HOW TO START A HOME GARDEN IN NIGERIA
Landon Lane (2004) while trying to trace back the origin of gardening said that gardening started thousands of years ago. People go into bushes and forests to harvest fruits, vegetables etc. and take them back to their huts to eat. In the process, some seeds might fall on the ground. Seeds are also thrown into nearby bushes close to the hut after consuming the fruits. These seeds then germinate and start growing. Family members who know the plants nurture them to maturity. This he considered as how home gardens started.
What is a Home Garden?
There is no singular definition of what a home garden is. I choose to define a home garden as a small piece of land close to the home or not far away from the home where crops, ornamental and medicinal plants are planted and can also include livestock that serve as supplementary food and income.
Unlike farming, simple tools are used in home gardens and the primary sources of labour are members of the family that owns the garden.
Home gardens are usually made up of mixed crops. They may include; vegetables, fruits, plantation crops, herbs and spices.
For the sake of this article, we will be looking at the home gardening from the perspective of growing just crops.
Things You Need to Know and Have in Place before Starting a Home Garden
Knowledge of the Crops: It’s important to have at least the basic knowledge of the crops you want to grow so that you would care for them properly. This will ensure you know crops that are meant to be nursed in the nursery first before transplanting them to the main garden. You would also know which crops don’t require that and a lot of other things. Since it’s just a garden, watching YouTube videos on how to grow your crops of interest within your locality or region with similar weather condition like yours will help a great deal.
It’s important that before you start your garden, you have to decide if it’s an organic or conventional garden you want to run. An organic garden uses only organic materials like cow dung as fertilizer and organic pesticides like plant based pesticides.
Seeds: Purchase of quality seeds has a huge impact on the quality of your harvest. I know it’s really tempting to get some vegetable seeds especially that of tomatoes and pepper from tomatoes and pepper sellers in the market, those seeds would like not give you the quality of produce you need. It’s better to invest in buying quality seeds produced by reputable brands in agrochemical shops around you.
It’s important to research about the prevailing pest and diseases that affect the different crops you want to grow within your locality. The pests and diseases that affect a crop in southern Nigeria might not be the same as the ones that would affect the crop in Northern Nigeria. The pests and diseases may also vary with states in the same region and with towns within the same state. So please do your research so that your hard work won’t be destroyed by pests and diseases. This would help you buy seeds that are resistant to such pests and diseases.
Sunlight: You must establish your garden in a place where your crops will receive adequate sunlight. Also make sure the surrounding buildings don’t cast a shadow on the area which would prevent it from getting adequate sunlight.
For plants that require nursing before transplanting them into the main garden, create a small shade within the garden where you can nurse them before transplanting them.
Water: It is advisable to establish your garden where water is easily accessible especially if you will be growing crops year round. Aside this, due to irregular rainfall pattern Nigeria has been experiencing due to climate change, it is important to have a standby irrigation system to avoid wilting of crops due to lack or inadequate supply of water to them.
Soil: Soil provide anchor and holds the nutrient your crops need to grow. The best soil type for farming is loamy soil because they contain a lot of organic matter which is very important for plant growth. If you must grow on soil make sure the soil is loam.
Aside from the traditional way of growing crops on beds or heaps, crops can also be planted in recycled bags like cement bags and sack bags. All you need to do is fill the bags with loam soil and plant in them. This is good for those whose compounds are floored and still want to own a garden.
Nutrient: You need to know the nutrient requirements of the crops you intend to grow. This is determined by the type of garden you are running, organic or conventional. You must also learn how to apply the fertilizers appropriately so the fertilizer or organic manure won’t burn the roots or stems of your crops.
Even if you want to run a conventional garden where you will be using chemicals as fertilizers and pesticides, it’s important to note that your garden still needs a reasonable amount of manure which won’t be as much as those who run organic gardens. This is because the manure increases the organic matter of your soil.
If you are not sure of the type of fertilizer to use and how to apply them in your garden, go to an agrochemical shop near you and tell them all the crops you are growing in your garden, they will advice you on the type of fertilizer and pesticides you should buy. Another way to do this is to watch YouTube videos on how to apply fertilizer to such crops in Nigeria and the type of fertilizer and pesticide to use.
The best way to get this right is to talk to a practicing farmer or gardener who is growing the types of crops you are growing so that he/she can advice you properly. This might come with a cost so please bear that in mind.
Pesticides: Just like nutrients, the type of pesticide you will use will depend on whether you want to run an organic or conventional garden. You can talk to a co-gardener or farmer that already grows the crops you want to grow so that he/she/they can advice you on the type of pesticide to use. You can also check on YouTube or ask an agrochemical dealer. Your best bet is to ask a practicing agronomist, farmer or gardener.
It is very important to use the right dose when applying agrochemicals like pesticide and fertilizer. This helps to prevent crops from taking in too much of the chemicals which can affect humans who later consume them. Also, adding too much of these chemicals can “kill” the soil.
If you run an organic farm, you can produce your own organic pesticides. You can also check YouTube for ideas. But please make sure you try your first mixture on a small part of your garden. Watch the way the leaves of the plants react to the pesticide mixture. If there isn’t any visible reaction like burns on the leaves or plant stems, then you can spray the pesticide on all the crops in the garden.
Other Types of Home Gardens: Soilless Garden
The principle of soilless garden is the same as that of soilless farming. A soilless garden uses no soil for growing crops. The types of crops grown in this system are mostly vegetables i.e. both leafy and fruity ones.
In soilless gardens, a different medium of growth is used for growing crops. The most common one is coco peats. Coco peat is the woody external part of a coconut fruit which is broken-down into smaller beats. This coco peat acts like soil in that it provides anchor and holds nutrient for crops. External nutrient has to be provided for plants to thrive in that system because the coco peat contains little or no nutrient.
This nutrient can be purchased or you can formulate yours. But it better to purchase ready-to-use ones since you will only need small quantity.
The start-up capital for soilless garden is usually more expensive than that of a traditional garden.
Some Tools You Need to Work in Your Home Garden
Hoe- for weeding, tilling the soil, making vegetable beds
Cutlass- for Weeding
Knapsack sprayer- For spraying chemicals (e.g. fertilizer and pesticides)
Rubber gloves not surgical- For working on the soil
Farm Suit- To protect yourself while spraying chemicals
Face mask- To cover your face while spraying chemicals
Head Pan- For moving soil, plants etc around the garden
Crops You Can Grow In Your Garden
You have the liberty to grow any crop of your choice in your garden. The possibilities are limitless. While choosing the crops to grow, choose the ones you consume often in the your home especially vegetables like pepper, tomatoes, fluted pumpkin (Ugu), Jute (Ewedu), Amaranthus (green), Cayenne pepper(also known as Shombo or Bawa), Basils etc. You can also plant fruits like Sour sop. You can plant corn, yam etc. The choice is yours to make.
In Conclusion
A garden gives you and your family access to fresh and affordable foods. In an era where a lot of people work from home and live a sedentary life, having a garden to tend to allows you engage in some physical activities which is good for your health. You also get to divert the funds meant to use to buy the crops in your garden into something else. If you have a very big garden and your family can’t consume all of its produce, you can gain extra funds by selling the produce to your neighbors. You can also choose to give the excess products out to your neighbors or donate them to charity.
You can get quality information on how to grow different crops on this website accessagriculture.org.
