Introduction
It is an art of growing vegetables on a small piece of land
in a planned way in the vicinity of living /residential house
to meet the needs of the family with fresh produce all year
around regularly.
A successful vegetable gardening is not accidental. It is the
result of planning, constant care and the will to grow healthy
vegetables.
WHY TO HAVE A KITCHEN GARDEN?
There are many reasons of having a Kitchen garden but one
of the simplest reason of having a kitchen garden is that it
can make you
“HEALTHY WEALTHY AND WISE”
HOW DOES IT MAKES US HEALTHY?
Fresh air
Place for exercising
Healthy vegetables which are fresh and rich in vitamins and
minerals.
HOW DOES IT MAKES US WEALTHY?
Help in family budget and saving
Moreover it helps us to avoid visiting Doctors ‘coz by having
all the fresh fruits and vegetables in our garden is just like
having PHC’s And CHC’s at our own compound
And above all “A HEALTHY MAN IS A WEALTHY MAN”.
HOW DOES IT MAKES US WISE?
A wise person always value time
Because fresh and quality vegetables are available when ever
needed we can save time in purchasing from the market
Self preparedness
THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON
Create a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment in harvesting
fruits of one’s own hard work and labour.
OBJECTIVES
Raising fresh vegetables rich in nutrients to supply the family
the whole year round.
Proper utilization of land in the vicinity of the house
Best utilization of time of the family members in a pleasure
way exercising an efficient and effective training to the
children
Utilization of kitchen water and waste
Economizing the food cost
Useful for utilizing the spare time in a profitable way
TYPES OF KITCHEN GARDEN
Exclusively vegetable garden
Vegetable and fruits garden
Vegetable and flower garden
Combined vegetable ,fruit and flower garden
PRINCIPLES OF KITCHEN GARDENING
For developing a kitchen garden proper planning is required.
The basic principles to be considered while planning are as
follows :
In a new construction, it is wise to plan kitchen garden in
advance.
Appropriate size and shape will depend on the family size. It
is better to have a small size well maintained garden than a
poorly maintained large one.
Location is the fundamental principle and it should be close
to the house
Suitable and convenient layout
Open and sunny site as sunlight is very important for proper
growth of plants
Site should be free from shade trees, etc
Close to well, water tap natural and any other source of
irrigation including kitchen water which can be profitably
utilized
The ideal kitchen garden be established in a fairly highly level
area preferably on the southern site of the house, which can
be protected by a live fence from stray animals.
Suitable and effective rotations should be followed to make
best use of the available land
PLANNING CRITERIA
A 200 sq. metres size plot will be sufficient to meet the
demand of vegetables for an average family of 5-6 members.
Preparation a clear sketch plan of a planned kitchen garden
on a notebook before planting
Plan should indicate the layout of plots, paths channels,
perennial plants permanent spots, etc.
The size and shape of plots will depend on the slope of land.
Selection of vegetables to be grown on the kitchen garden will
depend on the season ,region, area available ,nutritive value/
importance , choice of individual ‘s taste and preference of
family members.
Sowing /planting of vegetables should be systematically
planned.
Vegetables required in small quantities like lettuce, mint and
coriander should be adjusted on ridges, along the path and
water channels.
Vegetables required in large quantities like potato, onion,
garden pea, dwarf beans etc should be allowed to occupy
more space.
Temperate vegetables like radish, carrot, turnip, etc required
for salad should be accommodated on ridges and sown
continuously at intervals to make available daily
Pole type vegetables like cucurbits, french bean during
summer/rainy season and garden peas in winter be planted
along the fence on the three side along the boundary wall so
that maximum space be provided for their optimum spread.
Taking into consideration the direction of sunlight, tall
vegetable varieties should always follow medium and then
dwarf ones so as every plot gets maximum sunlight.
Perennial vegetables like asparagus, cho-cho etc should
always be planted in one corner so that they do not interfere
with preparation of land ,annual beds, more so to avoid shade.
Follow principles of crop rotation.
Several sowings or succession of planting of one particular
vegetables of short interval should be done to ensure regular
supply of fresh vegetable, using a continuous crop pattern in
the form of succession and companion cropping.
Leguminous vegetables like french bean, pea etc should be
included in rotation to maintain soil fertility.
Ridges should always be used to grow root vegetables and side
path be used for growing tomatoes, or other leafy vegetables
like celery etc.
Early maturing varieties should be planted together in
continuous row so that the area may be available at once for
planting late varieties.
In interspace of vegetables which are slow growing and take
long duration to mature like cabbage, bringal cauliflower,
broccoli etc must be used for quick growing vegetables like
coriander, radish spinach lettuce etc.
Vegetables which are easily grown with less effort, less
expensive be included.
A small pit in a corner of the kitchen garden may be dug
so that kitchen/house waste and plant refuse, etc be put
for preparation of organic manure .This helps in providing
manure for kitchen garden.
CONCLUSION
Kitchen garden should be part of home and hobby irrespective
of the fact whether it is developed in hills, plains, villages or
cities.
The idea of kitchen garden should be spread so that it can contribute
substantially to the health, happiness and economy of each and every
family.
