Kitchen GardenObjectives importance and

economy A Training Presentation

ByMr. Allah Dad Khan

Agriculture Consultant KPK Province Pakistan

Importance of Vegetables 1) Nutrition:

Vegetables are rich and comparatively cheaper source of vitamins.

Consumption of these items provides taste, palatability, increases

appetite and provides fiber for digestion and to prevent

constipation. Their consumption in plenty fair amount of protein.

They also play key role in neutralizing the acids produced during

digestion of pretentious and fatty foods and also provide valuable

roughages which help in movement of food in intestine.

Some of the vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates

(leguminous vegetables, sweet potato, potato, onion, garlic and

methi) proteins (peas, beams, leafy vegetables and garlic) vitamin

A (carrot, tomato, drumstick, leafy vegetables), Vitamin B (peas,

garlic and tomato), Vitamin C (green chillies, drumstick leaves,

Cole crops, leafy vegetables and leaves of radish) minerals (leafy

vegetables, drumstick pods). As per dietician, daily requirement of

vegetables is 75 - 125 g of green leafy vegetables, 85 g of other

vegetables and 85 g of roots and tubers with other food.

2) Importance as Food:

Food production is increasing. If is essential to sustain

increased production besides nutritional standard of

people. It can be increased by increasing production of

vegetables which will help to solve food problem as

yield of vegetable crops is 4 to 10 times more than

cereals. Thus, vegetables play a vital role on food front

as they are cheapest-sources of natural foods and can

admirably supplement the main cereals of the country.

Importance to a grower:

Nature is in providing us-with all kinds of vegetable crops that can be grown in different seasons of the year in region. Different kinds of vegetables provide leaf, stem, flower, fruit or seed for consumption.' Considering vividness in the requirement of soil and season farmers can grow vegetable crops throughout the year for earning regular and steady income to meet the daily expenditure. There are vegetables of very short duration that can be grown as rained and intercrops in either agronomical crops or vegetable crops. There 'are vegetables which will improve soil and also provide fodder to catties. Thus farmer has wide choice to select suitable crop to adjust in his cropping pattern in given situation. Climate and soil conditions of this region are conducive to grow different vegetables.

Importance to a grower:

4) Employment:

Since cultivation of vegetable crops involve intensive cultural operations starting from sowing to marketing, it provides more and regular employment opportunities in rural areas.

5) Industrial importance:

The perishable nature of vegetables demand comprehensive planning for movement, Storage, processing and distribution of vegetable products. The growth of vegetable industry as a commercial proposition largely depends on mainly allied enterprises like storage, processing marketing and maintenance and service enterprises to encourage vegetable growing.

Vegetables contribute vitally to the general

well-being due to the following reasons:

1. They are rich sources of 'Protective' elements like minerals, salts, vitamins and other chemical substances, which the human body seeds to maintain good health and cheer.

2. Per acre yield of vegetables is very high.

3. They are an important source of farm income.

4. They have high aesthetic value.

5. More vegetable crops can be raised in one year.

6. Importance of vegetables in farmer's economy.

7. Vegetables are important .source of farm income:

a. Vegetables are sold at a higher rate than other crops. It provides regular as well as good source of income in addition to the income from the agronomic crops.

b. It provides regular work throughout the year to the year to the fanners and his family labours.

c. Per acre yielded vegetables is very high: Vegetables give very high quantity of food per acre and they grow quickly. It is found that vegetables give higher yields in comparison to other crops.

d. More Vegetables can be raised in one year: Most vegetables are short duration crop and it as compared to other crops can be raised throughout the year Some of Vegetables (i.e. potato, brinjal, spinach, pumpkin, lady's finger etc.) can be grown twice and even three a year, some green vegetables become ready for harvesting within 15-60 days of sowing.

6) Importance of vegetables

Production for medicinal properties:

Many of the vegetable crops posses high medical value

for curing certain diseases. For instance, onion and

garlic are found to possess antibacterial property

(Sharma et. al. 1976). Many solanaceous and

cucurbitaceous vegetables are found to possess Vitamin

D.

Purpose of kitchen Gardening

The main purpose of a kitchen garden is to provide food

for the family.

To save the amount incurred on kitchen vegetables.

The saving so made is utilized for other beneficial

purposes.

In ancient times, kitchen gardens were the sole source of

food in a mainly vegetarian diet.

In the modern era, the kitchen garden supplements the

food budget and provides balanced nutrition in a hurried,

ready-made-meal world.

9

Kitchen Gardening Serve as The kitchen garden may serve as the central feature of an

ornamental, all-season landscape, or it may be little more

than a humble vegetable plot.

It is a source of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and edible

flowers, but it is often also a structured garden space with

a design .

The kitchen garden has year-round visual appeal and can

incorporate permanent perennials or woody shrub

plantings around (or among) the annuals.

10

Advantages of Kitchen Gardening 1. To Save Money , Vegetables from your own garden cost less.

2. Home Grown Vegetables are Healthier

3. You Know What Has Been Put On Them

4. Home Grown Vegetables and Herbs Taste Better

5. Growing Your Own Vegetables is Satisfying

6.Austhetic value

7.Hobby

8. Exercise

9. You can grow fruits , vegetables

and herbs on your own choice

11

12

13

Vegetables

Nutrition in Vegetables

Calcium: broccoli, nuts, kale, legumes, greens veg.

Iron: green leafy vegetables

Zinc : Beans, peas

Potash : Tomato

Iodine : Potato skin

Protein: peas, potato, sweet potato ,okra

Vitamin A : Carrot

Vitamin B-1, B-2, B-6 : Tomato , water melon

Vitamin C: tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green leafy vegetables, potatoes, Brussels sprout

Vitamin D : Mushrooms

Vitamin E : Mustard and turnip greens

Vitamin H or Biotin: Cauliflower

Vitamin K : Broccoli, spinach and kale

14

Health Benefits of Vegetarian

Cardiovascular

Hypertension

Cancer

Diabetes

Obesity

Kidney disease/ renal stones

Gallstones

Diverticular disease

15

Objectives of Kitchen

Gardening

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.

Ø 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.

Ø The 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

Economic benefits of

gardening

Ø 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.

Ø The potential economic benefits of home gardening, include the following:

Ø gardening gives dual benefits of food and income generation;

Ø gardens provide fodder for household animals and supplies for other household needs (handicrafts, fuel wood, furniture, baskets, etc.);

Ø marketing of garden produce and animals is often the only source of independent income for women.

Vegetables grown in Pakistan

More than 35 kinds of vegetables are grown in numerous eco-systems in Pakistan from the dry zone to the wet zone, low elevation to high elevation, rain fed to irrigated and low input to very high input systems such as plastic houses. During summer and spring season, tomato, chilies, brinjal, potato, cucumber, gourds and okra are abundantly available. During rainy season, gourds, cucumber, beans, okra and brinjal are common. The winter season is the most important for growing a wide variety of vegetables including, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, onion, potato, carrot, radish, turnip, coriander, fenugreek and peas. Vegetables produced in different zones by using different production technologies during different seasons are traded across regional markets of Pakistan in order to meet consumer demand across the country. Varied agro-climatic conditions prevailing in different provinces of the country also contribute to year round production of different kinds of vegetables. Thus many vegetables can be grown and seen in the market during any season.

Tips for Kitchen Gardening

1. To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.

2. To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be sparkling clean.

3. To prevent the line on your string trimmer from jamming or breaking, treat with a spray vegetable oil before installing it in the trimmer.

4. Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick! Lay a long-handled garden tool on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain distance apart (from just an inch to several feet) you'll already have a measuring device in your hand.

5. To have garden twine handy when you need it, just stick a ball of twine in a small clay pot, pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole, and set the pot upside down in the garden. Do that, and you'll never go looking for twine again.

6. Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden, overnight frosts and freezes.

Tips for Kitchen Gardening

7. To turn a clay pot into a hose guide, just stab a roughly one-foot length of steel reinforcing bar into the ground at the corner of a bed and slip two clay pots over it: one facing down, the other facing up. The guides will prevent damage to your plants as you drag the hose along the bed.

8. To create perfectly natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker) on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants.

9. Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape! Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little buggers like to hide.

10. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain, use it to water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable soup."

11. Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

12. Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings quite suddenly. Just add a spot of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or use it as a foliar spray.

Tips for Kitchen Gardening

14. The quickest way in the world to dry herbs: just lay

a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car, arrange

the herbs in a single layer, then roll up the windows and

close the doors. Your herbs will be quickly dried to

perfection. What's more, your car will smell great.