KITCHEN GARDENING

Introduction:

Kitchen garden is the growing of fruits and vegetables at the backyard of house by using kitchen waste water.

Otherwise called as Home garden or Nutrition garden or Kitchen gardening or Vegetable gardening

Advantages of Kitchen garden :

Supply fresh fruits and vegetables high in nutritive value.
Supply fruits and vegetables free from toxic chemicals.
Help to save expenditure on purchase of vegetables.
Vegetables harvested from home garden taste better than those purchased from market.
Effective utilization of kitchen waste water and kitchen waste materials.
Exercise to the body and mind.

Site selection :

Backyard of house
Preferably open areas with plenty of sunlight near the water source

Size and shape of vegetable garden depends on

Availability of land
Number of persons in family and
Spare time available for its care

Nearly five cents of land (200 m2) is sufficient to provide vegetables throughout year for a family consisting of five members
A rectangular garden is preferred than a square plot or a long strip of land.

Layout of Kitchen garden

Fence – Barbed wire fence or live fence with agathi
Perennial crops (Mango, Sapota, Acid lime, Amla, Morniga) should be planted at the peripheral areas of kitchen garden (avoid shading)
One or two compost pits may be provided on one corner
Fences on all sides should be trained with Cucurbitaceous vegetables (Bottle gourd, Bitter gourd and Snake gourd)
Some vegetables are direct sown – (Amaranthus, Bottle gourd, Bitter gourd and Snake gourd)
Some vegetables are nursery transplanted (Tomato, Brinjal, Chillies, Onion)
Divide the area into equal sized plots for raising annual vegetable crops
As intensive and continuous cropping is done in a kitchen garden.
Fertility and texture of soil may be maintained by applying adequate quantities of organic manures frequently.
Ridges and furrows are formed in each plots.
Season of planting: June – July, September – October
Bee-hive may be provided for ensuring adequate pollination of crops besides obtaining honey.
However, in order to harvest good crop, chemical fertilizers are also essential.
Pick and destroy the larvae found on fruits and vegetables and then spray Neem oil @ 4 ml/liter of water or Neem Seed Kernel Extract @ 3 %.
Avoid spraying of toxic chemicals.

Method of planting :

Spacing for crops

Tomato, Brinjal and Chillies

60 x 60 cm

Cow pea

60 x 45 cm

Bitter gourd

2 x 2 meter

Onion

15 x 10 cm

Tapioca

60 x 60 cm

Yam

60 x 60 cm

· Initially irrigate the plots and transplant the seedling at the required spacing and irrigate on the third day of planting. Direct planting dibble 2-3 seeds/hill and irrigate sufficiently and also irrigate on the third day of sowing after germination thin 2 seedling.

Maintenance of Kitchen garden