MJN Farms

26/05/2026

💚How to Know If Your Soil Is Ready to Plant

Your Soil Is Telling You Something. Are You Listening?

Most farmers plant on a schedule. When the calendar says it is time, they plant. But the calendar does not know what is happening underground.

Soil that is not ready will slow your squash down from day one. Seeds may germinate but roots struggle to establish properly, and the plant spends its early weeks just trying to survive instead of growing.

Here is a simple way to check if your soil is ready without any tools.

👉Grab a handful of soil from about four inches deep. Squeeze it firmly in your fist, then open your hand. If it holds its shape but breaks apart easily when you poke it, your soil has good structure and moisture balance. If it crumbles immediately, it is too dry. If it stays in a sticky clump that does not break, it is too wet and compacted.

Also check for earthworms. If you find two or three in one handful of soil, that is a sign of healthy, biologically active ground. Earthworms mean good things are happening underneath.

Good soil smells earthy and clean. If it smells sour or like something rotten, your drainage needs work before you plant anything.

What does your farm soil look like right now?

24/05/2026

💚Nobody Warns You About This When You Start Growing Squash.

The first time your squash vine grows long and healthy with big beautiful leaves, you feel like you are doing everything right.

Then harvest comes and the fruits are small. Or there are only two or three on the whole vine. And you wonder what went wrong.

Here is what most people do not know. A squash vine that is too healthy on top is often struggling underneath. Overly lush vines with massive leaves are usually getting too much nitrogen. Nitrogen pushes leaf and stem growth. But fruit production needs phosphorus and potassium more than nitrogen.

If your squash looks like a jungle but fruits like a desert, switch your fertilizer focus. Cut back on high-nitrogen feeds once the plant starts flowering. Shift to a fertilizer with higher phosphorus content to push fruit development.

Also pinch off the very tip of the main vine once it reaches about 2 meters long. This forces the plant to redirect energy from growing longer into producing more fruits along the existing vine.

Work smarter than the plant. It will reward you.

Have you tried adjusting fertilizer during flowering stage? What happened?

24/05/2026

💚This One Mistake Is Why Your Squash Harvest Is Always Small.

It is not the weather. It is not the soil. Most of the time it comes down to one thing — planting too close together.

Kalabasa vines spread wide and they need room to breathe. When plants are crowded, they compete for the same nutrients, the same water, and the same sunlight. The result is lots of vines, lots of leaves, and very little fruit.

The recommended spacing for squash is at least 1 meter between plants and 2 meters between rows. That sounds like a lot of empty space when you first plant. But give it three weeks and those vines will fill every gap.

Crowded plants also trap moisture between leaves which invites fungal disease. One sick plant spreads to its neighbor fast when there is no airflow between them.

If you are already growing and your plants are too close, do not pull them out. Just train the vines to grow in opposite directions so they are not competing directly.

More space equals more fruit. It really is that simple.

Are you giving your squash enough room to grow? Tell us below.

23/05/2026

💚Why Do Squash Leaves Turn Yellow? Most Farmers Get the Answer Wrong.

When you see yellow leaves on your kalabasa, the first instinct is to add more fertilizer. That is usually the wrong move and it can make things worse.

Yellow leaves have more than one cause and each one needs a different fix. Applying fertilizer blindly when the real problem is something else just wastes your money.

Here is how to read your plant correctly.

If the older bottom leaves are turning yellow first, that is likely a nitrogen deficiency. Your soil needs feeding. But if the yellowing is happening on younger leaves near the top, check your watering. Overwatering drowns the roots and blocks nutrient absorption even when nutrients are present in the soil.

If you see yellow patches with a rough texture, look under the leaves. Spider mites are tiny but they do serious damage fast, especially during dry season.

And if the whole plant looks pale and weak, not just a few leaves, your soil pH may be off. Kalabasa grows best between 6.0 and 7.0. Outside that range, roots cannot take up nutrients properly no matter how much you apply.

Before you spend on fertilizer, observe first. Your plant is telling you exactly what it needs.
What does your kalabasa look like right now? Share a photo in the comments.

23/05/2026

Your Squash Is Flowering. So Why Is There No Fruit?

A lot of farmers see this and think something is wrong with their plant. The truth is, your kalabasa is probably doing exactly what it should.

Squash produces male flowers first — sometimes a full two weeks before the female flowers even appear. No female flower means no fruit, no matter how many blooms you count. That is just how the plant works.
But when both flowers are present and you are still not getting fruit, that is when you need to step in.

Check if female flowers are getting pollinated. You can spot them easily — they have a small swelling at the base that looks like a tiny squash. If bees are scarce on your farm, do it yourself. Pick a male flower, peel back the petals, and brush it gently against the center of the female flower. Takes less than a minute.
Also stop spraying in the morning. That is prime time for pollinators and you may be driving them away without realizing it.
Small adjustment. Big difference in your harvest.

Have you tried hand pollinating before? How did it go for you?

02/05/2026

02/05/2026

28/03/2026

27/03/2026

🌿 Did You Know?

The Amazing Papaya Tree!
The papaya (Carica papaya) is one of the fastest-growing fruit trees in the world — reaching fruit-bearing age in just 6–12 months! 🌱➡️🌳

Often called the "fruit of the angels", papayas are packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and the powerful digestive enzyme papain. Great for your gut, skin, and immune system!

🌍 Thrives in tropical climates
☀️ Loves full sun and well-drained soil
🍈 One tree can produce fruit year-round
💊 Every part — fruit, leaves, seeds, and roots — has traditional medicinal uses
Whether you're growing it in your backyard or enjoying it fresh, the papaya is truly nature's gift. 🧡

23/03/2026

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), also known as lady's finger or gumbo, is a warm-season vegetable crop belonging to the mallow family (Malvaceae). It thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, making it well-suited to countries like the Philippines, India, Nigeria, and across Southeast Asia.
The plant grows upright, typically reaching 1–2 meters tall, and produces distinctive ribbed green pods that are harvested young and eaten as a vegetable. It's widely used in soups, stews, and stir-fries, and is prized for its slightly mucilaginous (sticky) texture when cooked.
Nutritionally, okra is a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate, and antioxidants. It's low in calories and has been linked to benefits for blood sugar management and digestive health.
As a crop, okra is valued for its fast maturity — ready to harvest in as little as 55–65 days — and its long productive window of 3 to 5 months of continuous harvest. It's relatively drought-tolerant compared to other vegetables, though it performs best with consistent moisture and full sunlight. It's a popular choice for smallholder farmers because of its low input requirements and steady market demand.

30/12/2025

First time planting corn