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

• 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.

Crops suited for Kitchen garden:

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

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

• 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

Plat Protection

• Pick and destroy the larvae found on fruits and vegetables and then spray
• Avoid spraying of toxic chemicals.

Organic method of plant protection

• Neem oil
• Neem seed kernel extract
• Panchakavya

Implements used in kitchen garden

• Spade
• Pick Axe
• Hoe
• Hand sprayer
• Rode can
• Rose
• Secature

Source:

           Dr.Sathyamoorthy, Asst. Prof, Department of Vegetables, TNAU, Coimbatore
           Indian Horticulture Jan-Feb-2011
           http://www.naturalnews.com/022272.html