The Ministry of Agriculture has provided simple technologies that families can use to produce nutritious foods during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Agriculture CAS Anne Nyaga says households can maintain healthy eating during Covid-19 through subsistent production of fast-maturing nutritious foods, using space and water-efficient technologies.
Two types of kitchen gardens that can be made on a budget are the sack garden and the cone garden.
The sack garden is common in urban areas, especially in informal settlements. The procedure for making a simple sack garden as given by the ministry is as follows.
Measure an area of 2x2ft and dig one-foot deep if it’s to be established on the ground. Remove the lid and bottom and place the hollow tin at the centre of the area.
Secure the four poles at the corners of the square area. Insert the polythene tube or bag around the four poles. Fill the hollow tin with ballast.
Mix the topsoil with manure and fill the space between the tube or the bag and the hollow tin. Gradually fill the soil/manure mixture without interfering with the tin to the height of the tin.
Lift the tin without moving it from the center position by gently pulling up the tin. Refill the tin with stones and the hollow area between the tin and tube or bag with the soil. Water the soil moderately with each layer.
Repeat the steps (i.e. filling/lifting of the tin and watering) until the polythene tube/bag is full and the central core of stones is formed. Leave the filled tin at the top of the bag and pour water into the tin through the central core till the soil is well moistened. Leave it overnight to set.
Make the holes’ spaces at 15x15cm diagonally (about nine rows with 16 holes each). Scoop out some little soils at the wholes and plant the seedlings, firm the soil around each seedling. Make sure you water at least twice a week.
For the cone garden, the procedure is as follows.
Measure the polythene paper 2m diameter or less, depending on the material available. Draw a circle of 2m diameter and draw a ridge round it.
Bind the polythene at the joint with a double fold, then insert the polythene paper in the ridge and fill it with soil mixed with manure.
Make a ridge 15-30cm (depends on the crop to be grown) inside and insert another layer of paper. fill with soil and do more layers as space allows.
Water thoroughly, plant assorted vegetables two alternating rows on each bench.