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 Garden
( Importance of Vegetables)
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. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Importance to a grower:
 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.

7. Vegetables contribute vitally to the general
well-being due to the following reasons:

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.

8. 6) Importance of vegetables
Production for medicinal properties:
 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.


9. Purpose of kitchen Gardening
 The main purpose of a kitchen garden is to provide food
for the family.
 To save the amount incurred on kitchen vegetables.
 The saving so made is utilized for other beneficial
purposes.
 In ancient times, kitchen gardens were the sole source of
food in a mainly vegetarian diet.
 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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10. Kitchen Gardening Serve as
 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.
 It is a source of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and edible
flowers, but it is often also a structured garden space with
a design .
 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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11. Advantages of 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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12. 12

13. 13
Vegetables

14. 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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15. Health Benefits of Vegetarian
 Cardiovascular
 Hypertension
 Cancer
 Diabetes
 Obesity
 Kidney disease/ renal stones
 Gallstones
 Diverticular disease
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16. 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

17. Economic benefits of
gardening

 Ø 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 compatible.
 Ø The potential economic benefits of home gardening, include the
following:
 Ø gardening gives dual benefits of food and income generation;
 Ø gardens provide fodder for household animals and supplies for
other household needs (handicrafts, fuel wood, furniture, baskets,
etc.);
 Ø marketing of garden produce and animals is often the only source
of independent income for women.


18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.