Over the past few weeks I have been gathering information from staff members about the intake of vegetables and fruit by the children at FONELISCO as well as information on which/how crops grow here. Based on what I was told, I have calculated the yield of the crops that we have helped plant to date at their new land plot. I have also drafted some general gardening tips that future volunteers can refer to when helping maintain the crops. In the near future this will be translated into Kiswahili in order for me to share it with the staff at children who help grow the crops. The information I have provided is adapted from what I know of Canadian gardening, research I have done on Tropical gardening, and through speaking with locals in the area. ANY SUGGESTIONS AND CORRECTIONS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME! Thanks

**CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO FUNDS SET ASIDE TO PREPARE THE LAND AND PLANT A NEW CROP DURING THIS UPCOMING SEASON. IF ANYONE WISHED TO DONATE FUNDS TO FONELISCO FOR THIS PRECISE CAUSE, PLEASE CONTACT EITHER JOSEPH (THE DIRECTOR) OR I** myra.machattie@gmail.com foneliscotz@hotmail.com

Garden Guide

A Tool Kit to Help FONELISCO Staff, Children and Volunteers Grow and maintain Effective Crops

TABLE OF CONTENTS -will be compiled upon final completion

INTRODUCTION

This tool kit was prepared by Myra MacHattie, a former FONELISCO volunteer and Human Nutrition student from Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada. It contains information about the nutritional needs of the children at FONELISCO and how these needs can be met through growing various crops. The intent of developing a garden at FONELISCO’s new land plot is to provide the children with a healthy, balanced diet without increasing the cost of food. To ensure the children learn valuable skills and important nutrition information, they should be included in the gardening process from the time the land is prepared through to the harvest. The intended users of this tool kit are the staff who plan the children’s diets, the volunteers and the children who can help in the planning and maintenance of the garden. The information provided is adapted from what was known of Canadian gardening, online research of Tropical gardening, and through speaking with staff and locals in the area. Any suggestions and corrections are more than welcome.

Estimated Nutrional Daily Intake for FONELISCO Children

Daily meals are provided for;

o   50-55 Children

o   10 staff members/volunteers

Ideally they would get 4-5 servings of fruit and/or vegetables (f&v) per day, including;

o   1 dark green

o   1 orange/bright colored

65 people/day * 5 f&v/person = 325 f&v per day * 31days/month = 10,075 f&v/month

CROPS CURRENTLY PLANTED AND THEIR ESTIMATED YEILD

Tomatoes

-1=1 serving

- At the new land, there are two varieties planted. Some plants produce approximately 30 small egg-shaped tomatoes per month once the plants have matured.  The other type produce approximately 20 lager round tomatoes per month once matured.

- 200 tomatoes plants were planted in September, 2010 which will take about 3 months to start to produce fruit.

- Total yield: 200 plants * 25 tomatoes (average)/month = 5,000 Tomatoes produced/month year-round

Cucumbers

- 1= 2-3 servings, depending on the size

- This year will be Joseph’s first experience growing cucumbers, so the following information is an estimate

- Each vine will take approx 3 months to mature and will produce 3-4 fruit per vine

- Once the fruit is harvested, the vines do not continue to produce fruit. The vines must then be pulled up and new seeds planted.

- Total yield: 50 vines * 3.5 cucumber/vine = 175 cucumber/crop * 3 crops/year = 525 cucumbers/year

Watermelon

-  The variety planted will produce large watermelons during the dry season. During the wet season they do not grow well. The dry season is long enough in Tanzania to grow two different crops each year.

- Once the vines have grown they will produce 2 to 3 melons per month.

- Once the melons are picked, new vines must be re-planted because they will not grow anymore.

- Total yield: 50 vines * 2.5 melons/vine * 2 crops/year = 250 melons/year

Cabbage

- 2 months after the seeds are planted the heads of cabbage should be ready.

- These can grow throughout the entire year, so planting some new plants each month will ensure there will be always be enough mature plants to feed the children.

- Approximately 200 head were planted in September. Once this crop has matured, there will likely be more cabbage than can be eaten by the 70 children/staff before they go bad. The excess may need to be sold.

In addition to these plants, there are also a few mature banana and papaya trees that have already started to produce fruit. There is also one mature mango tree. These trees only produce fruit once a year, and their yield depends on the amount of rain they received during the year. Thus the little amount of fruit these produce cannot be counted on, but should supplement the diet whenever possible.

Rice patties

- In October 2009 approximately 450,000 TSH ($350 USD) was paid to locals to prepare the rice patties and plant rice seed at the new land. These patties produced around 1500 kilos of rice for the orphanage, which was enough to feed the children for 3-4 months.

- If dried and stored properly, rice kernels can be kept for many months. This means that if 3 times more area was prepared to grow rice, FONELISCO could grow enough rice during the rainy season to last the entire year.

- Alternately, if an irrigation system was assembled to water the rice patties during the dry season, two separate crops could be grown within the same year on half the amount of land. This is taking into account the 5 months the rice plants need to grow and the 1-month of cultivation and preparation between crops.

- Both methods are feasible, as neither area nor access to water are limiting factors at the new land. There is much room to create to rice patties close to the river or lake Victoria.

Conclusion:

If more land is prepared and trees are planted to grow more vegetables and fruit, it is definitely possible to grow all the fruit and vegetables required to provide the children with a balanced diet throughout the year. If there are excess amounts of vegetable and fruit produced, these can be sold at local markets to generate income, which in turn can be used to purchase protein sources such as beans, fish, milk, goat, chicken and beef.

Gardening Tips to grow and maintain effective crops

Nutrients in the soil

-          Soil in tropical climates is generally very sandy and has low amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These three basic nutrients are required for any vegetable and fruit plant to grow.

-          Compost (ie. Food waste and dead plants) is great at replenishing the nutrients to the soil, which vegetable plants require to survive and thrive. Ideally, before planting a garden, a large amount (approx 80%) of organic compost should be mixed into the soil.

-          Muck and peat soils are high in nitrogen, but are usually lacking in phosphorus and are usually very low in potassium.

Proper Irrigation and drainage

-          To know about sandy soil:

o   Drainage is usually not a problem. However, sandy soil usually means that the nutrients wash away just as easily as the water does, sometimes drying up before the plant has had the opportunity to use both to its advantage. Making the soil useful is the first step to having a healthy garden.

-          How much to water:

o   Vegetables need plenty of water to grow and thrive, but cannot tolerate being in standing water. The drainage of the soil is an important factor. If the soil drains well, the frequency of watering then depends on the age of the crop. When plants are young, they don’t need as much water, but must be kept fairly wet. As they mature they will require more water, but can tolerate it less frequently, allow the soil to dry somewhat between watering.

-          When to water:

o   Try to water in the early morning or evening. When a garden is watered in the high heat of midday, most of the water evaporates out of the soil before the plant roots are able to collect it.

-          How to water:

o   Avoid getting water on the leaves of the plant, especially if the sun is already out. Water droplets on a plant leaf create the same effect as holding a magnifying glass to it – this will burn the leaves and often kill the plant. Watering only the base of the plant is the best way to avoid this.

Starting new plants

-          Where to get seeds:

o    Instead of purchasing new seeds for every crop, it is easier and more cost-efficient to use the seeds from the fruit and vegetables that have been grown. Tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkin, and squash all work this way. The seeds in most vegetables, however, are not easily collected so these will have to be purchased for each crop. These vegetables include carrots, cabbage, spinach, mchicha, etc.

-          To plant a seed:

o   Prepare the soil with fertilizer/compost and water. Cover the seed with moist soil about 2 times the width of the seed itself. Ensuring the soil stays moist while the seed germinates over the next 5-14 days is important, but beware of washing away the seeds if too much water is poured on the soil too quickly. Seeds can also be ‘drowned’ by adding too much water, which will cause them to rot.

-          To plant a pit:

o   The pits from avocados, papaya, mangoes and oranges can also be planted to grow new trees. The best way to get a pit to sprout is to place it in a dish with moist cloth. Sometimes it will work to fully submerge the pits in a dish of water, but many tend to rot when they are too wet. Once a sprout has grown a few inches, the pit can be planted in the ground. Watering is very important for new plants as the sun can quickly dry them out and kill them.

OTHER SOURCES OF GARDENING TIPS

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