KITCHEN GARDEN
Importance of vegetables
➢ Vegetables occupy an important place in our daily life particularly for
vegetarians
➢ Vegetables are the only source to increase not only the nutritive values of
foods but also its palatability.
➢ For a balanced diet, an adult should have an intake of 85 g of fruits and 300 g
of vegetables per day as per the dietary recommendation of nutrition
specialists
➢ But the present level of production of vegetables in our country can permit a
per capita consumption of only 120 g of vegetables per day
Kitchen Garden
➢ Considering the importance of vegetables, to produce our own vegetable
requirements in our backyards using the available fresh water as well as the
kitchen concept has emerged
➢ This will only facilitate successful production of our own requirement of
vegetables.
➢ Cultivation in a small area facilitates the methods of controlling pests and
diseases through the removal of affected parts and non-use of chemicals.
➢ This is a safe practice, which does not cause toxic residues of pesticides in the
vegetables produced.
Kitchen Garden Site Selection
➢ There will be limited choice for the selection of sites for kitchen gardens and
the final choice is usually the backyard of the house.
➢ This is convenient as the members of the family can give a constant care to
the vegetables during leisure and the wastewater from the bathrooms and
kitchen can easily be diverted to the vegetable beds.
➢ The size of a kitchen garden depends upon the availability of land and number
of persons for whom vegetables are to be provided.
➢ There is no restriction in the shape of the kitchen garden but wherever possible
rectangular garden is preferred to a square one.
➢ With succession cropping and intercropping, five cents of land would be
adequate to supply vegetables for an average family of four to five persons.
Land preparation
➢ Firstly, digging with a spade and is make a depth of 30-40 cm.
➢ Stones, bushes and perennial weeds are removed.
➢ 100 kg of well decomposed farmyard manure or vermicompost is applied and
mixed with the soil.
➢ Ridges and furrows are formed at a spacing of 45 cm or 60 cm as per the
requirement.
➢ Flat beds can also be formed instead of ridges and furrows.
Sowing and planting
The main objective of a kitchen garden is the maximum output and a continuous
supply of vegetables for the table throughout the year. By following certain
procedures, this objective can easily be achieved.
1. Direct sown crops like bhindi, cluster beans and cowpea can be sown on one side
of the ridges at a spacing of 30 cm. Amaranthus (meant for whole plant pull out
and clipping) can be sown after mixing 1 part of seeds with 20 parts of fine sand
by broadcasting in the plots. Small onion, mint and coriander can be
planted/sown along the bunds of plots.
2. Seeds of transplanted crops like tomato, brinjal and chilli can be sown in nursery
beds or pots one month in advance by drawing lines. After sowing and covering
with top soil and then dusting with 250 grams neem cake so as to save the seeds
from ants. About 30 days after sowing for tomato and 40-45 days for brinjal and
chilli and big onion the seedlings are removed from nursery and transplanted
along one side of the ridges at spacing of 30-45 cm for tomato, brinjal and chilli
and 10 cm on both the sides of the ridges for big onion. The plants should be
irrigated immediately after planting and again on 3rd day. The seedlings can be
watered once in two days in the earlier stages and then once in 4 days later.
3. The perennial plants should be located on one side of the garden, usually on the
rear end of the garden so that they may not shade other crops, compete for
nutrition with the other vegetable crops.
4. Adjacent to the foot path all around the garden and the central foot path may be
utilised for growing different short duration green vegetables like Coriander,
spinach, fenugreek, Alternanthera, Mint etc
A cropping pattern, which may prove helpful for kitchen garden under Indian
conditions (except hill stations), is given below.
Plot
Name of the Vegetable Season
no
Tomato and onion Radish Beans Bhindi June - Sep. Oct.-Nov. Dec.-Feb.
01.
(okra) Mar.-May
June - Sep. Oct.-Nov June - Sep.
02 Brinjal Beans Tomato Amaranthus
May
03. Chilli and Radish Cowpea Onion Jun-Sep. Dec.-Feb. Mar.-May
04. Bhindi and Radish Cabbage Cluster beans Jun.-Aug. Sep.-Dec. Jan.-Mar.
June-Aug. Sep.-Nov. Dec.-Mar.
05. Beet root Tomato Onion
Apr.-May
06. Cluster beans Brinjal and beet root Jun.-Sep. Oct.-Jan.
07. Carrot Pumpkin (small) Jul.-Aug. Sep.-Dec. Jan.-May
Lab lab (bush type) Onion Bhindi Jun.-Aug. Sep.-Dec. Jun.-Mar
08.
Coriander Apr.-May
Perennial plot
1. Drumstick, Banana, Papaya, Tapioca, Curry leaf and Agathi.
2. It may be observed from the above crop arrangements that throughout the year
some crop is grown in each plot without break (Succession cropping) and
where ever possible two crops (one long duration and the other a short
duration one) are grown together in the same plot (companion cropping).
Economic benefits of gardening
Gardeners feed their families first and then sell, barter or give away surplus
garden foods. In certain contexts, however, income generation may become the
primary objective of the home garden. In any case, it is counterproductive to impose
the nutrition objective to the exclusion of the income generation objective, since in
most contexts they are linked and compatible. The potential economic benefits of
home gardening include the following:
• Gardening gives dual benefits of food and income generation;
• Gardens provide fodder for household animals and supplies for other
household needs (handicrafts, fuel wood, furniture, baskets, etc.);
• Marketing of garden produce and animals is often the only source of
independent income for women.
Size and shape of vegetable garden depends on
• Availability of land
• Number of persons in family
Maintenance of Kitchen garden
• Grow the plants on the fence by training
• Dump all the kitchen waste in the manure pits and maintain in wet condition
Irrigation: As and when necessary
Manures and Fertilizers
• Apply the decomposed kitchen waste to all the crops
• Complex fertilizers @ 5 gram/plant at 30, 60 and 90 day of planting
Weeding: As and when necessary
Harvest: When there is a colour change from green to yellow or orange
Plant Protection: Pick and destroy the larvae found on fruits and vegetables and
then spray. Avoid spraying of toxic chemicals.
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/litre of water or Neem Seed Kernel Extract @ 3 %.
• Avoid spraying of toxic chemicals
• 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.
Crops suited for Kitchen garden
Fruits Vegetables Spices Medicinal Plants Trees
Mango Tomato Turmeric Aloe Bottle brush
Banana Brinjal Coriander Solanum Pagoda tree
Sapota Chilly Fenugreek Vasambu Mandarai
Guava Onion Vallarai
Papaya Big Onion Mint
Acid lime Bhendi Basil
Amla Bitter gourd Thulsi
Pomegranate Snake gourd Omavalli
Anona Ribbed gourd Karisilanganni
Date Pam Bottle gourd Keelanelli
Amaranthus Pirandai
Lab lab Thoothuvelai
Beetroot Ponnanganni
Radish Poduthalai
Curry leaf Manathakali
Moringa Vettiver
Spinach
Cluster bean
Cowpea
Moringa
Tapioca
Goose
Drumstick Manure pit
Berry
Papaya Coccinea
Acid
Pomegranate
lime Nursery beds
Curry leaf
Bitter
Lab lab Checkurrminas Herbal plants (Gymnea, Thuthuvalai, Oma
Gourd
Mint Amaranthus valli, Thulsi)
Ponnanganni Bhendi Greater yam Elephant foot yam
Snake Ribbed
Coriander Chillies Lesser yam Cluster bean
gourd Gourd
Fenugreek Brinjal Colacasia Cow pea
Small Bellary
Tomato Tapioca Radish Beet root
Onion Onion ENTRANCE
