questions: asking about nursery preparation  
 answers: told him procedure for ‘nursery raising’ of transplanted vegetable crops vegetable crops: 
1. select a sunny area with well drained friable light soil rich in organic matter. 
2. bring the soil into fine tilth and prepare the bed of 1 m width and of convenient length. raise it to 10-15 cm above ground level. 
3. for an area of 10 m2 in the bed, mix 20 kg sand or silt and 20 kg compost (well decomposed, dried and sieved) thoroughly. 
4. to make the soil free from soil-borne disease causing pathogens (most common disease in the nursery is the ‘damping-off’) drench the bed with 0.1% solution of captan or fytolan or formalin 4% solution so as to saturate the soil upto a depth of 10-15 cm. 
5. keep in covered, immediately after treating, with polythene sheet or gunny bag or thick paper for 2 days.
 6. uncover the soil and get it loosened and leave it as such for 3 to 4 days.
 7. treat the dry seeds with captaf or thiram @ 3g/kg seeds against seed-borne pathogens. 
8. thoroughly mix malathion 5% dust @ 20g/10m2 in order to protect the seedlings from soil-borne insects. 
9. sow the seeds thinly in u-shaped furrows spaced at 2.5 cm and at a depth of 1-2 cm (4 times the diameter of the seed). cover the seeds immediately with a thin layer of sand mixed with well dried and sieved cow dung. the surface should be levelled and firmed by wooden leveller. 
10.water the sown beds using water can fitted with a fine rose. 
11.cover the beds with a thin layer of straw, banana leaf or dried grass to prevent displacement of seeds. the cover should be removed the first appearance of sprouts. 
12.the seedlings get ready for transplanting when they attain 10-15 cm height or become 30-35 days old.
 13.harden the seedlings before lifting by gradual reduction of water for about 7 days. 
14.soak the beds 6 hours before lifting to facilitate the maximum retention or roots and plant turgidity.
 15.avoid shading or protection of seedlings; allow maximum sunlight except in case of expected injury due to heavy rain or frost. 
16.dip the seedlings in plant protection formulations just before transplanting to avoid attack in the initial stage of establishment.