A Series of Lectures By Mr. Allah Dad Khan Former DG Agriculture Extension KPK , Provincial Project Director CMP II MINFAl Islamabad and Visiting Professor the University of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan

2. Kitchen Gardening(
Brief)
A Series of Lectures
By
Mr. Allah Dad Khan
Former DG Agriculture Extension
KPK , Provincial Project Director
CMP II MINFAl Islamabad and
Visiting Professor the University
of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan

3. Kitchen Gardening In Pakistan

5. Importance of Vegetables
1) Nutrition:
• Vegetables are rich and comparatively cheaper source of vitamins.
Consumption of these items provides taste, palatability, increases appetite
and provides fiber for digestion and to prevent constipation. Their
consumption in plenty fair amount of protein. They also play key role in
neutralizing the acids produced during digestion of pretentious and fatty
foods and also provide valuable roughages which help in movement of
food in intestine.
• Some of the vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates (leguminous
vegetables, sweet potato, potato, onion, garlic and methi) proteins (peas,
beams, leafy vegetables and garlic) vitamin A (carrot, tomato, drumstick,
leafy vegetables), Vitamin B (peas, garlic and tomato), Vitamin C (green
chillies, drumstick leaves, Cole crops, leafy vegetables and leaves of radish)
minerals (leafy vegetables, drumstick pods). As per dietician, daily
requirement of vegetables is 75 - 125 g of green leafy vegetables, 85 g of
other vegetables and 85 g of roots and tubers with other food.

6. 2) Importance as Food:
Food production is increasing. If is essential to sustain increased
production besides nutritional standard of people. It can be
increased by increasing production of vegetables which will help
to solve food problem as yield of vegetable crops is 4 to 10 times
more than cereals. Thus, vegetables play a vital role on food front
as they are cheapest-sources of natural foods and can admirably
supplement the main cereals of the country.

7. Importance to a grower:
Nature is in providing us-with all kinds of vegetable crops that can
be grown in different seasons of the year in region. Different
kinds of vegetables provide leaf, stem, flower, fruit or seed for
consumption.' Considering vividness in the requirement of soil
and season farmers can grow vegetable crops throughout the
year for earning regular and steady income to meet the daily
expenditure. There are vegetables of very short duration that can
be grown as rained and intercrops in either agronomical crops or
vegetable crops. There 'are vegetables which will improve soil
and also provide fodder to catties. Thus farmer has wide choice
to select suitable crop to adjust in his cropping pattern in given
situation. Climate and soil conditions of this region are conducive
to grow different vegetables.

8. 4) Employment:
• Since cultivation of vegetable crops involve intensive cultural
operations starting from sowing to marketing, it provides
more and regular employment opportunities in rural areas.
• 5) Industrial importance:
• The perishable nature of vegetables demand comprehensive
planning for movement, Storage, processing and distribution
of vegetable products. The growth of vegetable industry as a
commercial proposition largely depends on mainly allied
enterprises like storage, processing marketing and
maintenance and service enterprises to encourage vegetable
growing.

9. 5.Vegetablescontributevitallytothegeneralwell-
beingduetothefollowingreasons:
1. They are rich sources of 'Protective' elements like minerals, salts, vitamins and other chemical substances, which
the human body seeds to maintain good health and cheer.
2. Per acre yield of vegetables is very high.
3. They are an important source of farm income.
4. They have high aesthetic value.
5. More vegetable crops can be raised in one year.
6. Importance of vegetables in farmer's economy.
7. Vegetables are important .source of farm income:
a. Vegetables are sold at a higher rate than other crops. It provides regular as well as good source of income in
addition to the income from the agronomic crops.
b. It provides regular work throughout the year to the year to the fanners and his family labours.
c. Per acre yielded vegetables is very high: Vegetables give very high quantity of food per acre and they grow quickly. It
is found that vegetables give higher yields in comparison to other crops.
d. More Vegetables can be raised in one year: Most vegetables are short duration crop and it as compared to other
crops can be raised throughout the year Some of Vegetables (i.e. potato, brinjal, spinach, pumpkin, lady's finger etc.)
can be grown twice and even three a year, some green vegetables become ready for harvesting within 15-60 days of
sowing.

10. 6)ImportanceofvegetablesProductionfor
medicinalproperties:
Many of the vegetable crops posses high medical value for
curing certain diseases. For instance, onion and garlic are found
to possess antibacterial property (Sharma et. al. 1976). Many
solanaceous and cucurbitaceous vegetables are found to
possess Vitamin D.
•

11. Purpose of kitchen Gardening
1. The main purpose of a kitchen garden is to provide food for the
family.
2. To save the amount incurred on kitchen vegetables.
3. The saving so made is utilized for other beneficial purposes.
4. In ancient times, kitchen gardens were the sole source of food in
a mainly vegetarian diet.
5. In the modern era, the kitchen garden supplements the food
budget and provides balanced nutrition in a hurried, ready-
made-meal world.
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12. Kitchen Gardening Serve as
1. The kitchen garden may serve as the central feature of an
ornamental, all-season landscape, or it may be little more than a
humble vegetable plot.
2. It is a source of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and edible flowers, but
it is often also a structured garden space with a design .
3. The kitchen garden has year-round visual appeal and can
incorporate permanent perennials or woody shrub plantings
around (or among) the annuals.
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13. Advantagesof Kitchen Gardening
1. To Save Money , Vegetables from your own garden cost less.
2. Home Grown Vegetables are Healthier
3. You Know What Has Been Put On Them
4. Home Grown Vegetables and Herbs Taste Better
5. Growing Your Own Vegetables is Satisfying
6.Austhetic value
7.Hobby
8. Exercise
9. You can grow fruits , vegetables
and herbs on your own choice
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14. 14

15. 15
Vegetables

16. Nutrition in Vegetables
• Calcium: broccoli, nuts, kale, legumes, greens veg.
• Iron: green leafy vegetables
• Zinc : Beans, peas
• Potash : Tomato
• Iodine : Potato skin
• Protein: peas, potato, sweet potato ,okra
• Vitamin A : Carrot
• Vitamin B-1, B-2, B-6 : Tomato , water melon
• Vitamin C: tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green
leafy vegetables, potatoes, Brussels sprout
• Vitamin D : Mushrooms
• Vitamin E : Mustard and turnip greens
• Vitamin H or Biotin: Cauliflower
• Vitamin K : Broccoli, spinach and kale
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17. Health Benefits of Vegetarian
• Cardiovascular
• Hypertension
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Kidney disease/ renal stones
• Gallstones
• Diverticular disease
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18. Objectives of Kitchen Gardening
• The main objective of a kitchen garden is the maximum
output and a continuous supply of vegetables for the table
throughout the year. By following certain procedures, this
objective can easily be achieved.
• Ø The perennial plants should be located on one side of
the garden, usually on the rear end of the garden so that they
may not shade other crops, compete for nutrition with the
other vegetable crops.
• Ø The adjacent to the foot path all around the garden and
the central foot path may be utilised for growing different
short duration green vegetables like Coriander, spinach,
fenugreek, Alternanthera, Mint

19. Economic benefits of
gardening
Gardeners feed their families first and then sell, barter or give away
surplus garden foods. In certain contexts, however, income generation
may become the primary objective of the home garden. In any case, it
is counterproductive to impose the nutrition objective to the exclusion
of the income generation objective, since in most contexts they are
linked and compatibl The potential economic benefits of home
gardening, include the following:
1. Gardening gives dual benefits of food and income generation;
2. Gardens provide fodder for household animals and supplies for
other household needs (handicrafts, fuel wood, furniture, baskets,
etc.);
3. Marketing of garden produce and animals is often the only
source of independent income for women.

20. Vegetables grown in Pakistan
More than 35 kinds of vegetables are grown in numerous eco-systems
in Pakistan from the dry zone to the wet zone, low elevation to high
elevation, rain fed to irrigated and low input to very high input systems
such as plastic houses. During summer and spring season, tomato,
chilies, brinjal, potato, cucumber, gourds and okra are abundantly
available. During rainy season, gourds, cucumber, beans, okra and
brinjal are common. The winter season is the most important for
growing a wide variety of vegetables including, cauliflower, cabbage,
lettuce, spinach, onion, potato, carrot, radish, turnip, coriander,
fenugreek and peas. Vegetables produced in different zones by using
different production technologies during different seasons are traded
across regional markets of Pakistan in order to meet consumer
demand across the country. Varied agro-climatic conditions prevailing
in different provinces of the country also contribute to year round
production of different kinds of vegetables. Thus many vegetables can
be grown and seen in the market during any season.

21. Tips for Kitchen Gardening
1. To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white
vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot
and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.
2. To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the
garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the
undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've
finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be
sparkling clean.
3. To prevent the line on your string trimmer from jamming or breaking, treat with
a spray vegetable oil before installing it in the trimmer.
4. Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick! Lay a long-handled garden tool
on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker,
write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain
distance apart (from just an inch to several feet) you'll already have a measuring
device in your hand.
5. To have garden twine handy when you need it, just stick a ball of twine in a small
clay pot, pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole, and set the pot
upside down in the garden. Do that, and you'll never go looking for twine again.
6. Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden,
overnight frosts and freezes.

22. Tips for Kitchen Gardening
7. To turn a clay pot into a hose guide, just stab a roughly one-foot length of steel reinforcing
bar into the ground at the corner of a bed and slip two clay pots over it: one facing down, the
other facing up. The guides will prevent damage to your plants as you drag the hose along the
bed.
8. To create perfectly natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker)
on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants.
9. Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with
insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape!
Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants
infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little
buggers like to hide.
10. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain, use it to
water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable
soup."
11. Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas,
rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-
quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.
12. Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings
quite suddenly. Just add a spot of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or
use it as a foliar spray.

23. Tips for Kitchen Gardening
13. The quickest way in the world to dry herbs: just lay a sheet of
newspaper on the seat of your car, arrange the herbs in a single
layer, then roll up the windows and close the doors. Your herbs
will be quickly dried to perfection. What's more, your car will
smell great.