1. Vegetable Crop Production

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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 meters
Bed types: raised and sunken beds

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

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

8. 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

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

10. IT IS CRITICAL TO REFERENCE THE MANUAL.