Kitchen Gardens: How do you Make them Successful?
Gathoni Mwaniki
Hydroponics Farmer | Tomato Farmer |Agri-tour Host | If you are on this feed, you are leaving with something actionable on hydroponics or tomato farming.
We do not have the whole story on kitchen gardens.
While they are an excellent source of fresh vegetables, they can be difficult to run sustainably. Produce fails to germinate, fails to thrive after germinating or becomes infested with pests and diseases. ?Wild tomatoes will grow anywhere there is the smell of water. But cultivated crops require far more attention. We easily forget that these gardens are farms.
Another factor that can make kitchen gardens difficult to run is a desire for organic vegetables. Where organic is interpreted as pesticide-free. However, being pesticide-free is not equal to zero pest management. Your tomatoes will get punctured by caterpillars, how will you deal with that?
Short Truths about Kitchen Gardens
A.?? Kitchen gardens are hard work.
The less automated it is, the more hard work it becomes. If you have to water your plants every evening you come from work, it is easier to forget or lack the will once in a while.
B.?? This is the rule of WEEDS.
If you do not care for it, the pests and diseases do not. If you show even the least care, the pest and diseases also do. ?
So, how do we go about having successful kitchen gardens?
1.??? Learn the basic rules about growing food.
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Spacing. Plants do not grow by will. They need fertiliser or manure. Set a watering schedules. Be able to identify the basic pests and diseases
2.??? Automate and outsource.
If it can be automated, there is no prize for not automating it. Make the task of caring for your garden as easy to your schedule as possible.
3.??? Have a few pest and disease control strategies.
Do not wait until a pest manifests so that you start thinking of how to deal with it. Even if you are doing organic management, have a few remedies ready and use them before pests come in. Scout regularly. If pests are big enough to handpick, please do. They can be an excellent source of protein to chicken
4.??? Have a vision for your garden.
It can be a place to bond with your kids.
It can be to create beautiful picturesque space.
It can be commercial. You’d be surprised at how well-managed gardens can yield more vegetables than you can consume.
Do you have any questions about hydroponic kitchen gardens? Here is my email [email protected]
Extension Agent
2 个月Kitchen gardens are a MUST to all families it economically generate 100-200ksh through saving from buying chukuma wiki,onions +tomatoes/day.
Plant-based extract capsule - supplements (supplements are not a replacement for fresh food)
5 个月wow!
Engr Stan(MNSE, SMIEEE)
5 个月Thanks Gathoni….Very educative…I look forward to hydroponics kitchen garden someday after I graduate from the soil first..??
Agriculture transformation volunteer|| Researcher|| Food security Advocate and sustainability growth|| Leader of Save Life Foundation (NGO) Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology BSc Agriculture student||
6 个月Very helpful