Me, My Backyard
and My Vegetables
Me
My Backyard, 20 ft by 20 ft
And my vegetable seeds
Courtesy of the Agriculture Department
A Packet
of 6 varieties, It comes with instructions
"Grow Your Own Vegetable," Fertilizers included
Less will be spent
Buying imported one.
In these times of economic uncertainties,
many an advice is dispensed by the government to counter the effects of weakened
local currencies. Although the situation is not remarkably acute, nonetheless
there is still a need to summon all our peoples' energy and attention to the
problem. The currency crisis facing our nation is still gripping our thoughts
and minds and if we still linger in our past extravagant ways, we may stumble
upon an ever deeper crisis than that facing us now.
One of the ways in which the government
is trying to help us help ourselves is to encourage us to plant our own vegetables
at home for our own consumption. This is part of an austerity measure which,
in the long run, will foster an attitude of self-sufficiency and at the same
time will result in a nation of health-conscious citizens. We can ensure that
vegetables grown in our own backyards can be free of chemical fertilisers and
once our efforts start to bear fruit, the success will spur us on to do more.
Besides, working in our own backyard can be seen as a form of recreation and
relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of the office. It may be an ideal
way for some to unwind at the end of the day!.
The Department of Agriculture has
started the ball rolling by starting a campaign on 5th February 1998 by inviting
the public to come to its agricultural offices in every district. In that one-day
campaign, members of the public who came to collect the free seeds were given
a free promotion campaign package per household on a first-come-first-serve
basis. The package contains six types of vegetable seeds and a 5 kg. bag of
granulated compound fertilizer, including leaflets with simple planting and
compost making instructions. A small sum is payable should you require additional
packages of seeds. For this, you may go to the various Area Farmers' Organizations
nearest to you.
This campaign was widely publicized
on radio & TV, in the daily newspapers and it got everyone making a beeline
down to the nearest agriculture office. According to the Department of Agriculture,
the response was really good that they ran out of stock of seeds during that
Andy campaign.
Want to know more about
planting your own greens? Here's how.
Planting your own vegetables in your
backyard is quite simple. Here are some helpful tips from the Agriculture Department.
Generally, there are two varieties of vegetables: leafy vegetables and fruity
vegetables.
A. Leafy vegetable gardening method.
1. Prepare planting
bed of 1m wide and 20 cm high (length according to availability of space).
Leave for 1 week.
2. Apply onto
planting bed well rotten 0.5 kg chicken dung and 25 gm NPK compound fertiliser
for every square metre. Leave for 1 week.
3. Sow vegetable
seeds in rows. Spacing between rows and plants as tabulated below:
|
Vegetable
|
Spacing (cm)
|
Days to harvest
|
Yield (kg/m2)
|
|
Cabbage
|
50 x 50
|
60 - 70
|
2 - 5
|
|
Chaisim
|
20 x 20
|
28 - 35
|
1 -2
|
|
Chaihua
|
20 x 20
|
30 - 35
|
1 -1.5
|
|
Pekchai
|
20 x 20
|
30 -35
|
1.5 - 2.8
|
|
Spinach
|
20 x 20
|
28 -32
|
1.5 -2.1
|
|
Kangkong
|
20 x 20
|
28 - 30
|
1 -2
|
|
Kailan
|
20 x 20
|
45 -50
|
1 -1.5
|
|
Khochai
|
20 x 25
|
40 -50
|
2 - 3
|
|
Kiewchai
|
25 x 30
|
35 - 40
|
1 -2
|
4. Provide shade
using leaves or fern immediately after sowing and remove shed when plant has
grown.
5. Thin to required
spacing between plants 1 -2 weeks after sowing.
6. Manuring:
Side dressing of 20 gm NPK fertiliser every square metre at a week's interval
until 1 week to harvest.
7. Pests &
Diseases: Snails - Collect the snails or sprinkle snail baits around planting
bed before dark. Insects - Collect the larvae.
 |
 |
Mix soild with chicken
dung & NPK fertilizer one week
before sowing
|
Side dressing of NPK
fertilizer here
|
B. Fruitly
vegetable gardening method.
1. Prepare planting
bed of 1 m wide and 20 cm high (length according to availability of space).
Plough the soil.
2. Apply onto
planting bed well rotten 0.5 kg chicken dung and 25 gm NPK compound fertiliser
for every square metre. Leave it for one week.
3. Put 3 vegetable
seeds into every 2 cm deep of holes and cover seeds with soil. Plant in double
rows. Spacing between rows and planting points is as tabulated below:
|
Fruity Vegetable
|
Spacing (cm)
|
Stage & part to
harvest
|
Yield (kg/m2)
|
|
Long Bean
|
40 x 50
|
Young Pod/leaf
|
1.2 - 2
|
|
Tomato
|
60 - 65
|
Ripe fruit
|
2.9 - 5.0
|
|
Brinjal
|
40 - 50
|
Young fruit
|
1.0 - 5.0
|
|
Okra
|
60 - 70
|
Young fruit
|
1.5 - 1.9
|
|
Bitter Gourd
|
80 - 90
|
Young fruit
|
2.0 - 2.5
|
|
Loofah
|
60 - 70
|
Young fruit
|
1.5 - 3.0
|
|
Cucumber
|
45 - 50
|
Young/old fruit
|
1.0 - 2.5
|
|
French bean
|
70 - 80
|
Young pod
|
1.0 - 1.5
|
|
Chilli
|
45 - 65
|
Ripe fruit
|
1.0 - 4.0
|
4. Arrange 1 m long
of stakes according to spacing tabulated above for climbing vegetables (bean,
gourds, cucumber, etc.). See picture below.
5. Water plants
twice daily.
6. Apply NPK
fertiliser for side-dressing at 1 -2 weeks interval of 20 gm per sq. metre
during growing period and 30 gm during production
(fruiting) period. Water lightly
after each application.
7. Wrap young
fruits using plastic or paper bags.
Some tips
on how to stay safe in your garden
Always wear gardening gloves
and sensible shoes or boots when gardening.
Before lifting rocks, tin,
firewood and so on, move the item slightly so that anything hiding underneath
has a chance to escape.
Always check boots, gloves
and clothing before putting them on. If they have been left lying around,
give them a good shake. You never know what has crawled into them!
Check if plants are poisonous
before introducing them into your gardens.
Never ever stick your fingers
into holes in the ground.
Brighten up your gardens with bold bright colored
flowers. Here's some suggestions.
Did you know
that some gardens may take years of hard work to took brilliant? However,
with a bit of careful planning and some clever combination of colours, your
garden will turn into your pride and joy in no time. For a beautiful bouquet
of flowers in all colour ranges, try these few simple steps.
Step 1
Work out what you have in your garden at present, then determine what you
want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
Step 2
Compile a wish list of the types of plants you desire. Remember, bright color
looks better massed together than scattered about.
Step 3
Take the wish list and then adjust it to fit your particular circumstance,
given space and light available in your garden.
| Bougainvillea:
Anyone with a bougainvillea adorning a fence would be well rewarded
in the color stakes. Purple, red and pink varieties are the 'happy'
colors for tropical climates. |
 |
Hibiscus:
This is a splendid plant that will grow in most places. Popular colours
are blood red and pink. Lest we forget, this is our National flower!
|
 |
Dahlias: This is
an old-fashioned plant returning to popularity. Its is easy to grow
and has beautiful blooms.
|
|
| Sunflower: One of
the most rewarding of all annuals, with their trademark yellow sun-shape
face. A couple of clumps of these in your garden will not only brighten
your day, but their dried seeds will give your local birdlike a real
treat. |
 |
| Roses:
Its goes without saying: the only colour unavailable in this beautiful
and rewarding plant is blue. |
 |
|
