Page 97 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 6
P. 97
FARMING GOD’S WAY
dants.. When you are ready to protective covering on top of the Gapping
plant and have had sufficient ground made up leaves, twigs, Sometimes guinea fowl, chick-
rainfall, take the amount of maize fruit and decaying grasses. ens or rats dig out the seed
seed you can plant at one time These lie on top of the ground causing fairly large empty
and presoak it for up to 6 hours gradually decomposing over spaces, which we can cor-
to allow the seed to take up wa- many years. We call this mulch, rect by gapping. This is done
ter and swell. Looking up the God’s Blanket!!! It protects the shortly after emergence. Take
slope, place 3 seeds per plant- soil from erosion, allows for deep the amount of maize seed you
ing station neatly in the row, one penetration of rainfall, conserva- need and presoak it for 6 hours
on the left, one in the middle and tion of moisture, improves fertil- to allow it to take up water and
one the right. 3 seeds per hole is ity, crops have improved drought swell. Push the seeds down to 5
66,666 seeds planted per hect- tolerance and an ideal growing cm or matchbox length in exist-
are. The seeds are planted at environment, amongst many ing holes and close them over.
5cm or a matchbox depth from other advantages. All this leads Gapping fills any empty spaces
the ground level. If the hole is too to significantly improved yields. in your field and reinforces the
full of soil then simply press the We need to be aiming for 100% “minimal wastage” principle of
seed to the required depth from and more cover in our fields and Farming God's Way. Note: Gap-
the ground level with your finger. although it may take you a few ping of maize is used when
When planting in organic input years to get there, do this with you have empty areas of a few
holes with manure, compost or all your heart. square metres and not when 1
anthill, the seeds should be put In the beginning your only plant hole is empty.
2 inches away from the topside material available for God’s All this is to be done to the high-
of the holes, as that is the deep- Blanket is weeds and old crop est standard so that the narra-
est part of the 15 cm hole where residues. Do whatever you can tive of failure and poverty in Af-
most nutrients are found. When to increase your blanket cover- rika starts to be countered with
planting beans, place the bean age by cutting grasses or ba- success and ability, sustain the
seed at 10 cm intervals along nana leaves, carrying in forest community and progress. In the
the row. These are all part of the mulch or even collecting your next issue we shall continue
standards that are going to give neighbor’s crop residues before looking at more technological
God glory in our fields. they get burnt. Cover the whole keys of Farming Gods way in
field evenly – yes even over the area of weeding and we shall
Covering holes. The seeds will germinate also look at reasons why we do
Cover with fine, loose soil from right through the blanket so the how. God bless you and God
the soil heap, making sure that don’t fear. Only with small seed- bless Afrika.
you don’t cover with stones, ed crops should you take care to
heavy clods or God’s Blanket. leave a narrow space over the
All of these can result in poor seed rows to allow for easier Source material: Farming God’s
germination rates and uneven germination. God’s Blanket is so Way Trainer’s Reference Guide.
stands, so take good care at this important it cannot be empha- Dryden, G.W., 2009.
point. Cover evenly with no de- sized enough. We need to see
pressions. These depressions God’s Blanket as the treasure of
can cause problems as pools of the soil, guard it and build it up.
water develop here after heavy Emergence
rains and seedlings will get dis- After approximately 10 days
eases such as damping off as the seedlings emerge through
their stems will be right in the God’s Blanket. Seedlings may
water. emerge slightly slower through
God’s Blanket due to cooler soil
Applying God’s Blanket temperatures, but don’t panic
If you go to Gods garden, which they soon catch up and over-
is anywhere where there is no take seedlings in fields where
intervention by man, you will the blanket is not present.
see that He in His wisdom puts a
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