Nutritional Gardening

Nutrition encompasses all elements of food and how the human body utilizes it. The majority of individuals consume food because they are hungry. On the other hand, Hunger tells us to eat, but it does not tell us what to eat. This write-up provides a quick overview of some of the essential elements found in food, why each nutrient is essential, and which home garden crops create nutritious meals.

Nutrients such as carbs, lipids, protein, and micronutrients make up food (vitamins and minerals). Nutrients are required for energy (working and playing), development (constructing and maintaining the body), and illness defense. Rice, groundnuts, and soybeans, for example, are high in carbs and lipids for energy, protein for body construction, and tiny amounts of vitamins and minerals for protection. Green leafy vegetables, such as pumpkin leaves and orange fruits, are high in the antioxidant vitamins A and C. Fish, poultry, and eggs are also high in nutrients, particularly protein and carbs, as well as several vitamins and minerals.

Plants require various types and quantities of nutrients to stay alive and healthy throughout their lives. Similarly, from conception through old life, individuals need an adequate diversity of nutrients. Small children, pregnant or nursing moms, and pregnant or lactating mothers, in particular, require enough nutrition to support optimal growth, mental development, and health. Therefore, we need to eat a variety of plant foods every day to stay healthy and fed. In addition, animal meals such as fish, poultry, and eggs should also be consumed as regularly as possible.

A kitchen garden is the most convenient method to receive a range of nutritious meals regularly. Because it is next to the kitchen, the garden can be watered and nourished using kitchen waste. Then, when making dinner, a mother goes a few steps outside to select herbs, green leaves, spices, veggies, or fruits from the garden.

Every day, consume green leaves, veggies, or orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables have a superior flavor and are more healthful. Ripe fruits are very appealing to children. Because they are high in carbohydrates and vitamins, they taste better. However, delicate, ripe fruits (such as papaya) and sensitive green foliage can be easily damaged on the way to or from the market. Carefully handle and wrap vegetables before storing them in a fantastic location.

Energy Containing Foods/Fruits

Avocado, Banana, Breadfruit, Canna root, Cassava, Cashew nut, Coconut flesh, Groundnut, Coconut oil, Jackfruit, Rice, Sugar cane, Sweet potato, Taro root, Yam, Maize

Protein Containing Foods/Fruits

Cashew nut, Cowpea, Eggs, Fish, Koro bean, Groundnut, Long bean, Meat, Milk, Mung bean, Pigeon pea, Sesbania grandiflora, Soybean, Wing bean

Fat Containing Foods/Fruits

Avocado, Cashew nut, Coconut milk, Coconut oil, Milk, Butter (ghee, etc.), Groundnut

Vitamin A Containing Foods/Fruits

Banana, Bitter cucumber, Canistel, Mango (ripe), Papaya (ripe), Pumpkin, Amaranth, Bitter cucumber, Cassava, Drumstick tree, Gnetum gnemon, Papaya, Pumpkin, String bean, Sweet potato, Water spinach, Taro

Vitamin C Containing Foods/Fruits

Cashew fruit, Guava, Litchi, Longan, Mango, Papaya (ripe), Custard apple, Pineapple, Soursop, Tomato, Rambutan

• The garden will require much light; 
• The garden will need much light; 
• Stay out of the shade of large trees.
• If at all feasible, locate near a water source.
• In the garden, prioritize vegetables that lose their quality and freshness quickly after harvests, such as spinach, amaranth, fenugreek, mint, and radish.
• Along the ridges that separate the plant beds, grow root crops.
• Climbing veggies make efficient use of the available area. Train them to climb fences, walls, or terraces.
• In a shaded, underused corner of our allotment, dig one or two compost pits.

Micronutrients are abundant in fruits and vegetables grown in kitchen gardens, especially in impoverished homes. Rural communities have plenty of room, and because farm people are active in agriculture, starting a kitchen garden is much easier. School gardens have been shown to enhance children's nutrition and food preferences. School gardens have been shown to boost fruit and vegetable consumption, influence health and nutrition behaviors, and improve adolescent health. Furthermore, school gardens can increase children's physical activity and food intake. A study conducted in New York state schools discovered that school gardens could increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior. Home gardens have been suggested to improve food security and nutritional status in families by studies from across the world. Nutrition gardens are a cost-effective and micro-solution for providing good food and nutrition. According to research conducted in Lao PDR, home gardens are an effective and long-term strategy for improving the nutritional status of low-income rural families through integrated household food production.

Micro-gardening is an innovative approach for ensuring food security, youth employment, and an additional source of revenue in underdeveloped nations. Dietary variety, including home gardening, has been identified as an effective way to enhance nutrition, according to an analysis of data on maternal and child undernutrition and survival from 36 nations. Fruit and vegetable eating rose in frequency and quantity, meeting the nutritional needs of the households.

• Plant seedlings in rows or lines with adequate spacing when sowing or transplanting.
• If the plants are overcrowded, remove some seedlings.
• If many seedlings die, plant more to replace them.
• After transplanting, irrigate.
• Between the rows and between the plants, weeds should be cleared.
• Watering vegetables regularly is necessary for healthy development and output.
• Irrigate gently every third or fourth day throughout the summer and once every one or two weeks during the winter on more prominent areas.
• Compost and farmyard manure are excellent nutrients for vegetable crops. About a week before sowing or transplanting, mix them into the soil.
• To increase plant development and production, apply a nitrogenous fertilizer, such as urea, in tiny amounts to standing crops. Apply urea only while the soil is damp; otherwise, follow up with a light watering.