Low Input Techniques for Urban Gardens

Table of Contents Page
Acknowledgements..................................................................................................... 3
How to use this book .................................................................................................. 4
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO LIG................................................................5
1.1 LIG and nutrition.......................................................................................... 6
1.2 LIG in towns and cities................................................................................. 9
PART 2: PLANNING....................................................................................10
2.1 Planning what to produce .......................................................................... 11
2.2 Finding land............................................................................................... 15
2.3 Goals for gardens ....................................................................................... 18
2.5 Developing a constitution .......................................................................... 21
PART 3: DESIGNING...................................................................................30
3.1 Efficient garden layout................................................................................ 31
3.2 Vegetable areas .......................................................................................... 37
3.3 Cropping areas ........................................................................................... 38
3.4 Integrating trees into the system................................................................. 39
3.5 Integrating small livestock.......................................................................... 40
PART 4: IMPLEMENTING............................................................................43
4.1 Water-harvesting ........................................................................................ 44
4.2 Conservation farming................................................................................. 48
4.2 Plant propagation....................................................................................... 48
PART 5: MANAGEMENT .............................................................................53
5.1 Soil management ....................................................................................... 55
5.2 Water management .................................................................................... 59
5.3 Pest and disease management .................................................................... 60
PART 6: USING THE PRODUCTS................................................................68
6.1 Harvesting.................................................................................................. 69
6.2 Storage ....................................................................................................... 69
6.3 Preserving food .......................................................................................... 72
6.4 Marketing produce..................................................................................... 73
GLOSSARY ......................................................................................................76
Appendix 1: Useful plants for urban gardens ............................................................ 78
Appendix 2: Local names of plants ........................................................................... 79
Appendix 3: Cultivation tips for garden crops ........................................................... 80
Appendix 4: Methods to control a range of pests and diseases.................................. 82
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................85
2

Acknowledgements
MDP is grateful to Anna Brazier for initially writing this booklet. The information in this booklet is
based on “Growing Positively” A Handbook on Developing Low-Input Gardens published by John
Snow International Europe. The information has been adapted specifically for the Cities Farming for
the Future Programme as part of the training materials for farmers. The program is managed by
Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa (MDP-ESA) and funded by the
International Development Research Center, Canada (IDRC) and Directorate-General for
International Cooperation, Netherlands (DGIS). The Cities Farming for the Future (CFF) is a global
programme that seeks to integrate agriculture into urban development. The Programme is
coordinated globally by the Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF).
3
The main objectives of this programme are to:
• contribute to urban food security,
• urban poverty reduction,
• improved urban environmental management,
• empowerment of urban farmers and
• participatory city governance through capacity development of local stakeholders in urban
agriculture and participatory multi-stakeholder policy formulation and action planning on
urban agriculture.

How to use this book
This book aims to help people in towns and cities to grow and eat their own healthy, nutritious food
using Low Input Gardening (LIG) techniques.
The book is divided into six parts. The first part introduces LIG and looks at ways to help urban
families particularly by improving the diet. The second part looks at how to plan a low input garden
by analysing available resources and defining clear goals. The third part looks at ways to design
urban gardens to save space and make the most of locally available resources. The fourth part looks
at ways to start implementing a LIG garden. The fifth part describes management techniques for soil,
water, plants and animals in LIG gardens. The last part looks at ways to use the garden products.
4

PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO LIG
5

The name LIG was first used in Zimbabwe in 2003 and to date LIG gardens have been developed by
thousands of householders, community groups, schools, clinics and churches in rural and urban
areas. The size of a LIG can range from a small container garden to an 80 000m2 group plot.
What is LIG?
Low Input gardening, (LIG) is the name given to a system of crop growing that reduces:
• the amount of energy you use
• the amount of water and
• the need to buy inputs (fertilisers, pesticides and seed).
A successful low input garden produces a wide range of nutritious foods all year round to improve
health, save money and generate income.
6
Starting a LIG can help you…
• improve your families’ health with a wide range of nutritious food
• have more food all year round
• improve your gardening skills
• save money by reducing bought inputs
• generate income from the sale of products
• teach others how to grow healthy food
• improve soil and water resources and protect the environment
1.1 LIG and nutrition
Before we decide what to grow in our gardens we need to know why we are growing it. One benefit
of a LIG is that you can grow your own healthy food. Having a varied diet keeps our bodies strong
and healthy.
What is a healthy diet?
Our body is like a machine. It needs fuel to do work. It needs special chemicals to help keep it
running properly. Our body is even better than a machine because if we feed it properly it can grow
and it can repair itself when it is damaged or sick. To stay strong and healthy we need to eat the right
amount and the right kinds of things. The important parts of a healthy diet are proteins,
carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, water and fibre. The table below helps to explain what
the different parts of our diet are used for by the body by likening our body to a homestead.
Table 1.1: Important components of a healthy diet, their function in the body and their main
source
Part of the
Function in the body Main source.
diet
Most can be produced from
gardens
Proteins Proteins are like the bricks of a house. Our body uses them to
build and repair itself. Children, pregnant women and people who
are sick need plenty of protein.
Meat, eggs, yoghurt, sour milk,
legumes e.g. cowpeas, nyimo
beans, sugar beans, soya beans,
pigeon peas, Madagascar beans.
Carbohydrates Carbohydrates provide energy for our bodies to function.
Carbohydrates are like firewood. Our bodies burn them to give us
energy for living, working, thinking etc. People who use their
bodies to work hard, children and sick people need to make sure
they get enough carbohydrate.
Maize, millet, sorghum, rice, wheat
(flour, bread, cakes, pasta),
cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
madhumbes.
Fats Fats provide a lot of energy and burn more quickly. Fat is easy to
store in the body so we must be careful not to eat too much.
When we eat too much carbohydrate or protein our bodies turn
the extra into fat for storage.
Vegetable oil, margarine, butter,
peanut butter, meat, avocado,
nuts and seeds.
Minerals Minerals work like cement between the bricks of a house. They
help strengthen important parts of our body such as our eyes our
skin our bones and blood.
Whole grains, nuts, eggs, seeds,
legumes, fish, fruit and
vegetables.
Vitamins Every home needs a watchdog. Vitamins act like a watchdog
protecting our body from sickness. We need 16 different kinds of
Different coloured fruit and
vegetables. Try to eat five

vitamins to stay healthy. different types of fruit or
7
vegetable each day.
Water Like our homes, our bodies need cleaning out. Water helps dilute
and wash out waste.
Drink at least 8 cups of fresh,
clean water per day.
Fibre Fibre is like a broom that sweeps away dust. It helps remove
waste from our bodies.
Fruit and vegetables, whole
grains.
Eat many different types of food
These days many people in towns eat the same food each meal and each day. The reasons for this
are that in urban areas
• it is harder to find a wide range of different ingredients
• healthy unrefined food is less easily available
• healthy food (especially meat) is more expensive
• people have forgotten how to prepare healthy traditional dishes.
• people eat junk food because it is more convenient and more “fashionable”.
• people do not have time to prepare traditional meals.
• people need food that they can easily carry to school or work
• due to power cuts and lack of fuel it is hard to prepare cooked meals.
Food past and present
Rural Zimbabweans used to eat a rich and varied diet with over 180 traditional food plants harvested
from the wild or grown in gardens. Each day people would eat an average of 150g of fibre from fruit,
vegetables, root crops, legumes and unrefined grains. Traditional cooking methods used very little
fat, salt or sugar.
Today urban Zimbabweans commonly eat less than ten food plants (maize, rape, covo, onions,
tomatoes, cabbage, tsunga and seasonally sweet potatoes, pumpkins and pumpkin leaves). We
consume less than 20g of fibre per day and use unhealthy amounts of fat, salt and sugar. Over-cooking
and adding bicarbonate of soda destroys many of the Vitamins and minerals in fruit and
vegetables. Poor modern eating habits are leading to conditions such as obesity and overweight,
cancers of the digestive system, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. These were
uncommon in the past

A Healthier Plate
Because our bodies need so many different types of food to keep them healthy we must try to eat
different types of meals with different ingredients each day. We can grow many of these healthy
ingredients in our gardens.
How much do we need to eat?
The amount we eat depends on our age, sex and time of life. A healthy meal should be no more than
50% carbohydrate (sadza, potatoes, bread), 15% protein (meat, eggs or beans) and the rest
vegetables and fruit. Each day you should drink at least 8 cups of water.
Who needs a healthy diet?
Everyone needs a healthy diet but some people need to take extra care to have plenty of healthy
food. They include:
• orphans and vulnerable children
• pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers
• the elderly
• people who are sick especially those living with HIV and AIDS
8
Some healthy traditional dishes and snacks
• Cowpeas crushed, roasted and cooked (Rupiza)
• Dark green vegetables (including spinach, pumpkin leaves, cassava leaves, cowpea leaves, sweet potato
leaves, amaranth, and black jack) cooked in peanut butter
• Pumpkin cooked in peanut butter (nhopi)
• Roasted pumpkin seeds or peanuts
• Sorghum or millet sadza (munga or zviyo)
• Mixed boiled beans and grains (mutakura)
• Cooked sweet potatoes, cassava and madhumbes (can also be made into chips)
• Brown rice with peanut butter.
We can all stay healthy by eating a varied, balanced diet to help our body stay strong to fight
sickness. Eating healthy food can also make us feel energetic and positive about life.

1.2 LIG in towns and cities
People living in towns and cities live stressful, risky lives. Food, goods and services are expensive;
jobs are scarce and the crime rate is high. Having so many people living close together causes health
hazards and pollution. It also puts pressure on resources so that urban people face shortages of clean
water, fuel for heating, lighting, cooking and transport. It is hard to form garden groups in urban
areas because people come from many different parts of the country or other countries and they may
find it hard to get along.
Urban areas also provide opportunities. Markets are closer to producers and shoppers. This reduces
transport costs. Lots of buildings, roofs and roads means that water can be collected and channelled
into gardens. Waste water can be recycled. Since there is a lot of waste growers nave plenty of
material for mulch and compost. Having people from different places provides new ideas and skills
which can be shared.
9
The LIG process
Planning - analysing resources, deciding what to produce and planning how to produce it.
Designing- developing an efficient garden layout which reduces inputs, energy and waste.
Implementing- preparing the land, planting the crops and establishing livestock systems.
Managing resources, plants and animals- looking after the water, soil, plants and animals to keep the
land healthy and productive.
Urban people may find it difficult to set up a garden because of:
• lack of land (small gardens, legal restrictions, restrictions by landlords)
• lack of water (erratic supply, expense, water restrictions, hot dry conditions)
• lack of money to buy inputs (fertilisers, seeds and tools)
• theft of produce
• lack of variety of crops available
• lack of knowledge about how to grow different crops
• pest and disease problems
• poor soils
These problems can be addressed by using the simple steps in the LIG process:
The rest of this booklet looks at this process in more detail

Planning is a system for thinking about what we are going to do and deciding how we are going to
do it.
2.1 Planning what to produce
An urban garden can produce many different things including: food, drink, leather, fur, feathers,
soap, cosmetics, detergents, medicine, fuel wood, fibre, timber, plant seedlings, young animals,
home-made insecticides, compost, manure and liquid fertiliser. These can be used by the family to
improve the garden, improve health and save money. Any extra can be given to needy people such
as the elderly, widows and orphans or sold to generate income.
Apart from products which you can use or consume there are other important products from a LIG
garden including:
• a feeling of peace and happiness
• satisfaction because you are self-sufficient
• a house which is cooler in summer and warmer in winter
• a pleasant place for family and friends to sit
• knowledge about health and gardening which you can share with others.
Crop selection
To help you decide which crops to grow you need to find out what the crops need and what they
produce. We can group crops according to their products.
Table 2.1: Examples of different types of crop
Product Examples
Leaf crops Tsunga, spinach, rape, covo, amaranthus, cabbage, lettuce
Fruit crops Tomato, green pepper, chili, brinjal, gooseberry, strawberry
Root crops Potato, sweet potato, cassava, madhumbe, beetroot, onion, leek, garlic
Vine crops Pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, melons, granadilla
Legumes
(beans and pulses)
Groundnuts, beans, cowpeas, bambara nuts, soya beans, sugar beans,
madagascar beans, pigeon peas,
Grain crops Maize, rice, wheat, millet, sorghum
For more detailed information on the needs and products of some useful crops for LIG gardens see
Appendix 2
11

Some crops are easier to grow than others. Some prefer cool climates and some tolerate heat. Some
need lots of water while others can stand dry periods. They all provide different nutrients. Some
crops do better in winter while others grow better in summer. Some are annuals while others are
perennials.
12
Table 2.2: Charectistics of different crops
Crop characteristics
Winter crops cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, lettuce garlic, potatoes, onions, carrots,
leeks,
Summer crops beetroot, maize, sweet potatoes, cucumber, pumpkin, cowpeas, brinjals, chillies,
peppers, paprika, runner beans,
Sun-loving Fruit and grain and vine crops
Semi -shade Leaf and root crops
Shade-tolerant Tumeric, madhumbe
Water-loving Leaf and root crops
Drought-tolerant Groundnut, pigeon pea, okra, cowpea, cassava, lablab bean, sweet potato,
amaranth, brinjal
Heavy feeders Fruit and vine crops
Light feeders Onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, beans
The type of crop that you choose to grow depends on:
• The size of your land;
• Water availability;
• Soil type;
• Time of year;
Sunlight availability.
Developing a crop calendar
To help you plan which crops to grow at different times of year and to ensure that your garden stays
productive all year round you can develop a cropping based on the table overleaf.

Table 2.3: Crops which can be grown in gardens at different times of year.
Food group or If water permits
nutrients
13
Summer
crops
Winter
crops Year-round
annuals
Perennial crops
Legumes and oil
seeds
(rich in body-building
protein
and protective
vitamins and
minerals and
some fat)
Groundnuts
Roundnuts
(nyimo)
Cowpeas
Sugar beans
Green beans
Peas Pigeon pea
Madagascar beans
Staples (rich in
energy-giving
carbohydrates)
Irish
potatoes
Cassava
Taro (madhumbe)
Sweet potatoes sweet potatoes
(especially yellow-fleshed varieties
rich in vitamin A)
Fruit and
vegetables rich in
vitamin A
Butternut,
pumpkin
watermelons,
cucumber,
squash
dark green
leafy
vegetables
Carrots
Fruit and
vegetables rich in
iron and calcium
Indigenous
vegetables
amaranthus,
black jack,
leaves of
cowpea,
pumpkin and
cassava
Rape
Onions
Garlic
Spinach
(avoid damp
conditions)
Kale (covo,
choumolier,
rugare)
Moringa (for consumption of
leaves and green pods only)
Fruit and
vegetables rich in
vitamin C
Gooseberries Tomatoes
(avoid frost)
Small fruit trees including citrus,
guava, Mexican apple, banana,
pawpaw, tree tomato and
mulberry and indigenous varieties,
Strawberries and granadillas

Small livestock needs and products
Small livestock can be kept in urban areas as long as the municipal regulations are followed. If you
are not sure what the regulations are you can ask at your local municipal offices. Even though
chickens, rabbits and other small livestock are small they still need to be kept properly in order to
stay healthy and productive.
Needs of small livestock
Clean, strong housing to protect them from too much sun, rain, pests and diseases and theft.
Adequate food (according to the breed).
Clean fresh water each day.
Pest and disease control (through careful management, hygiene and vaccinations and medication).
Poultry
This includes chickens, duck, geese, turkeys and guinea fowl. Poultry can provide eggs, meat,
feathers and manure as well as heat, pest and weed control. Because spaces in urban areas are small
poultry have to be kept in secure pens and can not be left to free range. This means that proper
housing and fencing must be built and the poultry will need to be fed. The choice of breed depends
on which products are required. Ducks and geese need a water source such as a pond.
Indigenous chicken breeds (village hens) and guinea fowl
These are tough birds which are resistant to disease. They do not need specially controlled balanced
feed and are good at breeding and sitting on eggs. They can be kept for both meat and eggs. The
main disadvantages are that fewer, smaller eggs are produced and smaller meat birds are produced .
Guinea fowl do not lay eggs all year round and they make a lot of noise especially during their
breeding season.
14
Illustration
Pure breeds
These come from commercial breeders or members of poultry societies and are mainly bred for show
in Zimbabwe. The main aim of keeping these types of chickens would be to develop your own
chicken-breeding programme. There three types:
Meat breeds: such as Faverole, Dorking, Sussex, Indian Game, Cornish game
Egg breeds: such as White Leghorn, Brown leghorn, Black leghorn, Ancona, Andalusian and
Minorca. These eat less food than the meat breeds but produce a lot of eggs. They seldom go
broody. Some lay brown eggs and others lay white eggs.
Duel purpose breeds (meat and eggs): Black Australorps, Rhode Island Red. New Hampshire Reds,
White Wynandotte, Orpington and Plymouth Rock.
Hybrids
These are produced by mating pure breed types. The meat birds have high growth rates and the
layers lay large eggs all year round. But hybrids are expensive. They need expensive food and are
susceptible to pests and diseases so they need expensive vaccines or medicines. They do not breed
well. and are not good at sitting on eggs (brooding). The chicks do not grow up to be the same as the
parent birds. They are less good at scratching than indigenous or pure breeds.
Meat breeds: (Broilers) Crest broiler, Cobb, Indian River.
Layers (Pullets): Harcors, Hisex, Harvest Z98 and Hyline. They take about 16 to 18 weeks to reach
point of lay.
Rabbits and guinea pigs
These animals can provide meat, pelts and manure. They are cheaper to feed than chickens and you
can grow most of their feed, even in a small garden. They require strong, secure housing and careful
management if you want them to breed properly.

2.2 Finding land
It can be hard to find space to start a garden in a town or city but once you start designing you will
realise that gardens don’t need as much space as you think. There are different types of gardens
which can be set up in urban areas but they can be divided into individual gardens or group gardens.
Urban agriculture regulations
Remember that just because land is vacant and is not being used for development does not mean
that anyone can grow crops on it. If you grow crops on vacant land without permission you could
have the crops destroyed and you may be fined.
If you do not have space to grow crops near your home you can find out what land is available for
people in your community. The urban authorities have rules about which land can be used and how
it can be used for cultivation. The best way to find out which land can be used and how it can be
used is to visit your local municipal offices If you form a group you have a stronger chance of being
allocated land. Groups can approach schools and churches in their community and ask whether land
is available for gardens. Note that you will probably be asked to pay a small amount for the use of
water in such places.
What you are allowed to do:
The city authorities like to encourage people to grow their own food in urban areas as long as they
do not damage the environment, cause health problems or damage municipal or private property.
Gardens on public land must be kept neat and tidy and should not obstruct pedestrians, traffic or
other public activities.
15
What you are NOT allowed to do:
Burning to clear land

Fires are not permitted in urban areas. To clear land, slash or dig up seeds and make them into
compost. See the section on preparing land for more ideas.
Polluting
Using pesticides and fertilisers in urban areas can threaten the health of people and the environment.
Pesticides can get into the water system and kill fish and birds. The can also harm people who may
drink the water. Fertilisers can cause water weeds to grow rapidly and choke stream and rivers. Some
fertilisers also contain poisonous chemicals.
Stream bank and wetland cultivation
People are not allowed to cultivate land within 30m of a stream bank because the edges of streams
and rivers are delicate places. Cultivation can cause soil erosion and pollution of the water. Wetlands
act as water storage systems during the dry season. Many special and protected plants and animals
live on wetlands. If we cultivate here we can destroy the ability of this soil to store water. This can
cause boreholes and wells in the area to dry out as well as destroying the resources for the plants and
animals which live in the area.
Using municipal water for gardens
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) does not permit the use of tap water for irrigating
gardens. This is because tap water is cleaned with expensive chemicals so that it is safe for people to
drink. It is also because most towns and cities in Zimbabwe have severe water shortage problems.
Households are allowed to use waste water for their gardens. All water from washing, bathing and
other household activities can be used on gardens. Rainwater from roofs and roads may be collected
for gardens.
16
You need to follow municipal regulations to…
Dig wells
Digging wells without permission is not allowed in an urban area. If you wish to dig a well or a
borehole you must apply to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority. Unprotected wells can cause a
drowning hazard for children and animals.
Keep livestock
Small livestock is permitted in urban areas but households must keep poultry, guinea pigs and rabbits
in clean, hygienic, housing. Livestock must not be kept closer than 5m to a boundary so that the
noise and smell does not disturb the neighbours. No more than 25 poultry birds may be kept on a
property at a time. Larger animals should not be kept in urban areas. The manure of livestock should
be disposed of by making it into compost or applying it to gardens so that it does not attract flies and
rats.
Make Compost
All household, kitchen and garden waste should be disposed of properly so that rats, flies and smell
are not a problem. All material which can rot (biodegadable) can be used to make compost or placed
in fertility trenches or pit beds.
Looking at the land
Before you plan how to use your land you need to find out what resources you have. Resources are
things that you can use such as water, soil, plants, the slope of the land and sunlight. To do this make
a map of the area where you plan to put the garden.

A map will help you plan the layout of your garden. Mapping should be done with all of the people
who are going to use the land such as a family, a school (parents, staff and students), a garden club or
a community. You may be surprised at how different people notice different things about the land.
Draw the map on paper. Use symbols to show different things. Pretend you are a bird in the sky.
How would trees, buildings and rivers look from above? Guess the distances between things or pace
them out. Use these measurements to make your map.
On the map mark:
• buildings, fences and boundaries
• the direction the land faces (where is north, south, west or east)
• the wind direction at different times of year
• paths, roads and gates
• existing gardens and cropping areas
• landforms such as large rocks, anthills and slopes
• vegetation -large trees and useful plants
• water sources e.g. taps, gutters, rivers, wells, bore holes, dams
• different soil types, capped soil, gullies and any other problems
• areas affected by frost.
Use the map to help you see what problems exist in your land, what resources are available and
how you can improve the land. See the section on designing your garden.
17

2.3 Goals for gardens
A goal is something you aim to achieve. Before you begin to grow things you need to decide what
you want to achieve from your garden. For a household garden talk about what you value about your
land with your family, friends or community. Next list what you want to produce from the land.
Remember that if you want to keep your garden going for many years you need to protect and
improve the land and this can be part of your goal.
Example of goals for a household garden
We want to:
• produce healthy nutritious food all year round to feed the family
• produce enough to be able to sell a surplus
• conserve and manage our soil and water resources so that we can use the land productively for
years to come
• sell surplus produce and grow seedlings to generate an income.
Group gardens
Group gardens can be very beneficial but they also have problems because large numbers off people
often have different plans, ideas and needs. To help reduce problems the group must be well
organised and have good communication between members of the group and the leaders of the
group. To do this it is a good idea to select a management committee for the group and to develop a
constitution for the group which everyone agrees to.
Forming groups
Examples of groups are: youth groups, womens’ groups, groups of elderly people, groups supporting
orphans and vulnerable children, parents of disabled children or groups of home-based care
volunteers.
18

Groups usually start with a small number of friends or family. Before making the group bigger decide
how many people and what kinds of people you would like to join the group. How are you going to
make sure that everyone is going to work hard for the group? Invite others to join the group by
putting up an advert on the notice board at a local community centre, clinic, supermarket or church.
Example of an advert
To all Mothers who enjoy gardening
Come to a meeting at Mbare Baptist
Church
On Friday 17th October at 4.30pm
to find out about joining our gardening
group
19
Table 2.4: Different types of gardens
Type Advantages Disadvantages
Group
gardens
e.g.
allotments,
community
centre
gardens,
garden at
schools,
churches or
on vacant
land.
• People with no land can have a
garden at a school, church or on
municipal land.
• If members move house the garden
can stay in the same palace.
• Many people can use the garden
• Many people can use the same water
source and fencing.
• Environmental management is
simpler.
• Members learn to work together and
help each other.
• Inputs can be bought cheaply in
bulk.
• Large amounts of crops can be
produced.
• Marketing, transporting and
processing of produce is more easily
organised.
• Some member don’t work hard and this can effect
the rest of the garden.
• If some members use pesticides or fertilizers it
effects the beds of those who do not want to use
chemicals.
• If many people are using the garden each individual
may only get a small space.
• Gardens may be far from people’s homes.
• They can be expensive to set up.
• They can suffer from vandalism and other problems
related to jealousy from those who are not
members.
• Members may argue with each other
• It may take a long time to make decisions.
• Groups may become labeled by others in the
community.
Individual
gardens
e.g:
household
gardens
balcony
gardens,
roadside
gardens
• Fewer people taking decisions so the
garden is quicker and easier to
manage.
• Gardens tend to be sheltered and
fenced with walls for climbing plants.
• Water harvesting may be done off
roofs.
• Livestock may be kept to improve the
soil and control pests.
• Crops can be protected from theft
and destruction.
• Householders make sure that no
dangerous chemicals are used.
• Some households have very little space for gardens.
• Some household gardens are too shady.
• Lodgers often move house so can not have a
garden.
• Lodgers have to get landlords permission for a
garden.
• Water shortages and restrictions can be a problem
as these gardens use tap water.
• Fewer people use the garden so there are less
people to help, learn with and share ideas with.
• If two or more families share a house, there can be
competition over gardens.

Once the group is formed you need to try to find some land using the steps given above.
At the first group meeting help the members of the group get to know each other and learn to trust
each other. It will be hard to select a committee until people know each other better. In the mean
time choose one person who can write quickly and neatly to be the reporter for the meeting. The
person who had the first idea to start the group can volunteer to chair the initial meetings until a
committee has been set up.
Goals for groups
To help the group develop clear goals ask every one in the group to list what they value. A value
means something which you care a lot about.
If everyone can read and write then these can be written on separate papers. Alternatively people
can call out their values and the reporter can write it all down. If you like you can score the values
by listing values and getting each person to tick the ones which they care about. This will show
which values are most popular in the group.
Table 2.5: Examples of different values
Value Score – number of people who chose this value
Money 10
Good health 8
Love 6
Fresh air 1
Nice clothes 4
Family 7
Church 5
Music 5
Peace and quiet 1
Education 5
Friendship 7
Knowledge 2
Sport 8
Excitement 1
My home 4
My job 6
Good food 3
My children 6
By looking at the values you can start to define goals for the garden which will relate to the most
popular values. Each group member should list what they want to produce from the garden.
Example: a vision for a youth group
In 5 years time we would like to see every space in the garden filled with a wide range of healthy
productive crops. The soil will be brown and fertile. Everyone will have enough water for their needs.
There will be few pests and diseases. Each member of the group will be healthy and prosperous. The group
leaders will make decisions based on the ideas and needs of the whole group. Disagreements will be solved
by good communication and respect for each other. Everyone in the group will work hard to make the
garden a success.
20

21
Example of goals for a school garden
We want to:
• produce healthy nutritious food all year round to feed disadvantaged students.
• encourage all of the staff and students to benefit from the garden.
• avoid stigmatising disadvantaged students.
• produce an excellent example of low input gardening which we can use to demonstrate
techniques to all those from the community who are interested.
• propagate seedlings, fruit trees, herbs and other useful plants to generate income and help others
start gardens at their homes.
Group vision
Next discuss how you would like to see the land you are using in 5 years time and how you would
like to see the group functioning in five years time. You can use general ideas about the land, the
crops, the soil, the water and the people. You can write your vision down on a piece of paper. Each
year have a meeting to look at the vision and discuss whether or not it has changed.
Assumptions and risks
Sometimes a group may not succeed in achieving all of its goals. This can be disappointing for the
members and can be reduced by thinking about what could go wrong when setting up the garden.
For each goal look at what you have assumed (expected) will happen in order to be able to achieve
the goal. Then list any risks (problems which could occur) which are involved in trying to achieve
the goal.
For example if one goal is to keep chickens your assumptions may be: that you can afford to buy the
food, that you will be able to get permission from your landlord to keep chickens and that you will
be able to learn how to keep chickens. The risks involved in this goal could include: the chickens
dying from a disease.
2.5 Developing a constitution
Once you have agreed on your goals and vision and have thought about the assumptions and risks
you can now begin to develop a constitution for the group. A constitution is a list of guidelines about
how the garden and the group should be managed which every member of the group agrees to.
The constitution should include information about how many members can join the group, the
membership fee, how the membership fee and any other money raised is to be used, how often
meetings should be held, who should attend the meetings, how the land is to be divided up, how the
produce is to be divided up, the roles and responsibilities of the management committee and some
rules about how the land is used. Here is an example of part of a constitution for a group.
Chengeta Garden Group Constitution
1. The group shall have no more than 40 members. All members shall be widows or widowers.
2. Each member shall pay a joining fee which shall go towards stationary for meetings. In addition members will pay a
quarterly fee for security and an annual fee for seed purchases. These amounts will be agreed at the monthly group
meetings.
3. The management committee shall be run by a chairperson, vice chair person, secretary, treasurer, security guard and
four animators. These positions will be elected at the annual general meeting.
4. Each member shall be entitled to four beds. The space along the fence line for trees and creepers shall be divided up
equally among the members. The members will plant crops according to the group crop rotation plan. Group members
will be responsible for watering their own beds. A roster will be set up for members to help those who are too sick or
too elderly to work.
5. No toxic pesticides or fertilisers shall be used in the garden. Pest control and soil improvement shall be done using
home-made sprays, fertilisers and compost.

Defining roles
The garden committee should be elected by the members of the group and should meet once per
month to help plan the garden. All discussions and decisions made at the meetings must be recorded
by the secretary and these minutes of the meeting should be available for all of the group members
to read. To avoid conflicts the management committee should be clear and transparent about their
decisions and should also be prepared to hear the point of view of all members in the group. The
success of the group depends upon the good communication skills of the management committee.
Before electing the committee members it is important to look at the different responsibilities and
qualities of the committee members. This will help the group to choose the right people for the
different jobs:
Table 2.6: Different roles, responsibilities and qualities for a garden committee
Position Responsibilities Good qualities or skills for this person to have
Chairperson Main leader and organiser of the
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group. Must hold monthly
meetings and call a general
meeting with all members once
per year.
Well organised, good listener, good
communicator, able to resolve arguments between
members, able to help all agree and be heard
during the decision-making process. A person with
a passion and vision for the garden group. A strong
but respectful leader.
Secretary Taking records of all meetings,
helping to organise meetings,
helping to inform members
about meetings.
Well organised, good at writing quickly and
clearly. Good at record keeping. Able to deliver
notices of meetings to members.
Treasurer Keeping all financial records,
presenting financial reports at
meetings. Opening an bank
account
Honest, reliable, efficient, skilled or experienced in
bookkeeping
Animators Keeping the group motivated
and enthusiastic
Good communicator, energetic, training skills,
School gardens
Schools in urban areas have a great potential for establishing gardens. Most schools have:

• large areas of land
• good security
• established gardens and orchards
• an enthusiastic community (parents, teachers and staff)
Schools can benefit from gardens by providing
• practical examples of topics taught in home economics, environmental science, agriculture and
23
many other subjects.
• extra nutritious food for staff, students and parents
• income generation from garden products
• improvement of environmental resources through better management of grounds
To help avoid problems make sure that:
• All those (children, staff, parents and any others) who work the land are involved in planning
how the land should be used, designing the land and sharing the products.
• Students don’t view the work as manual labour. Never make garden work a punishment for bad
behaviour. Avoid making students work in the garden during the hottest time of day.
• Vulnerable, sick or orphaned children who work in the garden not being teased by others. Form
a gardening club or NRM club, which is fun to belong to.
• The children understand how the practical topics link to their classroom subjects and see how
gardening skills can benefit them as adults.
• Children are encouraged to manage the garden as a real business.
2.4 Developing an action plan
• Review the goals.
• List activities that will need to be implemented in order to achieve the goals and solve the
problems.
• Next list the resources (tools, money, materials) you need in order to implement the
activities.

• Then state who will be in charge of implementing the activities.
• Give a time frame for the activity including realistic deadlines for completion of
activities. Note that some activities are ongoing.
Garden activities
Here are some common activities which need to be carried out in a garden.
Establishing a nursery for vegetables, fruits and other useful plants
Propagating plants
Preparing the land for crops and demonstrations
Planting crops
Making water-harvesting structures
Planting windbreaks and live fences
Constructing paths
Building livestock housing
Weeding, pruning and trellising
Improving soil fertility and texture
Irrigating and general water management
Controlling pests and diseases
Coordinating and managing the activities
Keeping records of all activities
Monitoring activities
24

Table 2.7: Example of an action plan for a new garden
Activity Resources Person Time-frame
responsible J F M A M J J A S O N D
25
Establishing the
nursery
Poles, grass, nails,
tools
Mrs Maposa x
Planting seeds in
containers
containers, soil,
compost, seeds, tools
Group
members
x
Constructing
fences
Wire, poles, strainer Mr Rugare x
Planting
windbreaks
tree seedlings, tools Mrs Chirenje x
Making water-harvesting
structures
Tools, string, A-frame Mr Rugare x
Preparing beds
and paths
Tools, string Group
members
x
Making compost Organic material,
manure, tools, water
Mrs Maposa x x x x x
Mulching Organic material Mr Rugare x x x x x x
Planting cold
season crops
Tools, seeds,
seedlings, (potatoes,
onions, peas,
cauliflower)
Group
members
x x x x
Planting hot
season crops
Seeds(cucumber,
eggplant, pumpkin),
seedlings, tools
Group
members
x x x x x x
Pruning Tools Mrs Chirenje x x x
Taking cuttings Tools, plant sleeves,
potting soil
Mrs Maposa x x x
Cleaning out
livestock units
Wheelbarrow, clean
straw, fork
Mr Rugare x x x x x x x x x x x x
Planting fruit
trees
Seedlings, water,
compost, tools
Mrs Chitima x x x x x
Developing a budget
A budget is a plan to help you work out how much money you need to spend for a project. Steps to
develop a budget:
• Define a clear goal for example, “I want to produce 20 bunches of onions to sell at the market.”
• List the resources and inputs that you will need to buy in order to carry out the project such as
tools, seed, fertiliser, water and transport costs.
• Write the costs of each item in a column next to the item. Multiply this cost by the number of
items you need.
• Add the total.
Table 2.8: Example of a budget
Input number Cost per item $ Total $
Hoe 1 50 000 50 000 000
Watering can 1 80 000 80 000 000
Onion seed 3 20 g packets 5 000 15 000 000
Chicken manure 5 buckets 3 000 15 000 000
Bus fair 4 trips to town 1 000 4 000 000
Plastic packets 60 50 3000 000
Total 167000 000
This shows approximately how much money will have to be spent but in a real project you will often
find that extra expenses which you were not expecting occur.
Income and expenditure
In order to find out whether your project is succeeding it is very important to keep clear records
especially of things which cost or make money. The money that you make from selling your produce

is called income. Your income should always cover the expenses (the money that you spend on
inputs). Recording inputs and expenses helps you to see how much money you are making (profit)
from a garden and where you can save money.
Table 2.9: Example of income and expenditure records for a group garden
Number Amount $ Comment
Inputs for the garden January
Seedlings 5 trays tomatoes, 6 trays
spinach, 4 trays covo
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$1400 000
Seed 10g onion, 10g carrots $250 000
Tools 1 pick, 1 hoe, 1 watering
can
$500 000
Manure 50kg chicken manure Donation
Total expenditure on inputs $2150 000
Outputs for the garden this month
Produce harvested 20 bundles spinach
8 bundles rape
18 cabbages
5 buckets tomatoes
5 buckets onions
5 buckets carrots
Produce sold 5 bundles spinach
3 bundles rape
3 buckets tomatoes
2 buckets onions
$5500 000
Sold to supermarket
Produce donated to orphanage 3 bundles spinach
1 bucket tomatoes
Seedlings 20 moringa $500 000 Sold to primary school
Total income $6000 000
Profit = income – expenses = 6000 000 –
2150 000
Total made 3950 000

Garden monitoring and evaluation
Through out the year you need to check up on the garden to make sure that it is healthy and
productive. In group gardens this helps you to see which members may need extra help, which
plants need extra water of soil improvement and which plants are being attacked by pests and
diseases.
Keeping records
It is important to keep records of poultry. You will notice with layers that egg production is lower
during the cold dry season. Records will also help you to see if egg production has reduced for some
other reason. Records include Poultry record register, Feed register, Egg production records, Broiler
sales records.
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Table 2.10 Egg production and sales record
Date Inputs Amount
spent $
No of eggs
laid
Number sold Price per egg
$
Amount
received $
10.02.07 10kg feed 200 000 15 8 1000 8000
11.02.07 12 8 1000 8000
12.02.07 200g vaccine 500 000 12 10 1200 12000
Table 2.11 Broiler production record – income and expenses
Date Inputs Amount spent $ Number
finished
broilers sold
Amount
received $
06.03.07 2 x 20kg bags of feed 500 000 43 516000
09.03.07 50 chicks 700 000 36 1620000
09.03.07 vaccine 300 000
20.04.07 4 x 20kg bags of feed 3200 000
03.05.07 2 x 20kg bags feed 1300 000 28 1200000
11.05.07 50 chicks 1500 000 35 1858000
15.06.07 2 x 20kgbags of feed 2500 000
25.06.07 2 x 20kg bags of feed 3200 000 50 2350000
Gross profit = returns from sales – input costs (including, chicks, feed, labour, electricity, vaccines, medication)
You can also keep records of problems and activities which occur during the month. Specific
activities which need good records to be kept are nursery and small livestock projects.
Table 2.12: Example of activities and problems records
Comment
Number of visitors to
garden
14 Garden group from
Baptist Church
Main activities this month 2 compost heaps made. Beds mulched
Problems experienced this
month
Aphids eating carrots
Cutworm attacking covo seedlings
Produce stolen
Treated with ash
Made pawpaw spray
Anything else you would
like to note
More sesbania seed needs to be sourced for
planting next month.
Garden Monitoring should be carried out every three to four months. At the end of the year these records can be
compared to see how the garden has progressed . The following checklists can be used to make sure that
the correct steps have been taken to set up the garden. and to monitor the garden.

Table 2.13. Checklist to monitor garden establishment
Planning and design checklist Tick box if completed
Clear goals for garden listed (goals should include nutrition and sustainable resource
management)
Group gardens run by a management committee with clearly defined roles and a
constitution
Available resourced assessed, opportunities and challenges addressed
Garden layout designed to maximize use of resources and reduce energy inputs
Garden action plan developed with activities, persons responsible, resources required
and time schedule for activities listed
Planting calendar developed
Table 2.14. Checklist to monitor garden management
Soil management
29
Score from 1-5 where 1 is poor
and 5 is good
Regular use of well-made compost
Regular use of animal manure or plant fertilizers
Crops in beds inter-planted with legumes
Minimum tillage techniques used
Crop rotation used
Water management
Use of mulch
Use of plant stacking (plants of different heights and shapes grown together
to maximize use of space and light)
Use of windbreaks
Evidence of water harvesting
Use of water-conservation techniques such as bottle-watering and grey water
Natural pest and disease control
Maintenance of health and general conditions of plants
Evidence of appropriate watering and soil-improvement techniques
Use of trellising and leaf pruning on relevant crops
Intercropping with repellent plants
Evidence of useful insects and other animals (predators)
Use of barriers or traps around plants to prevent pests
Plant propagation
Use of protected nursery or seedbeds
Seedlings being planted continuously to replace those harvested from the
garden
Condition of soil for seedlings
Use of protection for transplanted seedlings
Crops grown at the correct time of year

Most gardens in towns and cities do not have a lot of space but through careful planning you can still
grow a lot of crops.
3.1 Efficient garden layout
Before you begin planting or even preparing beds it is important to think about how to layout the
beds, trees, compost heap, nursery and any other elements in the garden in order to save space and
labour. In group gardens this is particularly important to make sure that all members have enough
space to produce as many crops as possible.
Designing on slopes
When it rains water flows downhill and if soil is not protected the water can take the fertile top soil
with it. If you do not have a flat piece of land you need to carefully plan about how to layout your
garden to avoid soil erosion and to channel rain water so that you get the most of it.
• Beds should be made at right angles to the slope.
• Fields should be prepared with contour ridges.
• On steep slopes terraces should be made using stones or logs to hold the soil.
• Compost heaps should be made at the top of the slope to reduce carrying.
• Ideally the garden should be down hill from the water source (tap, well or borehole) to
31
reduce labour.
• Frost sensitive plants (such as bananas, pawpaws and tomatoes) should be grown higher up
the slope as frost tends to form at the bottom of slopes.
• Plants which like well drained soil (most vegetables and fruit trees) should be grown higher
up slopes as soil at the base of slopes can become waterlogged. Water-loving plants such as
bananas, sugar cane, rice and yams (madhumbes) grow well on waterlogged soil.
Intercropping
One of the most useful gardening systems for urban areas is intercropping. Intercropping means
planting many different types of plants together in the same bed or row. Intercropping has many
advantages.

33
Table 3.1: Advantages of intercropping
Intercropping
Because…
helps you
Reduce labour All the crops close together so you don’t have to walk so far, carry water or manure so far.
Save space Many crops are in one bed instead of only one
Improve soil
fertility
Not all crops need the same nutrients so the soil does not become exhausted. Planting
legumes such as beans with other crops helps improve fertility.
Conserve
moisture
Low growing plants cover the soil and reduce evapouration
Reduce pests
and diseases
Pests breed when they have a large area of their favourite type of crop growing. If many
different crops are growing in a bed pests get confused. Diseases prefer plants of the same
family. If you mix the different plant families in different rows the diseases will not be able
to spread.
Control weeds Because there are so many crops in each bed there is no space for weeds.
Shapes of beds
You can increase the amount of space available for growing things by changing the shape of your
beds. Straight rows in rectangular beds take up a lot of space but do not provide a lot of space for
plants to grow. By making lobes or zigzag-shaped beds you can grow a lot more plants in the same
space. Reducing the numbers of paths in your garden will also give you more space for growing
plants.

A space saving layout. Using intercropping, improved bed lay-out and by integrating trees gardens can become
highly productive.
Sun traps
Lack of space also often means lack of light. Most crops need sunny positions. One way to make sure
that all of the plants in a small garden get enough light is to plant the taller plants (such as tomatoes,
brinjals, okra or climbing beans on the south side of beds and plant smaller plants (such as lettuce,
bush beans, carrots and onions) on the north side. The same principle can be used for fruit trees on
larger pieces of land. In a small garden avoid planting any shady trees on the north side of your plot.
34

You can also take advantage of the light reflected off walls to plant sun-loving crops (such as maize,
pawpaws, bananas, tomatoes and herbs) next to buildings.
Plant stacking
The different shapes of crops can help you to use the most space in beds. By organising your plants
according to their different shapes you can make sure that more things fit into the bed. Tall thin
plants such as carrots, leeks, onion and garlic can be grown next to wide low growing plants such as
lettuce, bush beans or spinach.
35

Using vertical space
Another way to save space in an urban garden if you run out of space on the ground and to go
upwards by making use of walls and roofs. Many types of plant can be grown in hanging containers
on walls. Stepped beds and herb spirals can also be made to save space.
Container gardening
Growing vegetables in containers has many advantanges. The plants get more moisture since the soil
in a container stays wet for longer. It is also easy to feed the soil in a container by using mulch or
liquid manure. Sack gardens have the added advantage that weeds can be controlled. Small holes are
cut in the top of the sack so that only the herb plants have enough light to grow. Containers are
portable so if you are a lodger you can move your garden if you have to move house. Containers
also mean that even flat-dwellers who have balconies can grow food.
36

For added pest control a strong-smelling herb should be planted in the container with the vegetables.
Keep herb containers near the house to help repel flies and mosquitoes. Herbs in containers can also
protect nursery seedlings from pests.
3.2 Vegetable areas
Vegetable gardens can be kept going all year round to
give the family high-value food rich in vitamins and
minerals. Vegetables also fetch a high price so are a good
income generating activity. All vegetables can be
preserved through drying. This means they can be stored
and eaten throughout the year.
37
Tips
• Grow climbers such as e.g. granadilla, pumpkins,
chouchou and grape on fences, walls and car
ports.
• Grow vegetables and herbs in keyhole beds, pit
beds, fertility trenches or container-gardens.
• Plant tall shady plants on the south-side of the
garden. Keep the north free of trees to give your
plants more sun.
• Reduce the size and number of paths. Use
stepping stones for weeding and harvesting.
• Small fruit trees such as pawpaws, bananas,
citrus, tree tomatoes, guavas and citrus, can be
grown close to buildings without damaging them.
• Use bottle watering or drip irrigation to save water.
• Make a protected seedbed or nursery in a shady, sheltered place close to a tap.
• Plant big bushy herbs in containers, along paths or on boundaries and cut them back.
• Plant soil improving plants and small fruit trees between beds. Prune trees if they cause too
much shade. Use the clippings for mulch, livestock fodder or compost.
• Make a compost area. If you do not have space, make pit beds in the garden to use up
household waste.

Table 3.2. Useful crops for vegetable areas (see appendix for more information on each plant)
Soil improving groundcovers for
planting beneath
other crops
Peas, beans, cowpea, bambara groundnuts, peanuts, comfrey,
sunnhemp,
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Nutritious groundcovers for
planting beneath
other crops
Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, cape gooseberry
Pest control plants for growing on
the edge of gardens
Marigolds, garlic, onions, chillies, basil, marjoram, chives,
elderflower, sunnhemp, lemon grass, fennel, milkweed.
Climbing crops for walls and
fences
Beans (especially Madagascar beans,) pumpkins, oyster nut,
passion fruit, kiwi fruit, grape, chouchou, loofah
3.3 Cropping areas
During the rainy season you can get permission from the municipality, churches, schools or
community centres to cultivate unused land for maize and other rainy season crops. Maize is a heavy
feeder and is hard to grow without fertilizer. Try planting some sorghum and millet with maize in
case the maize crop fails. Plant soil improving plants (especially cowpeas or soya beans) beneath the
maize to give extra nitrogen. Densely planted groundcover crops such as beans and pumpkins will
also help reduce the number of weeds in the maize area. Feed the maize with animal manure,
compost and liquid manure.
Soil and water management
• Avoid annual ploughing. Use minimum tillage or conservation farming methods (see the soil
management section).
• Harvest water and protect your soil with swales, pits, and planting on contour (see the water
management section).
• Plan paths carefully to avoid soil erosion.
• Protect stream banks and vlei areas by planting indigenous trees, sugar cane, bananas and
sesbania. Where there is plenty of water, such as near a vlei or well, plant madhumbes,
pumpkins, sugar cane, banana, wild rice and sweet potatoes.
• Inter crop maize and other grains with groundcovers such as cowpeas, pumpkins and soya
beans.
Windbreaks
Make windbreaks around your cropping area to protect crops vegetables from livestock, wind, frost
fire, the sun’s heat, pests and disease. Use perennials such as cassava, pigeon pea, moringa,
indigenous fruit trees, vetiver grass and soil improvers such as sesbania, leucaena or acacia.
Illustrations: Example of a cropping area design
Surround the cropping area with useful trees, such as sesbania and moringa, bushes such as pigeon pea and
cassava and bunch grasses such as vetiver to provide shelter and reduce erosion. Intercrop maize or other
grains such as sorghum and millet with beans, cowpeas, groundnuts or bambara groundnuts and pumpkins.
These groundcovers protect the soil, conserve moisture and smother weeds. In addition the legumes help
improve the soil fertility.

3.4 Integrating trees into the system
Trees can be extremely useful even in a small garden. Products from trees include: food, shade,
shelter from wind, soil improvement, poles, fuel wood, medicine, rope, compost material and food
for livestock. Trees grow more slowly than other crops but they provide products for many years and
need less care and maintenance than other crops.
39
Table 3.3: Some useful trees for urban gardens:
Soil improving trees for planting
between beds and on
boundaries
Sesbania sesban, Acacia spp., leucaena leucocephala
Food trees Moringa
Small fruit trees Citrus, coffee, pomegranate, banana, tree tomato, pawpaw,
guava, fig, feijoa
Tall fruit trees for the south-side Avocados, cashew nuts, pecan nuts, macadamia nuts,
mangos, mexican apple, litchis, loquats
Stone fruits for cool frosty areas Peaches, plums, apples, apricots, nectarines
Windbreaks/ live fence plants
for the edge of gardens
Sesbania, acacias, leuceana, sugar cane, bana grass, pigeon
pea, cassava, moringa, jatropha, elderflower, mulberry.
Fruit tree areas
Plant fruit trees along boundaries of your garden. Indigenous fruit trees can be grown in the cropping
area on contours between maize or as part of your windbreak. Some trees grow slowly, but grafted
varieties and tree tomatoes usually fruit after one or two years.
Table 3.4 years fruit trees take to bare fruit
Tree Years to bare fruit
after planting
Pawpaw 1
Banana 1
Tree tomato 1
Guava 2-3
Citrus 4-6
Mango 5-7

40
Avocado 7-10
Saving space and resources
• If you have space, grow large shady trees such as avocados and mangos on the south-side. Plant
smaller fruit trees such as guavas, citrus and bananas around buildings on the west and east side.
• Keep the north-side free of trees to allow light into your garden.
• Plant herbs, groundcovers and soil improvers around fruit trees.
• Use movable chicken or rabbit units to control weeds, pests and diseases, and improve the soil
around fruit trees.
Table 3.5 Useful crops for tree areas (see appendix for more information on each plant)
Soil improvers/
groundcovers to plant
under trees
Cowpea, comfrey, sunnhemp, cowpea, bambara groundnuts,
peanuts, velvet bean, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, melons, gooseberry
Pest control plants
to plant under trees
Marigolds, lavender, rosemary, elderflower, sunnhemp, lemon grass,
zumbane, tephrosia, African wormwood
Woodlots
On larger pieces of land woodlots of useful trees can be planted to provide poles, timber and fuel
wood. They also act as shelter belts, windbreaks, fire retardants and security boundaries to livestock
and theft. Woodlots are ideal for practicing beekeeping.
Table 3.6 Useful plants for the woodlot area
Trees for woodlots acacia, albizia, casuarinas, grevillea, rubber hedge, erythrina,
carissa, dovyalis, lannea, jatropha, sesbania, leuceana, pigeon
pea, cassava, moringa.
3.5 Integrating small livestock
Small livestock include small animals such as rabbits, poultry, guinea pigs, fish and bees which are
kept for meat, eggs and other products. They provide protein-rich food products and can help
generate income. They also produce manure and they can be used to control weeds pests and
diseases in the garden.
Deep litter system
Broilers or hens can be kept in specially-built sheds. They should have good ventilation and daylight.
Production of the birds can be increased by giving them extra light with electric bulbs. The floor of
the shed should be covered with clean, fresh, dry straw which is changed daily to avoid pest and
disease build-up. Kitchen scraps can be thrown to these birds to supplement their feed. Egg laying
hens need to have next boxes provided.
Home grown feeds
If you have space you can grow your own crops to make poultry feed. Layers mash can be made
from a mixture of cracked maize, sorghum, millet, soya beans, cow peas, pigeon peas, sunflower
seeds and wood ash. Half of the above should be ground and the other half given whole to aid
digestion. Chicks should get only ground mash as they can suffer from blocked crop if they eat large
seeds. You should supplement this with green weeds and kitchen scraps. One chicken eats about 90
grams of feed per day.
For extra protein collect earthworms, termites, slug and snails in buckets each morning and feed
them to chickens. To avoid the risk of spreading serious diseases, never feed poultry on meat from
dead birds. Also avoid feeding them: fruit peels, banana skins, salt, soda, soap, tealeaves or coffee
grounds. Chickens must have plenty of clean, fresh water every day.

Mobile chicken units
Mobile chicken units are good for chickens and good for the garden. The units should be large
enough to give space for the chickens both horizontally and vertically. Chickens like to perch at
night so perches should be made for them.
41
Illustrations of mobile chicken unit.
Poultry rotation system
Poultry can be kept in rotation with crops, vegetables or fruit trees. They can be used to clear,
prepare and improve the soil for vegetables, crops and fruit trees. The area is divided into paddocks
using fencing. Fruit trees are planted in the paddocks and are protected while they are young using
fencing. Crops are planted between the fruit trees. The poultry are kept in the first paddock. Once the
crops have been harvested from the second paddock, the poultry are moved into the second
paddock. Crops are now planted in the first paddock where the poultry have eaten all of the weed
seeds and any insects and have covered the soil with manure. The main disadvantage of this system
is that a lot of money has to be spent on fencing.
Rabbit units
Rabbits must be protected from heat and direct sun. They need well-ventilated housing with shelter
from wind and rain. Rabbits tend to gnaw on any part of their housing so be careful not to build the
housing from toxic materials such as wood containing toxic glues or painted with creosote or
asbestos. Each rabbit needs one cubic metre of space - slightly more for a mother (doe) with babies
(kittens). Males (bucks) have to be kept in separate housing from does and kittens. When it is time to
mate take the doe to the buck.
The housing must be raised off the ground or floored with wire mesh so that they can not escape.
You can make movable rabbit units similar to movable chicken units with a wire floor. Rabbit
hutches may be made raised off the ground to make harvesting of manure easier. Some people make
rabbit hutches raised above chicken units so that the excess manure can fall through the floor and
feed the chickens.
Illustration of different types of rabbit housing.
Feeding rabbits

Rabbit pellets may be bought but these are expensive and not always available. You can feed rabbits
on a wide variety of vegetable matter including weeds, green leaves including grass, sweet potato
leaves, banana leaves and chouchou leaves, root crops such as carrots, radishes, dandelions, and
fruit crops such as chouchous, pumpkin or butternut peels and pawpaws. Left-over maize meal
porridge and stale bread are good for fattening rabbits. Do not feed them potato, tomato or spinach
leaves, dried grass or dry leaves as they may cause the animals to become sick. Give rabbits plenty of
clean fresh water.
42

The first step in preparing the land once the layout of the garden has been planned, is to put in
structures to control the effects of water flowing across the land and to sink water into the soil where
it can be beneficial to plants.
4.1 Water-harvesting
Water harvesting means collecting rain water that is running off a surface such as a field, roof or road
in order to
• protect the soil by reducing erosion from run-off; and
• collect and/or sink rainwater for use by plants and people
Hold a meeting with the community to develop a plan to protect the whole catchment area (all the
water flowing into streams and rivers and underground stores) to avoid damage to surface and
underground water stores.
44
Water-harvesting principles
• Use all moisture for maximum production.
• Start at the top of the slope – use swales and terraces to slow, spread and sink water.
• Define paths clearly to control the movement of people and other animals.
• Make strong spillways to protect water harvesting structures from floods.
• Keep ditches, drains and dams silt-free.
• Reduce bare soil by growing ground-cover crops and using mulch.
Harvesting water from roofs, gutters and roads.
Water from roofs, roads and gutters can be harvested by trenches channelled into pits. Grow water
loving plants around the edge of the pit. Make pit beds in the vegetable garden and around the house
to get rid of waste and to harvest water.

Systems for trees
A net and pan system can be used to harvest water into the tree holes. Use half-moon ridges in small
beds and for individual trees.
Swales
Swales are a useful type of contour ridge which can be made in fields to sink water into the ground.
A swale is a ditch-and-bank system, dug on a contour. The ditch collects and sinks run-off water into
the soil. Before you make swales, peg out the contours of the slope using an A-frame.
The steeper the slope, the closer together the swales should be. Make strong spillways so that the
swale bank is not damaged during floods. Plant soil-improving trees and shrubs and bunch grasses
such as vetiver, napier and elephant grass on the swale banks or terrace walls. Dig pits at intervals
along the swale to sink more water into the soil. In dry areas, make the pits larger and closer
together.
Build terraces on very steep slopes so that the vegetable beds are level. Terraces may need
reinforcing with stones.
45

How to make and use an A-Frame
Materials:
Find two long, stiff poles (about 2m) and one short stiff pole (about 1m). Attach the poles using wire or string
to make an A-shape. Tie a 1m long string to the top of the A-frame. Attach a stone to the bottom of the string
so that the string crosses the short centre pole.
Take the A-frame to an area of sloping ground. Place one leg higher up the slope than the other.
Call the higher leg A and the lower leg B. Mark the position of the legs on the ground with stones.
Mark the point where the string crosses the centre pole of the A-frame with a pen or knife. Now
turn the A-frame around so that leg A is downhill from leg B. Mark the new point where the string
crosses the centre pole. Mark the point halfway between the two points on the centre pole. This is
the level point.
At the area you want to survey, collect wooden pegs or stones to help you mark out the contour.
Place the A-frame on the ground. Mark the position of leg A with a peg or stone. Move leg B until
the string passes through the level point on the centre pole of the A-frame. Now mark the position
of leg B. Keeping leg B in its position, swing leg A round until the string touches the level point on
the centre pole. Now mark the position of leg A. Keep moving the A-frame across the slope and
marking the position of the legs when the string touches the level point. This will give you an
accurate contour line.
46

Streambanks and wetlands
Remember it is illegal to cultivate areas within 30metres of a stream bank or a wetland (vlei, dambo).
Protect stream banks and wetlands by planting indigenous trees, sugar cane, banana and sesbania
along them. Where there is plenty of water, such as near a wetland or well, plant taro, pumpkins,
sugar cane, bananas, wild rice and sweet potatoes.
Repairing compaction
Bare soil can be damaged by wind, rain and the traffic of people and livestock. A hard cap forms on
the soil surface, which must be broken before crops will grow. Push a garden fork deep into the soil
and move it from side-to side to make holes for the air to enter the soil. Do this over the whole area.
Planting crops such as sweet potatoes and cassava help to open up compacted soil.
Garden beds
The shape of bed depends on how much space you have. Different shaped beds can be used to save
space and to harvest water. Beds should be raised on heavy soil. Beds on sandy soil can be sunk to
save water.
47

4.2 Conservation farming
Soil is formed in layers. If we disturb these layers by ploughing or turning the soil, we can damage
the structure of the soil, which makes it harder for the soil to store nutrients. It also makes the soil
susceptible to erosion. Ploughing also destroys organic matter in the soil. Soils with low organic
matter become less fertile and are more likely to be eroded and suffer pest attack.
Conservation farming involves preparing field without using a plough or turning the soil.
1. Preparing the land
In September/ October: Clear the land of plants and roots by slashing and digging (not burning). Any
crop residues should be knocked flat and left on the surface of the soil. All weeds should be made
into compost. On slopes, contour ridges or swales should be constructed using an A-frame to
measure the contour lines.
Mark the planting areas using pegs, string and hoes. Planting lines should follow the contour of the
land (at right angles to the slope). For maize, sunflower or cotton, rows should be made 75 cm apart.
Sorghum, millet, groundnuts, roundnuts and soya beans need furrows. Planting furrows should be 5
cm deep and made with a hoe.
Oval planting holes should be made at 60 cm intervals along the rows. In lower rainfall regions,
plant spacing should be increased. The holes should be made 25 cm by 15 cm diameter and no
more than 7,5 cm deep with the soil piled down slope.
Apply one 500g jam tin of well rotted manure per planting hole away from the eventual seed
location.
2. Planting
The most reliable planting date is on or before 25 November. You can plant earlier if over 100mm of
rain has fallen. Plant within two days after the rain on sandy soil, four days on clay soil. Sunflower
and soya beans should be planted later by mid December. Sorghum can be planted with maize or
later with sunflower and soya beans.
Two seeds should be placed close together on one side of the planting hole about 7,5 cm away from
the manure. Cover the seeds with about 2-3 cm of soft soil. Plant beans or pumpkins in between the
maize rows about three weeks after the emergence of the maize.
3. Management
Weeds, pests and diseases must be controlled throughout the season. Plants can be fed using liquid
manure.
4. Harvesting
Once the crop has been harvested the crop residues should be left to rot on the soil surface. Grain
stalks should be knocked flat to avoid stalk borer. The next season planting can occur straight into
previous planting holes if the rows.
4.2 Plant propagation
If you want to grow vegetables all year round you need to sow seedlings in specially prepared soil in
a nursery or seedbed. By protecting seedlings from wind, rain, sun and pests you will have higher
production. Plant a few vegetable seeds every 3-4 weeks. Keep seedlings of different stages in the
nursery so that you can replace those harvested with mature seedlings. Sell any extra seedlings you
produce. The main ways to grow crops are from seed or by vegetative methods.
48

Vegetative methods
This means taking part of a healthy plant such as the stem, branch, leaf or root and either planting it
in specially prepared soil in containers to encourage it to produce roots or attaching it to another
plant as in budding or grafting. Once it has begun growing it can be planted out into the garden.
Taking cuttings:
The cold dry season is the best time to take cuttings.
• Find a productive, healthy plant.
• Use a clean sharp knife or pruning shears and cut woody stems no thicker than your little finger
and 5-10 cm long.
• Cut the stems at a sharp angle. Remove most of the leaves from the stem.
• Dip the base of the cuttings into ash to prevent fungal infection.
• Place the cuttings into containers of damp sandy soil mixture.
• Keep the cuttings moist but not too wet. After some weeks you will notice new leaves appearing.
This shows that roots are beginning to from. When the leaves are well established you can plant the
cuttings into larger containers or into the garden
Table 4.1: Different methods of vegetatative propagation
Propagation method Examples of plants
1. Root division and stem separation
Bulbs When the plant leaves die down, the underground stems
are dug up. Some bulbs such as garlic can be separated
into smaller cloves each of which can be planted. Bulbs
should be stored in a cool, dark dry place until they are
ready to use.
49
Onion, chives, garlic, shallots,
Corms Short, thick, round underground stems often covered in
dry scaly leaves. Dig up the pants when they have died
down and separate the corms. Store in a cool dark dry
place until ready for planting.
Madhumbes
Tubers Swollen ends of underground stems which can be dug up
after the parent plant has died back. The tuber can be cut
into smaller pieces when buds (eyes) are evident.
Potatoes
Tuberous
roots
Swollen food storing roots which are dug up and
separated. The can be cut up into smaller portions and
planted.
Sweet potatoes, cassava,
comfrey
Rhizomes Long, course underground stems which can be dug up
and cut into separate sections with bud.
Banana, sugarcane, bamboo,
ginger, many grasses (including
vetiver grass, lemon grass)
Runners These are stems that grow along the ground. At points
along the stem a new plant forms with roots. These can
be cut off the main runner and planted.
Strawberry and many grasses
Offsets/
suckers
New plants grow out from the sides of the parent plants
each with their own roots. These can be cut away from
the main plant and planted.
Pineapple
2. Cuttings
Stem
cuttings
Parts of the stem of the main plant are cut away and planted
in a growing medium until they produce roots and new
leaves. Woody plants take best from semi-hardwood cuttings.
The stem is cut in after the rainy season. Cuttings should be
taken from the leafy shoot tip before the wood hardens. Soft
green plants take from softwood cuttings.
Most herbs, many fruit
trees, sweet potatoes, covo,
spinach, cassava and
nasturtiums.
Truncheons Thick branches can be cut from some trees and planted so
that they form roots.
Fig trees (indigenous and
exotic), Mulberry trees,
Erythrina species.
Leaf cuttings Some plants with large fleshy leaves can be grown from
cuttings from part or the whole of the leaf.
Citrus spp.
Root
cuttings
Parts of the root are carefully dug up during the dry season
and pieces are cut out and planted. The root cuttings should
Guava, apple, raspberry

be placed horizontally in sandy soil in seedbeds.
50
3. Layering
Simple
layering
Part of a stem or branch is bent down until it can be covered
with soil. This stimulates root production and that part can
then be cut away and planted.
Guava
Air layering Rooting material is tied around a branch to stimulate roots to
be produced on the stem.
Mango, litchi, guava and
macadamia
4. Grafting and budding
Grafting This involves joining the stem of one plant (called the scion)
to the stem of another (called the rootstock). The scion is
taken from a plant that is usually very productive. The
rootstock is taken from a plant which is tough and able to
withstand adverse conditions. The advantage of the system is
that by joining the two plants together you get the benefits of
both – hardiness and good production. You can only graft
together plants of the same genus.
Most fruit trees
Budding This involved joining the buds from a productive plant to the
stem of a tough rootstock. You can only bud plants of the
same genus.
Most fruit trees.
Saving seed
Select the healthiest most productive plants from which to collect seeds. For plants which produce
pods (such as peas and beans) or other dried seed (such as onions, beetroot, spinach, rape, tsunga
and cabbage) wait until the seeds have dried on the plant before harvesting. For fruit crops and fruit
trees such as gooseberry, tomato, pepper, pawpaw or tree tomato, harvest the fresh fruit then remove
and clean the seed. Plant this seed as soon as possible as it does not store well. Share and exchange
seed and seedlings with your neighbours.
Storing seed
Some seeds can be stored for many months. Store dried seed in folded paper sleeves in dry, insect-proof
containers such as jars. Place some ash and dried herbs such as lavender in the jar to repel
pests. Store the containers in a cool dark place. Be sure to label the seed when you put it into the
containers.

Planting seed
Vegetable seeds are expensive. To get the best germination form your seed, plant them in containers
in a nursery close to your home. Seeds planted in a seedbed in the garden can suffer from pests and
diseases, too much heat, frost, wind or lack of water. Young plants need cool, moist conditions and
protection from pests and diseases. Seedlings grown in containers raised off the ground suffer from
fewer diseases. Not all seeds can be transplanted from containers. Some need to be planted directly
into beds.
Viability
For fruit crops and fruit trees such as gooseberry, tomato, pepper, pawpaw or tree tomato, harvest the
fresh fruit, then remove and clean the seed. Plant this seed as soon as possible as it does not store
well. Share and exchange seed and seedlings with your neighbours.
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Table 4.2 : Viability of different seed types
Vegetable Viability
(years)
Vegetable Viability (years) Vegetable Viability
(years)
Bean 3 Cucumber 5 Pea 3
Beetroot 4 Eggplant 5 pumpkin/squash 5
Broccoli 4 kale (choumolier) 4 Spinach 4
Cabbage 4 Green pepper 3 Maize 1
Carrot 3 Lettuce 5 Tomato 3
Cauliflowe
r
4 Okra 2 Water melon 5
Celery 5 Onion 1
Table 4.3 : Vegetables to be grown in nursery or planted directly into beds
Vegetables that can be grown in a nursery
or planted directly into beds
Vegetables that must be planted directly into beds (in-situ)
tomatoes, eggplant
chilies, peppers, okra
beetroot, onions, leeks
cabbage, rape, kale,
cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce
beans, peas
carrot, tsunga
cucumber, squash, melons
sweet corn
Planting seeds
• Find a shady, protected area in your garden or make a strong structure from poles with shelves to
raise the seedlings off the ground. Cover with shade-cloth or thatch grass.
• Mix the soil using 4 buckets of loamy soil, one bucket of well rotted compost and one bucket of
river sand. Sieve the mixture to remove any stones, twigs or clods. Clean the soil the day before
planting by pouring boiling water over it.
• Find seedling containers should be at least 10 cm deep
• Make drainage holes at the base of the containers.
• Line containers with a thin layer of stones then fill up to 7.5 cm of soil.
• Plant the seeds in rows, then mulch the soil. Water the seedlings regularly.
• Label the container with the crop variety and the date of sowing. Keep records of when you
planted the seed, how many seeds you planted and how long they take to germinate.
Seed growing tips
Some vegetable seeds are small so be careful not to plant them too deep. The best way to avoid this is to sprinkle the
seeds on the surface of the soil and then cover with a 15mm layer of soil followed by a thin layer of grass or leaf mulch.
Carrot and lettuce seeds should be mixed with sand before planting. This helps to prevent them from being planted too
close together. Plant large seeds such as beans, peas, groundnuts, pumpkins and squash, two to three times as deep as
the size of the seed.
Transplanting

When the seedling is 10-15 cm high it is ready for transplanting. If you do not have space in your
garden for the seedling, transplant it into a larger bag or container.
To transplant: gently dig up the seedling with a spoon or stick. With your other hand, make a small
planting hole in the bed. Gently place the seedling in the hole and cover the roots with soil. Press
down the soil around the plant and water it.
52
Design tips for planting
• put tall plants and trees on the south-side of the garden
• make strong trellises for tall plants and climbers
• intercrop with soil improvers and pest repellents
• plant at least four different types of vegetable in each bed (for example: tomatoes, onions,
rape, spinach and carrots).
Protecting the seedlings
• remove a few leaves from the seedling to reduce water loss
• mulch the beds
• shade the seedlings with thatch grass
• protect the seedlings with old tins, plastic cartons or sections of banana stem.
Banana stem collars can be cut from sections of young banana stem. The collar deters many
crawling pests and will eventually break down as rich organic material for the plant.
To protect young seedlings from cutworm, push two small sticks into the soil on either side of the
plant. This prevents the cutworm from reaching the plant.

Once you have set up a garden it is good management which will help you to be successful at
keeping the land healthy and productive and getting the most from the plants and animals in your
system.
54
Table:5.1 Daily, weekly and monthly activities
Time management is very important. To help you to remember all of the activities which need to be
done you can make a list of the kinds of activities which need to be done on a daily, weekly or
monthly basis.
Each day Each week Each month
• Feed and water for livestock
• Clean out small livestock
• Collect eggs
units.
• Water seedlings
• Scout for pests
• Weed
• Earth-up carrots, leeks and
potatoes etc.
• Trellis tomatoes, beans,
cucumbers and peas
• Harvest vegetables
• Water paw paws, bananas,
tree tomatoes
• Water citrus, stone fruits and
other fruit trees when in
flower.
• Check compost
• Update garden records
• Plant vegetable seedlings
• Make compost
• Turn compost
• Make liquid manure
• Make pest sprays and traps
• Mulch
• Prune soil-improvers and herbs
for mulch
• Harvest leaves of comfrey for
mulch or liquid manure
• Water tough fruit trees
• Slaughter unneeded cockerels
and buck rabbits
• Group garden committees to
meet.
You can then go on to planning which activities need to be done at different times of year.
Management plans are particularly important for group gardens where many people are working
together on the same piece of land.
Table 5.2 : Annual management plan for a group garden
Activity Feb March Apr May Jun Jul
Land preparation Prepare beds for winter crops
Purchase of seed Buy seed of winter vegetables
Propagation Plant cold season vegetable seeds in nursery Take cuttings of trees and herbs
Transplanting/ in
Plant out seedlings and seeds of winter crops
situ planting
Soil improvement Apply compost to prepared
beds
Collect compost materials and
make compost
Feed plants with compost and liquid fertiliser
Water management Mulch beds Water vegetables three times per week.
Mulch beds
Pest and disease
control
Mulch beds with ash and repellant plants. Intercrop vegetables with garlic, onions and
basil.
Crop management Protect tomatoes from frost. Prune trees and herbs.
Livestock
management
Protect chicks from cold weather Disinfect
livestock
housing
Harvesting Harvest Rainy season crops Harvest winter crops

Activity Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
Land preparation Prepare tree planting holes Prepare
55
fields and
beds for
summer
crops
Purchase of seed Purchase seed for summer crops
Propagation Plant seeds for summer vegetables
Transplanting/ in
situ planting
Plant
maize,
cassava
and
summer
vegetables
Plant
beans and
pumpkins
and
summer
vegetables
Soil management Apply compost to prepared beds Collect
compost
material
Intercrop
with
legumes
Water
management
Water beds every three days
Pest and disease
control
Make sprays barriers and traps for aphids Use powders for
diseases.
Crop management Trellis tall crops and cucurbits
Livestock
Check for livestock pests and diseases
management
Harvesting Harvest
winter crops
Harvest winter
crops
Harvest
winter crops
Weeding
Weeds should be kept under control so that they do not compete with vegetables. Some weeds are
useful. They repair disturbed and damaged ground. They provide organic material for pit beds,
fertility trenches and compost heaps. Amaranth and black jack can be made into liquid manure.
Black jack and khaki weed leaves make strong insect repellent sprays. Milkweed is a good trap crop
(see the pest and disease management section).
Tips for weeding:
• pull up all unwanted weeds before they seed
• put weeds at the bottom of pits or heaps to kill them
• use thick mulch between vegetable plants to smother weeds.
5.1 Soil management
Soil contains minerals from rock, organic matter from plants and animals, and many living creatures
such as worms, termites, bacteria and insects. The living creatures are important for healthy and
fertile soil. Too much digging, ploughing, burning or use of chemicals can kill the soil creatures and
destroy organic matter.
To have healthy soil we need to
• reduce digging
• mulch with organic matter
• grow soil improving plants
• avoid burning
• avoid ploughing every year.
Feeding the soil
Vegetables and maize need many nutrients. Fruit trees need compost or manure before the fruiting
season. Zimbabwean soils lack some of the nutrients needed by crops. In cities the soils can become
poor quickly. If livestock manure is not available, and fertilisers are too expensive, you need to use
the above methods to improve the soil.

Chemical fertilizer
Fertilizer may help improve fertility in the short term but only organic methods improve soil in the
long term. Do not become dependent on fertilizers. They are expensive and do not help the soil to
store nutrients or improve soil structure. Fertilizer is easily washed out of the soil by rain. There are
many ways to feed the soil in urban areas. Urban areas produce a lot of rubbish such as waste paper,
cardboard, maize husks, sugar cane scraps etc. This waste could be collected and used to make
compost. We can also grow soil improving plants in beds, around gardens and as windbreaks in
maize areas. We can keep chickens for meat and eggs and rabbits for meat use the manure on our
gardens.
Fertility trenches
Use these for disposing of material that is too rough for composting such as thorny branches and
twigs. The beds become more fertile as the material breaks down.
• Dig a trench about 2m long by 1m wide by 1m deep. Separate the top soil and subsoil into piles as
you dig.
• Fill the trench with organic material, e.g., food scraps, twigs and branches, leaves, grass and, old
bones. Avoid plastic.
• Replace the soil, putting the subsoil first and then the topsoil. Mulch the bed and plant vegetables.
Livestock manure
Animal waste contains lots of nitrogen, the main nutrient for plant growth. Fresh chicken manure
contains high levels of nitrogen. Rabbit and horse manure are low in nitrogen. Fresh chicken manure
will burn crops. Use it in compost with lime to reduce acidity. Keep chickens or rabbits close to the
home and use the manure in the garden. Poultry in moveable units can be used to clear the land of
vegetation and weeds and improve the soil with their manure.
56

Liquid manure
There are two ways to make liquid manure. Either half-fill a sack with
animal manure then hang it in a drum full of water for about one
week. Or collect leaves from leafy green plants such as weeds,
comfrey, elderflower, stinging nettles or amaranth. Fill a drum or
container with the leaves and quarter fill with water. Close (but do
not tighten) the lid. Leave in the sun for two weeks. Dilute: one part
liquid manure to five parts water before applying to plants. Avoid
crop leaves when applying the liquid manure. Apply it to seedlings
and plants which look unhealthy. Warning: It can cause crops to
grow very quickly with large soft leaves. This makes them attractive to
pests.
Soil improving plants Plant soil improving crops (such as soya beans, sunnhemp, cowpeas, bambara
ground nuts, velvet beans) in an area that you want to use for other crops the following season.
Intercrop with soil- improving plants such as sesbania, leuceana, pigeon pea, and comfrey. Prune-back
the leaves to prevent the plants shading your crops. Cutting the leaves and branches of soil
improvers causes some of the roots to die and release nutrients into the soil.
Compost
Compost is a dark, crumbly material formed by bacteria, insects and worms. It stores nutrients and
slowly releases them for plants. Try to make compost four times per year. If you lack material, plant
soil improving crops and trees on the boundary of your land. Harvest the leaves to make into
compost. Once you have made the heap do not add new material to it
57
How to make compost
• Find a cool, shady, sheltered place, close to water.
• Collect many different materials before you make the heap.
• Use materials that contain carbon e.g. dried grass, leaves, sawdust, paper, cardboard and
nitrogen e.g., green grass, leaves (especially comfrey, banana, amaranth, sesbania) food
scraps, animal manure. Do not add soil, plastic, metal, thick twigs or branches.
• Fork the surface of the soil where you want to make the heap. Put down a layer of coarse
material, such as maize husks or twigs.
• Add a thin layer of manure or other high-nitrogen material. Add lime if you are using fresh
chicken manure.
• Next add a thick layer of carbon material. Water each layer as you add it.
• Keep adding layers of nitrogen and carbon material until the heap is as high as your chest.
Use dry material for the last layer to keep away flies.
• Make air holes in the heap with a sharp pole.
• Cover the heap with old sacks to conserve moisture.
• Check the heap each day to make sure it is not too dry. It should feel damp but not dripping
wet. Check that the heap is getting hot by pushing your hand in to one of the air holes. If it is
not hot, add more manure.
• After about a week the heap will begin to cool and it is the time to turn it over to mix the
layers together. The more you turn the heap, the quicker your compost will break down.
Well-made compost can be ready in six weeks.
• When using compost apply it on the soil surface as mulch. Never dig in fresh compost.

Pit beds
If you do not have enough material to make compost, throw waste material into pit beds. Pit beds are
less work and are a good way of using up every day kitchen waste. You can make many pits in your
garden. The roots of the vegetables planted around the pit feed off this compost.
How to make a pit bed
• Dig a pit 75 cm deep by 50 -75 cm diameter.
• Use soil dug from the pit to make a bed around the edge. Leave a gap for an entrance path.
• Line the pit with old sacks or banana leaves.
• Fill the pit with organic material. Use dry leaves on top to repel flies.
• Make an air hole through the material in the pit.
• Plant vegetables around the pit.
To keep soil fertile in cropping areas practice
• Conservation farming
• Intercropping with legumes such as cowpeas, soya beans, groundnuts and roundnuts
• Planting soil improving trees such as sesbania and pigeon pea on contour ridges and boundaries
• Crop rotation
• Feed crops with manure, compost or liquid fertiliser
• Top dress with lime or wood ash to maintain soil pH.
Soil improvement for annual crops
Traditional crop systems took care of the soil. Farmers practised mixed cropping. Rows were made
by hand and seeds (such as maize, millet, sorghum, cowpea and pumpkin) were mixed in a basket
and broadcast in rows. This meant that the soil was covered and protected. The cowpeas improved
soil fertility. Burning, ploughing and planting only maize is not good for the soil.
58

5.2 Water management
Water requirements of different crops
The amount of water needed by a plant crops depends on the age and type of crop, the local climate,
the time of year and the soil type. Larger, older plants need more water than younger plants.
However, some fruit trees need most water when they are getting established. Once they are mature,
watering can be reduced.
Table 5.3: The amount of water needed by different crops
Shallow-rooted
Medium rooted
need plenty of
need less water
water
59
Deep-rooted
need least water
Beans
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Onions
Potatoes
Rice
Spinach
Leeks
Pumpkins
Cucumbers
Squash
Carrot
Peas
Peppers
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Watermelons
Eggplants
Maize
Cotton
Sorghum
Sugar cane
Finger millet
Soil type
Sandy soils have large particles and are very well drained. This means that they dry out quickly. Clay
soils have small closely packed particles and tend to hold more water. They may become water-logged.
Tips for watering vegetables
• Give two buckets of water twice a week for each metre of bed.
• Water gently. Use a watering can or make your own watering can to avoid soil erosion and
damage to seedlings.
• Save water by mulching and intercropping groundcovers.
• Add organic matter to the soil to help it hold water.
• Use the clay pot or bottle-watering methods to conserve moisture.
•
• Conserving water in the vegetable garden
• Cover all soil, including paths, with mulch.
• Plant groundcover plants beneath fruit trees.
• Plant small crops beneath large crops in beds.
• Gently fork the soil in beds to improve infiltration and root penetration
Watering fruit trees
The amount of water needed by fruit trees depends on the types of tree, the age of the tree and the
time of year. Tree tomatoes need most water Pawpaws Bananas Stone fruits (apple, peach, pear,
plum, apricot) Citrus (orange, lemon) Avocado Mango Mulberry Guava Mexican apple Indigenous
fruit trees need least water. Give fruit trees water as soon as the weather begins to warm in August/
September. Give the trees extra water when flowers begin to form. Avoid watering deciduous trees
during the cold season.
Use of waste water

Low Input Techniques for Urban Gardens

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