Contents:
- Meaning of Nursery
- How to Construct Vegetable Beds
A. Introduction: Nursery
A nursery is a place where seedling (young crops) are intensively raised and taken care of before they are transplanted to the main field. A nursery is also a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. A nursery bed is a specially prepared portion of land put aside for raising seedlings. It acts as a temporary home for young plants until they are eventually planted in a permanent garden.
Seeds which need extra care should be grown in a nursery. Also, it is less costly to sprout your own plants especially vegetable ed to make a nursery bed. Nurseries can grow plants in open fields, on container fields, and in tunnels or greenhouses. In open fields, nurseries grow ornamental trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials, especially the plants meant for the wholesale trade or for amenity plantings. On a container field, nurseries grow small trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, usually destined for sales in garden centers. Nurseries also grow plants in greenhouses, a building of glass or in plastic tunnels, designed to protect young plants from harsh weather (especially frost), while allowing access to light and ventilation. Modern greenhouses allow automated control of temperature, ventilation and light, and semi-automated watering and feeding. Some also have fold-back roofs to allow “hardening-off” of plants without the need for manual transfer to outdoor beds.
Crops that need to be raised in the nursery are
- Vegetables like tomatoes, pepper, cabbage e.t.c
- Tree crops e.g mango, oil palm, citrus, cocoa, rubber e.t.c
- Ornamental crops e.g rose, cotton, hibiscus e.t.c
Nursery practices
These include:
- Selection of a suitable site
- Containers for seedlings and soil collection
- Watering
- Thinning
- Supplying
- Weeding
- Mulching
- Pest control
- Fertilizer application
- Transplanting
B. How to Make a Vegetable Nursery Bed
- Site selection
The nursery should:
- Be located near the planting site so that the transplants can be taken to the main garden without any damages that may be involved due to long distance.
- Be located Near a water source because irrigation may be necessary
- Not be located on a slope unless it is terraced since this may lead to erosion.
- Face the direction where the sun comes from as crops need sunlight for better growth
- Not to be located in a waterlogged or marshy area
- Preparation of the Establishment
- All weeds and grasses must be thoroughly cleared
- Measure one meter wide of any convenient length
- Dig it well
- Fertilize every three meters square with one wheelbarrow of compost and sand to make a seven cm layer
- Water the bed.
- Planting seeds
- Seeds should be planted in rows
- The lines must face where the direction of the sun
- Make the lines at a spacing of 12cm – 15cm apart
- Use a string to make straight lines
- The line must be about 2cm – 3cm deep.
- The size of the seed is the size of the soil you put or cover the seed with
- Mulch the bed with dry grass, then water it using a watering can with a nozzle on it
Germination
- The seeds will start germinating after 5 – 7 days
- Remove the grass and then put a shade over the bed
- The bed is 1 m high, cover it with grass but let some sunlight go through
Watering
Water the bed whenever it is necessary
Avoid overwatering the nursery bed for it can cause stress and compaction
Results of Water stress
- Slows down photosynthesis
- Causes Wilting
- Prevents adequate transport of nutrients all around the plants
Results of Overwatering
- Compaction and suffocation
- Creates a swampy or marshy environment
- Also prevents transportation of nutrients
- Leaching of nutrients from the soil
Maintenance
- Mulch the seedbed
- Provide enough shade for the crops
- In case of no or limited rain, provide water at dawn and dusk
- Thin the crops properly
- Remove weak seedlings and plant them in another bed
Transplanting
Seedlings will be ready for transplanting within 21 –30 days. To remove the shade a day before transplanting as this gives the seedling chance to get used to the strong sunshine. This term is referred to as hardening. Reduce water at this stage
- Transplanting should be done early in the morning or late in the evening (from 5 am – 10 am or 4 pm – 6 pm)
- Spacing will depend on the type and variety of the vegetable that has been planted
- Water the plants as soon as transplanting is done if planting has not been done during a rainy season.
- Protect young crops from animals like pigs by placing dry thorn tree branches around the garden
Instruments needed in making a Nursery Bed
- Fork: For removing any unwanted materials from the garden
- Hoe: Used for tilling and removal of weeds
- Spade: For carrying soil
- Rake: Used to remove any unwanted rubbish
- Water can: For watering the plants
- String and Sticks: For measuring to ensure correct and proper spacing
Vegetable Bed