Transcript Home Gardening and Nutrition Training Material

GROW FOOD AT HOME
Homestead gardening for food security in Lesotho
Home Gardening and Nutrition Training Material
Why? And how?
WHY?
To improve quantity and quality of the
food produced at home
HOW?
With techniques such as keyholes and
trench gardens
1. Keyhole Gardening
A keyhole garden is small and round.
It has a keyhole-like cutout to access
the center of the garden.
1. a. Materials needed
1. Stones
2. Aloe leaves or tree branches,
plant leaves, grass, cardboard, cans,
thatching grass
1.a. Materials needed
3. Soil:
10 to 20
wheelbarrows
4. Manure:
10 to 20
wheelbarrows
5. Wood ash:
3 to 4
wheelbarrows
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.
1.b. How to construct a keyhole
garden plot
4. Loosen the soil within the circle and
around the edge of the circle. place
stones
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.
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.
1.b. How to construct a keyhole
garden plot
10.a. Layers of soil, manure and ash are
added to reach a height of about 1m.
Soil: 10 cm thick
Manure: 5 cm thick
Ash: 2.5 cm thick
10.b. Add a top layer of soil mixed with
manure or compost.
10.c. Vegetables should be planted in rows
of 50cm apart .
10.d. Plant vegetables in rings around the
basket or in curves away from the basket.
1.c. Garden frost protection
To protect against frost, cooling and drying effects
of wind on crops:
• Cover very tender crops with light plant
matter (e.g. grass, maize leaves)
!
Plastic
covers
• Cover the garden
with a fabric cover (e.g.
hessian sacking)
• Mulching conserves moisture & provides
protection to plants by preventing soil from
freezing.
• Water plants in the afternoon, as moist soil
holds more heat than dry soil.
1.d. Maintenance of a keyhole
garden plot
Maintenance is necessary to improve soil nutrients
and continue producing.
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.
1.d. Maintenance of a keyhole
garden plot
3. Repair keyhole garden wall regularly as
soil shifts inside the garden due to plant
roots and rain.
4. After harvesting vegetables, you can
sow again. Try and ensure intercropping
and inclusion of companion crops.
5. Thin germinated crops and weed
regularly to reduce competition for
nutrients and moisture.
Mulching can be done between plant rows
to further conserve moisture.
2. Trench Gardening
Trench gardens improve soil fertility by addition of
compost and manure in thinner layers than for
keyhole gardens.
2. a. Materials needed
Stones, thatching grass, aloe leaves, tree branches,
plant leaves, grass, manure, compost
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.
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.
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.
3. Benefits of keyhole/trench gardening
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.
4. Remember!
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 the keyhole garden
walls as plant roots and rain cause the
soil to shift inside the garden.
4. Remember!
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.