LAHORE, Oct 29 (APP):Kitchen gardening can play an important role in meeting the nutritional needs of a growing population by providing fresh, healthy and affordable vegetables at home.
A spokesman for the Punjab Agriculture Department said on Thursday that vegetables grown in home gardens were fresh, economical and could be produced with minimal or no use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, helping reduce exposure to potentially harmful agricultural chemicals and contaminants. Kitchen gardening involves cultivating vegetables on a small scale to meet household needs.
The spokesman said vegetables could be grown in lawns, kitchen gardens, pots, baskets, plastic bags, wooden or plastic containers and rooftops, enabling families to produce fresh vegetables conveniently. He said winter vegetables were generally sown in September and October and harvested from February to March. These included cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, onions, lettuce, radishes, turnips, peas, carrots, spinach, fenugreek, coriander and garlic. Radishes, turnips, carrots, spinach, coriander, fenugreek and peas could be sown directly in the soil during winter. Similarly, summer vegetables such as okra, bitter gourd, cucumber, watermelon and muskmelon could also be grown through direct sowing. However, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, onions and lettuce were generally cultivated from seedlings during winter.
The spokesman advised kitchen gardeners to select locations where plants could receive at least six hours of sunlight daily. Areas that remained shaded for longer periods could be used to grow leafy vegetables, including coriander, mint, spinach and lettuce. He urged gardeners to measure the available space before cultivation to determine the required quantities of seeds and fertilisers. One marla, he noted, was equivalent to 272 square feet. After measuring the area, gardeners should allocate space for different vegetables according to household needs, personal preferences and seasonal requirements. Coriander and mint could provide sufficient produce for household consumption in relatively small spaces, while other vegetables might require larger areas.
The department also recommended preparing a garden layout before sowing, specifying the types of vegetables, row arrangements, spacing between plants and fertiliser requirements to facilitate land preparation and cultivation. For winter vegetables, rows should be oriented from north to south to ensure maximum exposure to sunlight.
The spokesman also advised installing protective fencing around kitchen gardens to prevent damage caused by domestic animals, including chickens and rabbits. To protect peas and other vegetables from birds such as parrots and sparrows, gardeners could hang shiny, reflective strips around cultivated areas to help deter the birds, he added.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
