Vegetable Crop Production

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, students should be able To prepare land for growing vegetables To know the cultural practices for vegetables To produce vegetables Be able to identify and control diseases and pest Be able to store and sell vegetables

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN STARTING A VEGETABLE FARM Soil- Fertile and well drained Land should be flat or slope gently Presence of water near the site Market for the vegetables Garden must be near the market Money, tools, seeds etc. Crops that can be produced cheaply and sell easily

LAND PREPARATION Good land preparation is essential for the successful production of vegetables Land must be cleared of all vegetation Cut down shrubs and trees Uproot stumps for open land Pull out all grasses to use as mulch

BED PREPARATION After clearing all vegetation and debris, Mark beds and dig out. Standard width of bed 1-2meters Length of bed 3-10meters Create a walk path of about 0.5- 0.6 meters Bed types: raised and sunken beds

Alternative Production Practices Some vegetables do not need a bed Container gardening Bucket or box gardening.

CULTURAL PRACTICES - PLANTING Nursery- sow seeds in drills Transplanting- 4 weeks old

CULTURAL PRACTICES - MAINTAINING Watering – morning and evening Watch for mold and avoid over watering Mulching- cover soil with layer of plant material Weed control- use hoe, hand fork, trowel Shading Staking Pruning Fertilizer application- compost, NPK

DISEASE AND PEST CONTROL Apply recommended pesticide (refer to manual) Crop rotation Mixed cropping Avoid late planting and harvesting Plant disease resistant crops

IT IS CRITICAL TO REFERENCE THE MANUAL.