I am in planning phase of my farm in Satara district of Maharashtra. As part of this activity I am making a list of plants/trees/crops I can grow. My plan is to have mix of exotic vegetables/fruits (Broccoli, Strawberry, etc.) and native trees. The collective input from members of this forum will be of great help.
The farm is at elevation of ~3500 feet in western ghats. The summers are mild, winters are mild to cold and dry normally. The rainy season lasts from June to September with heavy rains. The soil is red with good water source. The land is in hilly terrain with small table portions interleaved with some large boulders of Laterite with some unique plants. The land is surrounded by forest from all directions.
The local farmers grow rice, wheat and ground nut. The area has Amla, Mango, Jamun, Jackfruit trees. The villagers have planted few Lime (Nimboo) trees near villages and Fig trees (I have not seen them).
We have started cultivation in 2014 with small patch of Nachni (finger millet). Later we tried vegetables with limited success. This year we tried some more vegetables. I haven’t tried the exotic vegetables yet. I have planted many trees which could have survived in that area but quite a few are barely surviving. I have unique combination of rain, climate (cold winter) and heavy wind all year round. Lot of learning . I have a facebook page for our farm “Supriya farm” that gets updated every few weeks.
Important thing I have learnt:
it is difficult for a single tree to survive in open. The process of forestation always starts with grass, grass+shrubs, grass+shrubs+tree saplings. When tree canopy grows the grass dies, and so on. Last year we did not clear grass, most of those areas have started growing shrubs as well.
Warm weather vegetables cant survive in cooler nights even though the days are warmer
We need wind breakers if we want to conserve moisture.
. I have a facebook page for our farm “Supriya farm” that gets updated every few weeks.