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
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.