1 Home Gardening and Nutrition Training Material - PowerPoint Presentation

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Home Gardening and Nutrition Training Material

GROW FOOD AT HOME

Homestead gardening for food security in LesothoSlide2

Why? And how?

WHY?

To improve quantity and quality

of the food produced at home

HOW?

With techniques such as keyholes and trench gardensSlide3

1. Keyhole Gardening

1. a. Materials needed

1.

Stones

2.

Aloe leaves or tree branches, plant leaves, grass, cardboard, cans, thatching grass

A

keyhole garden

is small and round.

It has a keyhole-like cutout to access the center of the garden.Slide4

1.a. Materials needed

3.

Soil:

10 to 20 wheelbarrows

4.

Manure:

10 to 20 wheelbarrows

5.

Wood ash:

3 to 4

wheelbarrowsSlide5

1. b. How to construct a keyhole garden plot

1.

Measure a

2mx2m

space where the keyhole garden plot will be situated.

2. Using a 1m string, make a circle

with the string attached to a stick.

3.

Weave/

make

a mat

and form a

cylindrical basket

to be filled with any material that is

porous

e.g. cotton sacks, stones, etc. The basket will go in the centre of the circle before filling.Slide6

1.b. How to construct a keyhole garden plot

5.

Place the

basket in the centre

of the circle made earlier and

hold it in place

with 3 or 4 sticks.

6.

Place aloe leaves, pieces of tree branches, tins and cardboard to make

the first layer

.

4.

Loosen the soil

within the circle and around the edge of the circle.

place stones Slide7

1.b. How to construct a keyhole garden plot

7.

Add a

layer of soil

on top of this layer followed by

grass or dry leaves

and a thin layer of

ash

.

8.

Add

soil on top of ash

, and add a thick layer of

manure

.

9.

Build layers of

stone in the wall

as the layers of

soil\manure

are added

inside circle

.Slide8

1.b. How to construct a keyhole garden plot

10.d.

Plant vegetables

in rings around the basket

or

in curves away from the basket

.

10.c.

Vegetables should be planted in

rows of 50cm apart .

10.b.

Add a top layer of

soil mixed with

manure or compost

.

Soil:

10 cm thick

Manure:

5 cm thick

Ash:

2.5 cm thick

10.a.

Layers of soil, manure and ash are added to reach a

height of about 1m

.Slide9

1.c. Garden frost protection

To protect against frost, cooling and drying effects of wind on crops:

Cover the garden with

a fabric cover

(e.g. hessian sacking)

Plastic covers

!

Mulching

conserves moisture & provides protection to plants by preventing soil from freezing.

Cover

very tender crops

with light plant matter (e.g. grass, maize leaves)

Water plants in the afternoon

, as moist soil holds more heat than dry soil.Slide10

1.d. Maintenance of a keyhole garden plot

1.

To

maintain fertility

, add manure, eggshells, household scraps or compost through the keyhole basket, once the manure is no longer visible in the garden.

2

.

After

central basket decays

(in about

2 years

if made of organic material),

pull down garden walls

next to the basket and

replace

with a new one.

The

decomposed material

can be

incorporated into the keyhole garden

.

Maintenance is necessary to improve soil nutrients and continue producing. Slide11

1.d. Maintenance of a keyhole garden plot

Mulching

can be done between plant rows to further

conserve moisture

.

5.

Thin

germinated crops and

weed

regularly

to reduce competition for nutrients and moisture.

4.

After harvesting

vegetables, you can sow again. Try and ensure intercropping and inclusion of companion crops.

3.

Repair keyhole garden wall regularly

as soil shifts inside the garden due to plant roots and rain.Slide12

2. Trench Gardening

2. a. Materials needed

Trench gardens

improve

soil fertility by addition of compost and manure in thinner layers than for keyhole gardens.

Stones, thatching grass, aloe leaves, tree branches, plant leaves, grass, manure, compostSlide13

2. b. How to construct a trench garden plot

1.

Dig soil

to a depth of about

30cm

(1 spade head length) and

put the soil aside

.

2.

Fill

the bottom of the trench first with a 3 finger width (

5 cm

)

layer of stones

, followed by

cut tree branches and/or aloe leaves

and

compact

them.

3.

Then add 3-finger-high layer of

leaves

and

grass

and stamp it down to

compact

it.Slide14

2. b. How to construct a trench garden plot

4.

Add 15 to 20 cm (length of hand) layer of decayed compost or manure –

do not stamp this layer down.

5.

Fill

the rest of the hole

with soil

and raise above the level of the hole.

Lightly cover

with

plant matter and organic compost

to prevent water and nutrient loss.

6.

Place stones/sticks

around the garden border

to keep the soil in

and prevent soil erosion. Slide15

3. Benefits of keyhole/trench gardening

1. It uses

cheap materials that are available locally

.

2.

You can use water from other household activities.

3.

The

size

of the trench garden and

height

of the keyhole garden are

easy to manage

. Slide16

4.

Food and different vegetables can be produced all year round

and you can generate an income

from excess produce.

5.

Fertilisation comes from plant residues, manure and ashes.

6

.

Water can be conserved

using water holding organic matter.

Moisture

is also

retained

in the garden.

3. Benefits of keyhole/trench gardeningSlide17

1. Maintain

the wall of the trench garden

to ensure no soil loss.

2.

Regularly replenish

the top layer and soil in the trench garden with

manure/compost to maintain fertility

.

3.

Regularly repair t

he keyhole garden walls as plant roots and rain cause

the soil to shift inside the garden

.

4. Remember!Slide18

4.

Replace the decayed basket of the keyhole garden with a new one

as it decays in about 2 years if made of organic material.

5.

Maintain the fertility

of the keyhole garden plot by regularly adding manure, eggshells, household scraps and compost through the keyhole basket.

4. Remember!