What if a small piece of land could provide a family with fresh fruit across the seasons while also opening up a new source of income for a marginal farmer? That is the idea behind ‘gharelu bagichi’, or a domestic fruit orchard, a model being promoted in Punjab by a marginal farmer and nursery grower Gurpreet Singh, 35, of village Gholia Khurd in Moga district, with guidance from his mentor Jagdev Singh, 62, of Pohir village in Ludhiana.The concept goes beyond simply planting a few fruit trees around a house. It is a planned orchard model in which the root stocks, crafted plants, size and direction of the available land, the growth pattern of trees and the maturity period of different fruit varieties are considered together. The objective is to ensure that one fruit follows another through the year, giving families access to fresh fruit at their home.At the same time, the model has an economic dimension. Gurpreet has set up a nursery model under the guidance of his mentor beyond the conventional wheat-paddy cycle , produces the rootstocks, grafted plants and other planting material. Jagdev provides all consultancy what to plant, where to plant it and how to stagger fruit production, while Gurpreet, Together, they have helped establish hundreds of ‘gharelu bagichis’ and guided farmers and families in Punjab and elsewhere.“Planning an orchard, not just planting trees,” is how Jagdev, an engineer by profession, describes the concept he has been developing since 2005. He began with one kanal at his home, planting different fruit varieties and observing their fruiting behaviour, taste, maturity period and field performance for three to four years before recommending them. His recommendations also draw on information from Punjab Agricultural University, the Horticulture Department and his own field observations.“The principle is simple: plan the land first, then select the plants,” Jagdev said. The idea is to combine large, medium and small trees so that every inch of land is utilised while ensuring a continuous harvest. “It is a fruit calendar, not one harvest,” he said.Also Read | Rs 2.5 crore as carbon credits: In a first, farmers reap harvest of good practicesThe sequence can begin in March with varieties of ber, mulberry and loquat, followed by peach, plum, Satluj Purple, Kala Amritsari and apple varieties. Anjeer, phalsa, grapes and chikoo extend the harvest season, followed by mango varieties such as Dussehri, Langra, Chausa, Amrapali and Ram Kela into October. The objective, Jagdev said, is not to make a single tree fruit throughout the year but to combine varieties with different harvesting periods so that the orchard produces fruit successively over several months. “In some months, one can get three to four varieties of fruit at once,” he said.Gurpreet began working with his father at the age of 12-13, cultivating seasonal vegetables on leased land. His own holding initially comprised five kanals.Story continues below this adAround 2014-15, he began learning nursery production, rootstock preparation and grafting from Jagdev. What began as training gradually became his profession.He expanded his own holding to around two acres and established a 2.5-acre nursery. At one stage, he cultivated 25-30 acres of leased land, but reduced the area to around 15 acres in 2022 as the nursery began demanding more of his time. On the leased land, he grows crops such as basmati, potato, mustard and summer moong. Over the past five years, Gurpreet has been raising rootstock from seed, using hardy indigenous or locally adapted material, and grafting improved varieties onto suitable rootstock. He maintains his own mother plants and removes weak or diseased material.“Everything is prepared here—from the rootstock to the grafted plant,” he said. His nursery produces thousands of fruit plants every year for Gharelu Bagichis, besides lakhs of vegetable seedlings. He also pays close attention to soil-borne problems, including fungal diseases and root-knot nematodes.For Gurpreet, the economic attraction of nursery farming is central to the model. He estimates that nursery farming can generate Rs 3-5 lakh per acre in one cycle, depending on the fruit and vegetable varieties, and that at least three cycles of nursery plants can potentially be taken from an acre in a year from one acre. By comparison, he estimates annual profit from wheat-paddy cultivation at around Rs 90,000 to Rs 1 lakh per acre. With his income he has increased his landholding from five kanals to around two acres and continues to expand gradually while investing in the nursery business.Story continues below this ad“Nursery farming requires continuous supervision. Watering, grafting, grading, monitoring, disease management and preparing plants for sale all require daily attention. Some seedlings may be ready in around 20 days, while others take 40-60 days. Once one batch is sold, the land can be prepared for another,” said he. Jagdev believes the Gharelu Bagichi model is not restricted to farmers with large holdings.A farmer can establish a small orchard on one kanal (one-eighth of an acre), while those with more land can extend it to two or four kanals. Urban households with little or no open land can also adopt parts of the model using smaller spaces or pots. For urban households, he said, the concept can be adapted to smaller spaces and containers. “Today Mal nutrition is a big issue even in economically sound families and Gharelu Bagichi is the answer to that and it costs nothing infront of the chemical laced foods,” said Jagdev. “The Gharelu Bagichi brings fruit security for the family and diversification of farm income,” concluded he.