Natural Farm Nursery & Greenhouse provides potting soils, transplants vegetables and herbs, and uses a natural farming method for sustainable agriculture. It has a 1.3 hectare area for vegetables/herbs and 1.5 hectares for pasture. The nursery grows over 50 different crop varieties and generates enough sales to pay workers and cover materials. While their lettuce was initially leggy, reducing the shade coverage to 40% in mornings and removing it when trees provide afternoon shade helped produce healthier lettuce. Proper soil, germination, transplanting, shading and harvest timing are keys to lettuce success according to the presentation.

1. Natural Farm Nursery
& Greenhouse for
Vegetables and Herbs
Houses
Potting soils
Germination
Transplanting
Harvesting

2. A Natural Farming Method for
Sustainable Agriculture
in the Tropics
By Keith O. Mikkelson
mik@mozcom.com
RESOURCE RECOVERY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF
HIGH QUALITY NUTRIENT DENSE FOOD AND
MAXIMUM HEALTH

3. Education is learning the rules
Experience is learning the exceptions to the rules

4. Production!
Area (sq.
M) 81.27 Total 30,441.60
p/sq. M 374.57 materials
Man
Days rate cost p/sq. M 510.66
materials
/labor
Labor 28 220.00 6,160.00
welder 14 350.00 4,900.00
11,060.00 ttl labor

6. 1.3 hectare
vegetables/herbs
1.5 hectares
Neighborhood
Pasture
2 Nursery Workers
7 Farm Technicians
0 - 4 interns

7. Bulati
Potting House
Nursery
Green House
Green House
Livestock
Rest Room
Bulati
Bulati
Bulati

12. Manure Catchment

13. Vermiculture

18. Shade
Flat Surface

20. 1. Potting house 100% shade
2. Nursery 20-100% shade
3. Greenhouse 0-80% shade

21. Why have a potting house?
1. It helps to start many plants in a nursery
2. It will use less space to start
3. Best way to earn income
4. Intensify production

22. 100% Shade
Flat Surface
Flat Surface
1. Potting house 100% shade
2. Nursery 20-100% shade
3. Greenhouse 0-80% shade

25. Remove Field Heat

26. Remove Field Heat

28. 1. Potting house 100% shade
2. Nursery 20-100% shade
3. Greenhouse 0-80% shade

34. Shade
Flat Surface

35. Shade
Flat Surface

36. Why have a nursery?
1. It helps to start many plants with protection
2. It will use less space to start
3. Best way to earn income
4. Intensify production
1. Potting house 100% shade
2. Nursery 20-100% shade
3. Greenhouse 0-80% shade

38. 1. Potting house 100% shade
2. Nursery 20-100% shade
3. Greenhouse 0-80% shade

43. Baguio

44. Baguio

46. 1 piece
4x8 plywood

47. 1 piece
4x8 plywood

48. Greenhouse almost finished. Just
need to set and cover the door. Will be
moving potted plants and seed trays
in next week...whoopie!
Area 5.5mx15m or 82.5sqM total cost
50,000 pesos
Greenhouse UV plastic
Harbest Fine Insect Netting 70pcs
Batakan Bamboo Coco &
plywood Hollow blocks & cement &
rebar Labor 2 carpenters 3 labor
@3wks
Zero water catchment
610.00 pesos/sq M

49. Production!
Area (sq.
M) 81.27 Total 30,441.60
p/sq. M 374.57 materials
Man
Days rate cost p/sq. M 510.66
materials
/labor
Labor 28 220.00 6,160.00
welder 14 350.00 4,900.00
11,060.00 ttl labor
81.27 sq. m. water
catchment

52. Shade options for profit

53. Single row
40% shade

54. Double row
20% shade

55. Triple row
20% shade
40% shade

56. Single row
40% shade
Double row
20% shade
Triple row
20% shade 20% shade
40% shade

57. Single row
40% shade
Triple row
20% shade 20% shade
40% shade
Single row
40% shade Single row
40% shade Single row
40% shade

58. Triple row
20% shade
20% shade
40% shade

59. Triple row
20% shade
20% shade
40% shade

61. Batch Grid

63. Bed Design
Starting raised beds
1. Loosen soil with help of machine or beast
• Mold board plow
• Disk plow deep
• Rotary till shallow aerobic zone
• Pick axe
2. Break pan lower down
• Yeoman's sub-soiler
• Pick axe
3. Add organic matter
• Biochar/Rice hull charcoal (CRH)
• Compost
• Limestone
• Bokashi
4. Form raised bed with aisle soil

68. Charcoal production
Compost
Double raised
Bed Stake Out

69. Bed layout
Double raised
Bed Stake Out
Bed layout

70. Bed layout
Double raised
Bed Stake Out

71. Bed layoutBed layout

72. June 2010
Double Raised beds
Compost
Greenhouse

78. You can make a raised bed out of anything!

79. Patented Green House Helmet

84. Vermi
Bulati
Bulati
Bulati

87. 7 ft

88. 7 ft

89. 9 ft

90. 300 cm
Main truss
2 pcs 280 cm
1 pcs 220 cm
1 pcs 210cm
1 pcs 100 cm
2 pcs 60 cm
200 cm
Vertical support
2 pcs 300 cm
2 pcs 200 cm

91. Main truss
2 pcs 280 cm
1 pcs 441 cm
2 pcs 200 cm
1 pcs 100 cm
2 pcs 60 cm
231 cm 210 cm
231 cm
Side truss

92. Horizontal support
21 pcs 200 cm
5 pcs 150 cm
Per section
Top Views
Area
(sq. M) 81.27 Total 30,441.60
p/sq. M 374.57

94. Increases passive cooling

96. Dorms
Homework

102. Flat Surface

108. Bulati
Bulati

118. Aisle
80cm

133. Universal Potting Mix
1/4 Vermicast
1/4 Uling - charcoal
1/4 Soil - from your farm
1/4 Sand

134. Universal Potting Mix
1/4 Vermicast
1/4 Uling - charcoal-CRH
1/4 Soil - from your farm
1/4 Sand
Charcoal substitutes
Sphagnum peat moss
Horticultural Perlite
Vermiculite
Coco coir / fiber
Leaf Mould
Coco peat
Vermicast substitutes
Bokashi ** (wait 2 weeks)
Screened compost

135. Potting containers - Black Trays

136. Potting containers - Germination Trays

137. Potting containers - Cups in Bread Trays

138. Potting containers - Cups in Bread Trays

139. Potting containers - Cups in Bread Trays

140. Solder Iron for holes
Potting containers - Cups in Bread Trays

142. No Transplant
Shock

144. Soil Blocks
•Save space
•Minimize transplant shock

165. Potting House

194. Lettuce Success
1. Well balanced potting soil
2. Proper Germination
3. Low stress transplanting
4. Proper shading 30-40% (all day)
5. Timed harvest

199. Clear plastic keeps moisture in

202. Proper drying of seeds promotes high germination

231. Remove Field Heat

232. Remove Field Heat

238. From: danielove email@danielove.de Date: Thursday, 25 January 2018 at 10:05 AM
To: Keith MozcomMikkelson <mik@mozcom.com>
Subject: Lettuce
Hello Keith,
I hope you started well in 2018! We are doing ok and learning more and more while becoming better at what we
are doing. Sometimes it is not easy to find the right balance between things we are doing. Like shade makes it
cooler for the plants but takes away sunlight. Here some more examples:
New varieties & known crops, Reproducible & Technology & Finances, Rain & Cover, Heat & Shade & Light

239. We have a question about lettuce. We are following
very closely what you say in your presentation about
lettuce. 1 week block (under transparent roof), 3 weeks
cup & 4 weeks plot. All under shade. Also we closely
follow your mix for soil in blocks, cups and plot.
Attached a picture (not the 10x1m plot but we have a
small area for trials). They are big but still leggy. From
what we researched out here some possible causes: no
wind, too much heat, to little sun, no much nitrogen, dry
soil. I know sun & heat are tricky because shade makes
it cooler but also takes sun away and the temperatures
here are hot. Our soil blocks are a little hard, but always
moist.
From your experience what do you recommend? Much
of the research gives tips for growing lettuce in US or
Europe but is not very helpful here.
Make it count!
Daniel and Love

240. On 07.02.2018 07:58, Keith Mikkelson wrote:
Are you using 40% shade from HOOBEE or
fishing net?
The Englishmen I learned commercial lettuce
production from on cloudy days would pull off
shade to the side but don’t forget to return it if
the sun comes scorching out!!

241. Thank you!
we will try this. We have around 70% shade and trees on one side so there is shade the
whole afternoon. Will try with less shade and also uncover sometimes.
We have already 50+ different crops and are generating enough sales to pay the students
who are working on the project and also pay so materials we need for planting. Maybe 80%
what we learned we are applying and have many people now attracted to this project. You
are totally right that a demo farm is nonsense, we must farm for profit and people
will start asking about how we do it.
Thanks again!
---
Make it count!
Daniel and Love
Keith: Great to find the problem! Switch to 40% mornings, then remove when tree
shade comes in afternoon!
Thanks for the pics and progress!

242. Thank you!
we will try this. We have around 70% shade and trees on one side so there is shade the
whole afternoon. Will try with less shade and also uncover sometimes.
We have already 50+ different crops and are generating enough sales to pay the students
who are working on the project and also pay so materials we need for planting. Maybe 80%
what we learned we are applying and have many people now attracted to this project. You
are totally right that a demo farm is nonsense, we must farm for profit and people
will start asking about how we do it.
Thanks again!
---
Make it count!
Daniel and Love
Keith: Great to find the problem! Switch to 40% mornings, then remove when tree
shade comes in afternoon!
Thanks for the pics and progress!

243. Lettuce Success
1. Well balanced potting soil
2. Proper Germination
3. Low stress transplanting
4. Proper shading 30-40% (all day)
5. Timed harvest