess the Brix reading for these tomatoes?

They have an average Brix reading of 8. Not bad, considering we haven't done anything to increase its Brix reading.

If you're wondering what's behind those tomatoes, it's a large latexfree jackfruit. The black thing in the foreground is the refractometer.

Herb Help!

2008-03-24T20:56:00.002+08:00

We planted these herbs without any idea on what to do with them... :D

Dill

Parsley

Sage

Lavander

Fennel

Graveyard for dead leaves

2008-03-24T20:47:00.002+08:00

We were laughing while this vermicomposting bin was being built. It really looked like a graveyard. :)

In this "graveyard", dead leaves will come to life...

The Daily DOSE Cake

2008-03-18T19:18:00.002+08:00

We've met Penny during the last minutes of a wedding expo last month. She creates amazing cakes. We told her about Daily DOSE Farm and gave her a business card. She said she'll visit this blog as soon as she's on-line. She was intrigued and became interested in organic farming. A couple of weeks later, we received a text message from her saying she made a cake based on the concept "farm" and based on the Daily DOSE Farm logo. I can't believe how she did it 'till I saw the actual cake...

AMAZING!!!

Truly, an "Edible work of art"

Penny is the owner of "The Pastry Studio"

Visit her site at: www.thepastrystudio.com.ph

What a Windy Week!!!

2008-03-07T19:53:00.003+08:00

The wind is really giving our plants a hard time. Our mulch (dried leaves) are all over the place. Insects (both beneficial and pests) are no where to be found.

But still, Arnold was brave enough to climb a coconut tree :)

Planting by the MOON

2008-03-07T19:34:00.002+08:00

According to the moon and stars (and this book), last Tuesday was a great day to plant root crops. So we planted some carrots, radishes and can you guess what's in the picture below?

Langkawas!

Trainer's Training on Organic Agriculture and Certification

2008-03-03T12:24:00.003+08:00

Here are some Group Pics from the Trainer's Training on Organic Agriculture and Certification, held last February 29 to March 2, 2008 at University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna:

On the first two days, we talked about Organic Agriculture in our country, how organic fruits, vegetables and livestock should be produced, health benefits of organic food, Biodynamics, and my favorite, Agnihotra. The second day's topics were about organic certification and inspection.

On the third day, we went to visit some sites in UPLB, the photo above shows UPLB's sorghum plantation [not organic :( ]. We also visited Dr. Ted Mendoza's Odorless Hogs and his Farm. As our last activity, we went to Dr. Pamela Fernandez's beautiful garden where she practice Biodynamics and Agnihotra.
We also went to IRRI. IRRI stands for International Rice Research Institute, but to Organic Farmers it means something else... :) Ask and organic farmer if you want to know... :)

To my classmates (during the training), if you want to see more pictures, please send me you e-mail address so I can e-mail the pictures to you. my e-mail is: nonatus@gmail.com

mini-me(lon)

2008-03-03T12:05:00.002+08:00

No tricks! this is a real water melon.

It may be small, but when I sliced it, its was red and ripe!

and sweet!

White Flower, What Flower?

2008-02-28T22:06:00.002+08:00

Sometimes we leave some of our vegetables to set flowers and seeds. They also attract beneficial insects like this native bee. But do you know what vegetable bore these nice flowers?

Lettuce closeups

2008-02-28T20:31:00.002+08:00

a plot of lollo rossa

red wave and curly green

not so common spotted romaine

Melons

2008-02-27T22:11:00.004+08:00

We gave watermelon a try two months ago. My father kept reminding me that hibred watermelons we're not bred to be grown organically, but we still tried them (matigas ang ulo) :)
Here they are now. They're not uniform in size and a lot smaller than they're supposed to be, but the taste is amazing!!! They're super sweet!!! This is proof that organically grown fruits are better tasting than conventionally grown ones.

This is the biggest one we got from our first batch of melons.

3 Rules of DDF

2008-02-27T21:26:00.002+08:00

At Daily DOSE Farm, we gave our organic duo (Gary and Arnold) three simple rules:

One: all plots should be watered regularly.

Two: all plots should "always" have either vegetable or green manure. (no vacant plots)

Three: we should have a regular weekly harvest of vegetables.

and these are the results after leaving them on their own for a month...

GREAT JOB GUYS!!!

Spiral Plot - Revisited

2008-02-27T20:58:00.003+08:00

The herbs at the spiral plot have grown. Starting from the left going around the plot are: lavender, dill, lots of fennel, another group of dill, stevia, parsley, another set of lavender, more stevias, a small group of rosemary and at the middle, a bunch of sage. after harvesting some of the herbs, we're planning to add some tarragon, marjoram, peppermint and more...

A closer look at some lavenders, flowering dills and fennels.

Book No. 8

2008-01-31T16:41:00.000+08:00

One of my favorite books on worms. This is about spectacular achievements of worms since they were studied by Charles Darwin. Philippines is quite popular in this book. It was mentioned that there are still lots of earthworm species in our country that are not yet discovered. I wish I can find one and get to name it... :)

Book No. 7

2008-01-29T16:31:00.000+08:00

Now let's go to the more specific stuff, like this book. A must have for those who want to start vermiculture and/or vermicomposting. It has lots of information about different varieties of composting worms and all that technical and scientific stuff. The best part of this book is, for me, the worm recipe section. It has different recipes, from worm brownie to worm meatloaf. Now that's high protein diet for you!!!

Books No. 5 & 6

2008-01-25T14:22:00.000+08:00

These books are, for me, the most updated reference books on herbs. We bought these because these are the only books (about herbs) that contain information about our favorite herb - Stevia. I showed these books to a friend of mine, an herbalist, and he was surprised because he saw pictures and information on herbs he never saw on all of his herb books before. But to be honest, I haven't thoroughly read these books yet since we bought them almost a year ago. I only look at the pictures... :)

Book No. 4

2008-01-25T14:16:00.000+08:00

Go Forth and Multiply!

This is an amazing book! Now we seldom ask ourselves "bakit kaya hindi nagpropagate?" or "pano kaya ito padamihin?"

Book No. 3

2008-01-24T00:12:00.000+08:00

Know your enemies! (and friends)

Another book from DK (publisher). Like other DK books, this book is full of high quality photos that illustrate plants' pests & diseases. This book will eliminate the guesswork on what's wrong with your plants or if the insect resting on the leaves are friendly or not.

There was this other book similar to this one, they almost have the same content. They actually have the same title. The reason why we did not pick the other book even though its cheaper was because it listed earthworms as pest. Sometimes earthworms become a nuisance but their benefits outweigh their detriment.

Book No. 2

2008-01-23T01:07:00.000+08:00

This is where we took the farms design.

It has 'lots of DIY stuff, like our trellis, we took the idea of wax as organic wood preservative from this book. Plus more...

Book No. 1

2008-01-21T16:35:00.000+08:00

Our very first book in Organic Gardening...

We bought this book about 2 years ago and we still get lots of ideas from it. The high resolution images really help a lot especially for those who doesn't want to read lots of text.

Books!

2008-01-21T16:03:00.000+08:00

Sorry we cannot post pictures from our farm right now. We're in a far away place... :) We'll just post a picture of our bookshelf, and then later on we will give you recommendations (based on our opinion). If you have any questions about a certain book, all you have to do is leave a comment on the link below or send us an e-mail at nonatus@gmail.com .

DIY – Sowing Lettuce

2008-01-11T13:35:00.000+08:00

What you’ll need:

Potting mix
Seedling tray
Seeds
Sprinkler (lagadera) with water (no chlorine please)
Sprayer (mister) with water or compost tea
Wooden stick or a chopstick
Steady hands
Sharp eyes
Patience

Fill your seedling tray with some potting mix. You can buy ready made potting mix or you can mix it yourself. At Daily DOSE Farm, we mix 30% vermicompost with 30% carbonized rice hull and 40% aged coco coir. Make sure you fill every hole of the seedling tray. We use seedling trays with 128 holes.

Soak the potting mix with water using your sprinkler. Make sure it’s thoroughly wet. At our farm, we use compost tea instead of water.

With your steady hands, pick up your wooden stick and dip the tip in water. You can now easily pickup a single seed with the wet tip of the stick. It would be easier if the seeds are widely spread out in a dish. Place the seed in the seedling tray, one seed per hole. Now is the best time to use your sharp eyes and patience.

After filling all the holes with seeds, water them with your sprayer or mister. You don’t want to use your sprinkler here, trust me.

You can use this method with all leafy vegetables.

Culinary Herbs

2008-01-11T13:23:00.000+08:00

We’ve decided to plant culinary herbs at our spiral plot. Some of the herbs we planted were: lavender, rosemary, sage, tarragon, dill, stevia, marjoram, parsley, fennel and onion.

DIY - Double Dig

2008-01-11T13:04:00.000+08:00

Double digging is easy, all you need is a spade or shovel, a spade fork, and some muscle.

First, mark the area where your elevated plot will be situated. Loosen the soil with your spade fork by pushing it into the soil and moving the handle forward and backwards.

With your spade move the top 8 inches of soil from one side to the other side (just look at the picture and maybe you’ll get what I’m trying to say) J

Note: the picture above shows mung beans (green manure) being incorporated into the soil.

Now, loosen the bottom 8 inches of your plot (again, look at the picture). Do not mix the topsoil with the subsoil. Just loosen the subsoil.

Do this over and over and over until you reach the end of your plot.

I hope you got that. Some people have a hard time putting words into action. Me, I’m having trouble putting action into words… :)

Fruits of Labor

2008-01-09T21:23:00.000+08:00

Our First Papaya

Hopefully our first watermelon

DO NOT DISTURB

2008-01-08T21:51:00.000+08:00

LOVE BUG

(mating ladybirds)

"Ehh, what's up, doc?"

2008-01-08T21:29:00.000+08:00

I planted these carrots without any soil preparation. I just sprinkled the seeds around the tomato plants for companion planting. Some of them forked out.

Be sure to cut the leaves (leaving only 2 inches above the rootcrop) of the carrots immediately after harvest. This will keep your carrots from becoming rubbery and stay crunchy longer.

Baboy - Big Brother's

2008-01-08T20:50:00.000+08:00

These are my brother's pot bellied and native pigs. They are free ranged and fed mainly of grass and over-riped fruits.

This one is running with a big chunk of papaya in its mouth.

This piglet is saying something... I think it has something to do with kissing...

BAD PIG!!!

Dig In

2008-01-08T20:25:00.000+08:00

Here's how we dig in the green manure:

First you push it with your spade so they lay flat on the ground. Then you cut them by stepping on your sharpened spade. It's very easy, this guy in the picture is just making look hard. Who's this guy anyway?

Patience

2008-01-08T19:54:00.000+08:00

I was going to name this post "Disaster!" but i changed my mind. Patience is more appropriate since it is what organic farming is teaching me.

Yesterday was my first visit in our farm this year and its been almost a month since my last visit. I already expected the farm to be a bit out of order but what I saw still took me by surprise. Only a few plots were planted by salad greens and the rest were empty and drying up.

I never spoke a single word, instead I took the spade and started to dig in. There were so many things to do, I don't know where to start.

Well, I think that’s what you get by being an absentee landlord. And I also learned that organic farming teaches you not only the kind of patience you need for slow growing plants, but also patience for things you cannot control or change...

Holiday Break

2007-12-28T16:45:00.000+08:00

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and may we all have a very Prosperous New Year!!! Make sure to include organic fruits and vegetables on your dining tables this holiday season.

We were so busy this month that we weren't able to post articles here in our blog, we apologize for that. We will continue to give you advice on organic farming starting next week. Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays!!!

Trees (part 1)

2007-12-01T19:06:00.000+08:00

We also grow fruit trees in our farm. Here are some photos, more to come...

These are latexless jackfruits (langka).

And this is a Longkong (lanzones) tree.

Other trees include different varieties of mangoes and rambutan, chico, durian, mangosteen, pomelo, oranges, and many more. I will try to take more pictures next time.

We've never used chemicals in our farm. All of our fruit trees are grown organically.

You are very welcome to see for yourselves.

After 2 Weeks

2007-11-28T23:26:00.000+08:00

Two more weeks and our spiral plot will give its first batch of salad greens.

Pest Control

2007-11-28T21:17:00.000+08:00

This is a praying mantis waiting on top of a French marigold. Praying mantises or mantids are among the list of common beneficial insects and is also overrated. They don't just eat pests, they may also eat other beneficial insects.

About marigolds, it is said that French marigolds are the most potent pest control among the different varieties of marigolds. I've also read and observed that they do not really repel insects, they even attract them. Maybe that's why this mantis picked this spot. Too bad she's not that well camouflaged. :)

Vermicomposting 101

2007-11-26T22:18:00.000+08:00

First thing to do is choose a location where your vermibin won't get hit by direct sunlight or rain. You may use any kind of container to start with, even old bath tubs. Or, you may dig at least 12 inches into the soil. Since I know they can't live in the soil, i don't bother putting liners but you may do so for easy harvest.

Gather some dried leaves from your garden. Shredded leaves are better but shredders are very expensive. Pile the leaves on your vermibin (not exceeding 12 inches in depth). Water the dried leaves everyday for at least 4 days to a week. This will serve as your bedding. Check the temperature of your bedding, if it's cold to the touch on the 4th day, you're ready to buy some African night crawlers or blue worms.

Rule of thumb is one kilo of composting worms for every square meter of bedding (12 inch deep).

Place the worms on top of the bedding. Never try to put them under, let them find their way through you bedding.

If the parameters of your bin is just right, all of the worms will dive-in in less than 5 minutes.

Things to remember:

Use only dried leaves as bedding.

Temperature should be from 24 to 28 degrees Celsius.

Moisture should be at least 70% (water at least 2x a day).

One kilogram of worms for every square meter of bedding.

Feed them with kitchen refuse (vegetables, fruits and grains only. NO meat please).

Feed them half of their body weight per day. (1 kg. of worms, 1/2 kg. of food a day).

If you have further questions, just post a comment. I know i forgot to put some details, don't be afraid to ask...

A better look at the Greenhouse

2007-11-26T21:16:00.000+08:00

Last week, somebody requested for a sketch or blue print of our greenhouse. Sad to say we don't have both. I hope these pictures help. Click on them to enlarge.

Front, with sliding door.

What they did first was bend two pipes, 1/2 and 3/4. The outer part is the 1/2 pipe and the inner part, 3/4.

The greenhouse is made of 10 sets of these bended pipes. 5 on the first half and 5 on the other half.

Back.

Identity Crisis

2007-11-26T20:58:00.000+08:00

This papaya think she's a mango.

Did you know? (part 1)

2007-11-26T20:34:00.000+08:00

First of all, this is not a frog, this is a toad.

I've tried this with toads of different sizes. When you put them up-side-down on top of your palm or on a soft, smooth surface, they just lay still.

( don't mind those dirty hands, at least they're soft and smooth :) )

And when you tickle the side of their stomach, they make a laughing sound. Maybe they really are laughing.
Oh! One more thing! Toad piss don't cause warts. If it does, my hands would look like a toads back by now.

Sekyu!

2007-11-26T20:15:00.001+08:00

While this hole is waiting to be fixed, this spider is patiently guarding it. I didn't notice there was a grasshopper near the hole until I transferred the picture to my computer.

(Remember: you may click on the pictures to enlarge them)

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

2007-11-26T19:39:00.000+08:00

This is a local ladybird. They can eat 5000 aphids throughout their lifespan.

Never mind the logo on its back, they are not radioactive.

Look what this guy did to those leaves. (he's hiding under the leaf at the left)

Guess what happened to him after this photo shoot. :D

THIS IS LIFE!!!

Lando!

2007-11-22T18:56:00.000+08:00

I pray that I don't have to publish a post entitled Mina!

Worms! Camera! Action!

2007-11-17T18:58:00.000+08:00

Can you see his target?

Now you can see his target.

YUM!

This guy is fast! These shots happened in less that two seconds.

Let There Be Light!

2007-11-17T18:46:00.000+08:00

And there was light!

But only after we bought one and installed it in a light post... :)

Under the Table

2007-11-15T23:28:00.000+08:00

These are seedling trays on top of our nursery table/bed. Under the table is one of our vermi-bins. Our earthworms are target fed. We feed them according to what kind of vermicast we want to produce. To learn more about this technique, all you have to do is ask...

As of now, I think (I think) we're the only ones practicing this technique.

Fixers

2007-11-15T22:55:00.000+08:00

This is the reason why we plant legumes; for the symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria - rhizobia. See those pinkish nodules? Those are rhizobia colonies.

Pond

2007-11-15T15:01:00.000+08:00

We've just started a new project. Before the end of this month, we will transform this hole into a beautiful (i hope) fish pond. It will be home to a few aquatic plants and a couple of Koi fishes. I'm planning to name them Yin & Yang. :)

Perfect for Steaks

2007-11-15T13:31:00.000+08:00

This is a Dill and this photo was taken early in the morning. You can actually see dew from the tips of the leaves. If you look closely you can actually see my reflection on each droplet...

:) just kidding... I wish i had a macro lens that can do that...

The WEB

2007-11-15T13:07:00.000+08:00

To all those people who live most of their lives in the office, this is a WEB. The website is "under a tree in Candelaria, Quezon" :)

Free Labor

2007-11-15T12:44:00.000+08:00

These Free Range Sunshine Chickens help our farm by literally chasing insects like grasshoppers and caterpillars. They also eat weeds and weed seeds. We just have to watch where they're going because they love salad greens. Sometimes I imagine them singing "the best things in life are free..."