Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetables for human consumption.

The practice probably started in several parts of the world over ten thousand years ago,
with families growing vegetables for their own consumption or to trade locally.
At first manual labor was used but in time livestock were domesticated and the ground
could be turned by the plough.
More recently, mechanization has revolutionized vegetable farming with nearly all
processes being able to be performed by machine.
Specialist producers grow the particular crops that do well in their locality.
New methods such as aquaponics, Raised-bed gardening and cultivation under glass are
used.
Marketing can be done locally in farmer's markets, traditional markets or pick-your-own
operations, or farmers can contract their whole crops to wholesalers, retailers.

The term vegetable in its broadest sense refers to any kind of plant life or plant
product. It refers to the fresh, edible portion of a herbaceous plant consumed in either Originally, vegetables were collected from the wild by hunter-gatherers and entered
raw or cooked form. cultivation in several parts of the world, probably during the period 10,000 BC to
7,000 BC.
The edible portion may be a
Root, such as beet, carrot, and sweet potato; when a new agricultural way of life developed at first, plants which grew locally
Tuber or storage stem, such as potato and taro; would have been cultivated, but as time went on, trade brought exotic crops from
Stem, as asparagus;
elsewhere to add to domestic types.
Bud, such as brussels sprouts;
Bulb, such as onion and garlic; Nowadays, most vegetables are grown all over the world as climate permits.
Leaf, such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach;
Immature flower, such as cauliflower, broccoli; Traditionally it was done in the soil in small rows or blocks, often primarily for
Seed, such as pea; consumption on the farm, with the excess sold in nearby towns.
Immature fruit, such as eggplant, cucumber, and sweet corn (maize);
Mature fruit, such as tomato. Later, farms on the edge of large communities could specialize in vegetable
production, with the short distance allowing the farmer to get his produce to market
The popular distinction between vegetable and fruit is difficult to uphold. In general, while still fresh.
those plants or plant parts that are usually consumed with the main course of a meal
The three sisters method used by Native Americans (specifically
are popularly regarded as vegetables, while those mainly used as desserts are
considered fruits. the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois) grew squash, beans and corn together so that the plants
enhanced each other's growth.
 Raised bed gardening
Planting in long rows allows machinery to cultivate the fields, increasing
efficiency and output; however, the diversity of vegetable crops requires a
Raised-bed gardening is a form
number of techniques to be used to optimize the growth of each type of plant. of gardening in which the soil is
Some farms, therefore, specialize in one vegetable; others grow a large formed in three-to-four-foot-wide
variety. Due to the needs to market vegetables while fresh, vegetable (1.0 1.2 m) beds, which can be of any
gardening has high labor demands. The development of ripening technologies length or shape. The soil is raised
and refrigeration has reduced the problems with getting produce to market in above the surrounding soil
good condition. (approximately six inches to waist-
high), is sometimes enclosed by a
Different growing methods frame generally made of wood, rock,
or concrete blocks, and may be
Over the past 100 years a new technique has emerged raised bed gardening, enriched with compost.
which has increased yields from small plots of soil without the need for
commercial, energy-intensive fertilizers. Modern hydroponic
farming produces very high yields in greenhouses without using any soil.

Hydroponic farming
Advantages of Hydroponics farming:
Hydroponics is a subset
of hydroculture, the method of
growing plants without soil, using Up to 90% more efficient use of water.
mineral nutrient solutions in a
water solvent. Terrestrial plants Production increases 3 to 10 times in the same amount of space.
may be grown with only
their roots exposed to the mineral Many crops can be produced twice as fast in a well-managed hydroponic
solution, or the roots may be system.
supported by an inert medium, such
as perlite or gravel. Decreasing the time between harvest and consumption increases the nutritional
value of the end product.

Indoor farming in a climate controlled environment means farms can exist in

places where weather and soil conditions are not favorable for traditional food
production.

No chemical weed or pest control products are needed when operating a

hydroponic system
 Home or Kitchen garden:
Vegetable Farming
Vegetable farming can be
broadly classified into the
following types on the basis of Home or Kitchen garden: Kitchen
production and utilization of the garden may be defined as the type of
product vegetable garden which is done to
meet up the home requirement and
1. Home or Kitchen garden sort of spices crops. In kitchen garden,
2. Commercial garden vegetable are cultivated in smaller
3. Floating garden scale to fulfill individual requirement,
intensively.

Characteristics of kitchen garden:

Commercial garden:
1. It is done to meet up the individual family requirement.
Commercial garden: when
2. It is done in smaller scale.
vegetables are cultivated in a
large area with the purpose
3. Different type vegetables are grown on it at a time.
of commercial marketing of
vegetables is called
4. Kitchen garden is done in the back side of the house but it
commercial garden.
gets plenty of sunshine.

5. Both male and female may work together in this garden.

6. More care of the individual plant is taken in case of kitchen

garden as compared to commercial garden.

7. Organic manure is mainly used rather than inorganic

fertilizer.

8. Seeds used in this garden are mainly kept by their own farm
from previous season.
 Advantages of Commercial Garden:

Characteristics of Commercial garden: 1. Encouraging Improvement in Local Infrastructure

1. It is done for the purpose of commercial market of vegetable. 2. Job Creation

2. Generally, it is done in a large scale. 3. Lowering the Price of Products

3. Normally, single land occupies a single vegetable crops. 4. Increased Production and Enhancing Food Security

4. It is done in the high and medium high land. 5. Provision of Raw Materials for Agribusiness Manufacturing Companies

5. It is mainly based on the inorganic fertilizer and pesticides. 6. Foreign Exchange earner

6. Less care of individual plant is taken in commercial garden comparing

kitchen garden.

Rooftop Garden Advantages of rooftop garden:

Rooftop Garden: A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. On the 1. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food,
other words it may define that
rooftop gardens are man-made green spaces on the topmost levels of industrial, 2. Control temperature ,
commercial, and residential structures.
3. Hydrological benefits,

4. Architectural enhancement,

5. Habitats or corridors for wildlife,

6. Recreational opportunities,

7. and in large scale it may even have ecological benefits.

 Floating garden
Advantages of floating garden:
Floating garden: In
this garden, vegetables
are grown in water on a 1.A floating garden is built using aquatic weeds as a base on which vegetables can be
floating base, like boat grown. This approach can extend the growing capabilities of rural communities
where land would otherwise be unavailable.

2.It is cheap and sustainable.

3. The floating gardens provide food for people even during the annual monga
(period of food shortages) and they can also provide an alternative source of income
through sale of any surplus in the market.

4.They are suitable for farmers who need to diverse from traditional land use, and, as
the rafts can be moved from place to place, they are also suitable for those that have
temporarily or permanently lost their homes and land.

5. The floating vegetable gardens are also created in ponds, canals and other water
sources.

Common vegetable crops

Vegetables which are farmed includes:

Fabaceae (pea family): peas, beans, lentils

Solanaceae (nightshade family): tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes
Brassicaceae(mustard family): cauliflower, cabbage, brussels
sprouts, broccoli
Allium family: onions, garlic
Apiaceae: Carrots
Asteraceae: Lettuce
cucurbit family : melon, cucumber and pumpkin