The first place to start farming is your Soil!
Soil is the base for agriculture. All crops can’t grow in all region. Understanding your geographic location is very important to do agriculture. As I have a farming family background I know these things. So understanding your soil and geographic condition are the very first.
Our region is Villupuram Dist. and most of the year it is summer. So we have only a few options for the choice of crop cultivation. The major is Sugarcane and Paddy. Rest like groundnut, Sesame, Black Gram, Mustard seeds, Green Gram follows. Sometimes we would produce Tapioca. But that is considered as not a money-making crop.
Getting back to the soil the color determines the minerals in it. There are two major soils Black and Red.
Black Soil:
Black soil has calcium, potassium, and magnesium but it lacks nitrogen. So crops like Sugarcane, oilseeds, Jowar, and Ragi are cultivated first. These crops will add nitrogen to the soil and groundnut is cultivated next which needs more Nitrogen. This is called crop rotation.
Red Soil:
Red soil has high iron content it is basically made of volcanic and old crystalline rocks and crops like Red Gram, Bengal Gram, Green Gram, Groundnut are grown.
Read more about soil:
http://www.archive.india.gov.in/citizen/agriculture/index.php?id=2
https://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/soil_management/CONTENTS/Management%20of%20black.htm
If you are not sure what soil you have and what crops will yield more, then do not worry reach your nearest Agriculture University or Agriculture officer. They can guide you through the process. Also you can use this APP and you can call the Kisan Call center and get the details for soil testing.
For Tamilnadu people, there is a soil counseling program conducted by Tamilnadu Agricultural University – Coimbatore.
For more details visit this page.
http://www.agritv.net/agri_company_details.php?dir_id=136&subdir_id=118&comp_id=734
Even if you are interested in growing plant at your home please check the soil. Ask your nursery expert which plants grows in which soil. So fill your pot with one type of soil and grows your plants.
See your soil, Test your soil, Understand your soil, Decide the crop, Yield more, Happy Farming!!!