Farm Development in Chandigarh

We test the soil before any fencing, drip line or planting begins, since land in this belt varies from the alluvial soil typical closer to Chandigarh to the lighter loam found around Panchkula district, and each holds water differently. Groundwater in the tricity's farming belt is generally usable for irrigation, though we check a specific site's water before relying on a borewell as the plan's main source.

Planting goes in during the monsoon, from July to September, when the region's rain gives new trees and crops a start without heavy irrigation from day one, and we sequence the fencing and drip installation ahead of that window so planting is not delayed waiting for infrastructure.

Building for both extremes of the year

A farm developed here has to survive summer heat that has touched 46.7°C in the region and frost on winter nights in December and January, so species and irrigation capacity are chosen for both ends of that range rather than for the easier months in between.

Fencing and access on open farmland

Open farmland on the edge of the tricity, around Kharar, Derabassi and Rajpura, is exposed to stray cattle and, in places, wild boar, and fencing is usually the first physical work we do on a new development for that reason alone, ahead of any planting, so young trees and crops are not lost before they establish.

We plan the drip line layout around the specific crops and trees chosen for the plot rather than a single generic grid, since a fruit orchard and a row-crop field need very different spacing and emitter placement.