Acknowledgements Sow and Reap the Benefits! Gardening to reduce your food bill and to improve your health This booklet was completed as part of an undergraduate internship with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) in Barbados, and part of a research project for McGill University and the University of the West Indies Cavehill Campus. This project (and internship) was undertaken with the financial support of: the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Students for Development Program (SFD). Many thanks to: Mr. Jeff Chandler (UWI), Dr. Francis Lopez (UWI), Mrs. Susan Mahon (McGill Bellairs Research Institute (Barbados)), Dr. Danielle Donnelly (McGill), Dr. Stan Kubow (McGill), Mr. Joseph Peltier (IICA), Mr. Damien Hinds (IICA) The editors sincerely hope that this booklet is used successfully to establish home gardens in Barbados, engender a love and appreciation of gardening and food production, as well as well as contribute to the improvement of the health, financial security and well-being of the Barbadian people Editors: Katia Colton-Gagnon Lauren Forbes Annelise Miller Page 1 Chief Editor/ Layout Design: Annelise Miller Page 24 Last updated: 26.08.2009 Photos: Lauren Forbes, Annelise Miller, Katia Colton-Gagnon
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Acknowledgements
Sow and Reap the
Benefits!
Gardening to reduce your food bill and to
improve your health
This booklet was completed as part of an undergraduate
internship with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation
in Agriculture (IICA) in Barbados, and part of a research
project for McGill University and the University of the West
Indies Cavehill Campus.
This project (and internship) was undertaken with the
financial support of: the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) Students for Development
Program (SFD).
Many thanks to: Mr. Jeff Chandler (UWI), Dr. Francis Lopez
(UWI), Mrs. Susan Mahon (McGill Bellairs Research Institute
(Barbados)), Dr. Danielle Donnelly (McGill), Dr. Stan Kubow
(McGill), Mr. Joseph Peltier (IICA), Mr. Damien Hinds (IICA)
The editors sincerely hope that this booklet is used successfully to establish home gardens in Barbados, engender
a love and appreciation of gardening and food production, as well as well as contribute to the improvement of the health,
financial security and well-being of the Barbadian people
Breaks the pest and disease cycle for crops (if you plant in the same place multiple times, insects and diseases get more easily established because their
optimal environment is always there)
Prevents the depletion of soil nutrients and can con-
tribute nutrients back to the soil (beans and other le-
guminous crops contribute nitrogen to the soil)
Intercropping
The practice of planting two or more crops in the same space instead of mono-cropping (only planting
one type of vegetable in your garden)
Why practice intercropping?
Prevent the establishment of diseases and pests by
keeping the garden environment diverse
Diverse array of vegetables for your consumption!
String Lettuce Tomatoes
Beans
String Lettuce Tomatoes
Beans
Lettuce Sweet String
Peppers Beans
Lettuce Sweet String
Peppers Beans
Tomatoes
—Where to grow—
-Best grown in a greenhouse/ covered garden to avoid
sun scalding & bird damage
—Spacing—
-Seedlings should be 12" apart in the row.
—Time until Harvesting—
-10-12 weeks from transplanting
—Harvesting—
-Harvest when pink if sending to local markets or fully ripe (red and tender to the touch) if consuming at home
leaf-eating caterpillars, fruit worms, flea beetles, cut
worms, mole crickets, flower midge, millipedes
—Other recommendations—
-Once a week, heap soil around base of plant
-Mulching using bagasse, coconut husk or plastic
recommended to retain soil moisture
-In the wet season, plants out in the open should be
covered in plastic to prevent disease and damage
-Prune the plant by removing any new growth emerging
between main branches
Page 16 Page 9
GAPs
Manure and Compost Compost and manure should ideally be incorporated into the
soil before each time you plant
Manure
Manure from many sources can be used in your
garden to improve soil fertility (in particular nitrogen
content)
Chicken, cow or sheep manure are the most common
and can be bought fresh or in dried (pellet) form
It is best to buy well-rotted manure or to allow the
manure to decompose before using by leaving it out
in a pile in the sun for 1-2 weeks before applying
Always acquire your manure from a reputable source and choose well-rotted manure to avoid the spread
of diseases and weeds (seeds can be in the manure)
Compost
An excellent source of nutrients for your soil
Reduces household waste, beneficial for the
environment and can be done indoors or outdoors
How to compost
The easiest way to compost is to set up your own
compost pile indoors or outdoors. All you need is three parts: browns (e.g. dead leaves, twigs, small branches), greens (e.g. vegetable waste, grass clippings, fruit scraps, coffee
grounds) and water
Browns and greens should ideally be in equal proportion
when mixed and should be chopped into small pieces
(continued next page)
Composting information from US EPA:http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/ composting/index.htm
Sweet Peppers —Where to grow—
-Best grown in a greenhouse/ covered garden to avoid
scalding & bird damage
—Spacing—
-Seeds/seedlings should be 9"-12" apart in the row.
-Crushed eggshells on soil surface work well to control
slug problems
-Avoid excess nitrogen fertilization and erratic irrigation (this causes a rotting of the fruit)
Page 10 Page 15
Composting, continued
Outdoor composting
This can be done by setting up a compost pile or by
buying/making your own bin in a dry, shaded area.
Method 1: Add greens and browns as needed and moisten if
they are dry. Once pile is established, make sure to bury (10” deep) new greens and browns when added. Compost that is
ready is dark and rich in colour(the bottom will be ready first)
Method 2: Layer the composting area with 6” brown, followed
by 3” of green materials with a bit of soil, and mix together. On top of the mixed layer, add 3” brown materials and mois-
ten with water. Turn the pile with a pitchfork or shovel every 1-2 weeks and move dried material on the edges to the mid-
dle. Continue until the pile does not reheat after turning.
Indoor composting
Done using a special bin that can be bought or home-made. Instructions on how to make an indoor compost bin and for further composting can be found on the EPA site: http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/by_compost.htm
What to compost?
Yes No
-Animal manure -Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
-Clean cardboard and paper (no oil) -Coal or charcoal ash -Coffee grounds and filters, teabags -Dairy products (butter,eggs,milk,etc)
-Dryer and vacuum lint -Diseased or infested (pests) plants -Eggshells -Fats, greases, oils, lard -Fireplace ashes -Meat or fish bones or scraps -Fruit and vegetable scraps -Pet wastes (cat/dog feces or litter) -Grass and yard clippings/trimmings -Yard cuttings or other plant material -Hair and fur, hay and straw treated with pesticides or other -Nut shells chemicals
-Shredded newspaper
-Sawdust, wood chippings
Info from:http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/ composting/index.htm
Okra
—Where to grow—
-Can be grown in a greenhouse or in the open
—Spacing—
-String beans are usually planted by seed. Seeds should
be sown 1”-1.5” deep and 2”-3” apart
—Time until harvesting—
-harvesting can be started 6-7 weeks after sowing but
full maturity reached at 10 weeks
-Harvest every 5 to 7 days before the seeds become