Producing

Organic
Vegetables

ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL CROPS PRODUCTION NC II

TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER
Surallah National Agricultural School
Surallah, South Cotabato
 WHY PRODUCE ORGANIC VEGETABLES?

Organically grown vegetables are tastier

and healthier for man and the
environment
ORGANIC VEGETABLE FARMING
PRODUCES “LIVING SOIL”
• Full of life with soil organisms (macroorganisms and
microorganisms)
• Very rich in macro and micro elements, trace elements,
and vital energy
• Very rich in organic matter
CHEMICAL VEGETABLE FARMING
CREATES “DEAD SOIL”
• Acidic soils with few microorganisms
• Lacking in micro elements, trace elements, poor
vitality
• Almost ZERO organic matter
What is a Nursery?
The nursery is where young plants are raised and taken
care of until they reach the right size for outplanting. It
also provides enough supply when the need arises
which is more economical than procuring them from
commercial sources. The production of planting
materials requires a nursery to protect them from
natural destructive elements such as typhoons, floods,
or droughts. It also protects the seedlings from roaming
animals and insect pests to ensure their safety and
quality.
Selecting the Site
• Clean and free from contaminants
• Establish buffer zone if necessary
• Put up shade
• Avaialability of clean and unchlorinated water
• Availability of concoctions
• Provision of clean garden tools
• Secured area from stray animals
• Strictly maintain proper record keeping
Selecting the Site
• Area should be large enough to accommodate
the required seedlings and facilities
• Area could be flat or slightly inclined to allow
sufficient drainage
• Area must be accessible or close to the road
• Area must have good soil condition, i.e. dry
sandy loam or loam, topsoil of about 30 cm, with
5.5 to 6.5 pH and high quantity of organic matter
Site Preparation
• After a suitable nursery site
is selected, remove stones,
rocks, stumps and roots,
and all undesirable
vegetation. If it is sloping,
construct bench terraces
following the contour. Use
soil covered with grasses or
dry stones (riprap) as
terrace walls. Hollow blocks
may be used in exceptional
cases.
Nursery Construction
• Seedbeds/germination beds are one (1) meter
wide with about 0.6 meter pathway between
them.
Nursery Construction
Germination shed is an enclosed structure for
protection and with windows for adequate
ventilation, and waist-high benches for
germination trays.
Nursery Construction
• Potting shed is an open-sided structure for
mixing, storing of potting materials, and filling
of plastic bags and other containers.
Seed Selection
• The use of genetically engineered seeds,
transgenic plants or plant materials is not
allowed.
• Seeds and plant materials shall be from certified
organic producer, if available.
• When certified organic seed and plant materials
are not available, chemically untreated
conventional materials may be used.
Seedbed Preparation
• Clear the area
• Prepare the beds using indigenous materials
• Prepare the growth media
• Sterilize beds
• Introduce beneficial microorganisms
• Provide clean and unchlorinated water
• Stricly record the activities
Potting Media Preparation
• Collect growth media components (ordinary
garden soil, coco coir dust or carbonized rice
hull, vermicompost)
• Mix using the ratio of 1:1:1
• Introduce beneficial microorganisms
Potting Media Preparation
• Put the mix media in the seedling tray, seedling
box, “arorong” and other growth media
containers.
• Sow the seeds.
• Provide necessary moisture.
Care and Maintenance
of Seedlings
Watering

Most vegetables require consistent moisture to

produce well. The exact amount to apply
depends on soil type, weather conditions, and
what kind of vegetables you're growing. One
general rule is to apply enough water to moisten
the root zone.
Care and Maintenance
of Seedlings
Hardening

One week before you're ready to transplant vegetable

seedlings into the garden, start hardening them
(acclimating them to outdoor conditions before
planting them in the garden). Find an outdoor location
that's protected from wind and receives morning sun.
Place the seedlings in this location for a few hours the
first day, then bring them indoors. Gradually extend the
amount of time they're left outdoors so that by the end
of the week you can leave them outdoors overnight.
Establishing Organic Nursery
Preparing growth media

• Use the ratio of 1:1:1

• One (1) part of ordinary garden soil, one (1) part of
vermicompost and one (1) part of coco coir dust or
carbonized rice hull
• Introduce beneficial microorganisms
Planting Seedlings
Preparing the land

• Thorough land preparation by pulverizing soil and

make it free from weeds
• Construct canals and waterways for proper drainage
• One meter of width of plot (distance depends upon
the crop to be planted)
• Sterilize plots
• Introduce beneficial microorganisms
• Strictly record the activities
Planting Seedlings
Procedures of Planting and Transplanting

• Staking
• Establishing distance
• Holing
• Sterilizing
• Basal application
• Spraying concoctions
• Planting
Performing plant care activities
General procedures in plant care
• Visit the plants everyday and observe presence of pests and diseases
• Water the plants every other day preferably in the morning
• Weed the plants when needed by hand weeding
• Spray concoction to make the soil healthy (feed the soil, not the
plant)
• For faster growth, spray IMO & FPJ
• Spray FFJ to make fruits healthy and good taste
• Spray OHN and LABS when there are insect pests and diseases
observed
• Plant insect repellants around the garden
• Practice crop rotation
Care and Management Practices
Practices required for a vegetable crop growing in the field
include cultivation; irrigation; application of fertilizers; control
of weeds, diseases, and insects; mulching, trellising, pruning
and plant rejuvenation.
Cultivation
Cultivation refers to stirring the soil between rows of
vegetable plants. The most important function of cultivation
is weed control and aeration.
Irrigation
Irrigation requirements are determined by both soil and plant
factors. The two types of land irrigation generally suited to
vegetables are surface irrigation and sprinkler irrigation.
Watering is done early in the morning.
Fertilizer Application
Basal Fertilizer- application in soil by digging holes or mixing
in bed before planting (vermicompost)
Foliar Fertilizer- applied into the leaves of the plant (vermitea,
FPJ, FFJ, FAA, Calphos)
Performing plant care activities
Improving soil fertility

• Use of organic fertilizer

• Loosen the soil and spray IMO to increase the
growth of beneficial microorganism
• Practice intercropping
• Application of green manure
• Practice crop rotation
• Prevent soil erosion through cover cropping
• Practice fallow period
Performing plant care activities
Applying basal and foliar fertilizer

• Basal fertilizer is applied in the soil by digging holes

or mixing basal fertilizer into the soil of preferred
bed before planting the seedling.

• Foliar fertilizer is applied by spraying into the plant

leaves and body during ambient temperature while
the stomata is open.
Improving Soil Fertility
•Use of organic fertilizer
•Increasing growth of beneficial microorganisms
•Practice intercropping, crop rotation and cover cropping
•Application of green manure
•Practice fallow period
Weed Control
Weed can reduce yield by 40-60% and can be controlled using
cultural, physical, and biological methods. Examples are
Mulching, intercropping, hoeing, pulling, and roguing.
Performing plant care activities
Organic Control Methods

• Introduction of beneficial microorganisms

• Increase population of natural enemies by planting
alternative host plant for natural enemies
• Use parasitoid
• Maintain sanitation in the field
• Plant sacrificial plant
Insect and Disease Control
•Introduction of beneficial microorganisms
•Increase population of natural enemies
•Use parasitoid
•Maintain sanitation in the field
•Plant sacrificial plant
Advantages of Crop Rotation
•Helps disrupt the life cycle, habitat and food supply of many
pests and diseases
•Helps in soil conservation
•Improve soil fertility
•Reduce weeds

Vegetable Rotation Systems

• Leaf-root-legume-fruit
• Root-leaf-fruit-legume
• Legume-fruit-root-leaf
• Fruit-legume-leaf-root
Companion Cropping

Chili – with okra,

eggplant, radish
Cabbage – with onion and
tomato
Tomato – with carrot,
cucumber, onion, garlic
Cucumber – with radish,
corn, lettuce
Peanut –with corn, okra
Radish – with cucumber,
tomato, chili
Why Companion Cropping?
Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is the
planting of different crops in proximity for pest control,
pollination, providing habitat for beneficial creatures,
maximizing use of space, and to otherwise increase crop
productivity.
Mulching
Mulch – a protective covering, usually of organic matter
such as leaves, straw, placed around plants to prevent
the evaporation of moisture and the growth of weeds.
Trellising
Trellising is a growth training
technique which saves space, help in
managing pests, facilitate harvesting
and reduce harvest losses.
Pruning

Pruning is necessary to remove entire branches or prevent

the plant from growing outside its growing area and taking
over other plants' space. It aims to remove diseased and
damaged plant parts, evenly distribute the nutrients and
improve the productivity.
Vegetable Rejuvenation
The productivity of perennial vegetables decline after some
time. Rejuvenation is necessary to make them as productive as
before.
Performing harvest and postharvest
operations
Maturity indices

• Solonaceous (eggplant, pepper, tomatoes)

-color of fruit, shiny, perfect size
• Cucurbits (pipino, squash, upo)
-size, age from transplanting, convex appearance,
color
• Leafy (pechay, lettuce, mustard)
-at least 8 leaves from the base
Performing harvest and postharvest
operations
Harvesting and Handling Vegetables

• Harvest vegetables early in the morning or late in the

afternoon using pruning knife
• Segregate the different sizes of vegetable and remove
those that have defects
• Place it in bamboo baskets lined with banana leaves or
used newspapers to prevent rashes and other damages
• Transport vegetables at cool temperature or early in
the morning
Performing harvest and postharvest
operations
Observing harvesting protocol

• Must have clearly defined collection area

• Harvester must be identified and familiar with the
harvesting area
• The harvest area shall be at an appropriate distance
from conventional farms and other sources of
pollution and contamination