Cultural Practices and

Management of Organic
Vegetables
Land preparation
Vegetables differ widely from field crops in
their requirements for land preparation and
cultural practices because of their differences in
their morphologies,growth habit, socio-economic
values.

Clearing
Removing the remains of
previous crops and undergrowth
Cutting back the woody
shrubs and tress and
decompose them
 General Organic Practices for Land
Preparation
•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 microorganism
•Strictly record the activities
 Levelling
Uneven land may have to
be leveled
Facilitates the process of
plowing, harrowing
ridging and lay out of the
site
Tillage
term for manual or
mechanical manipulation of
the soil to prepare it for
use in crop production.
 Planting
Vegetable can be propagated either by direct
sowing and transplanting methods.

•Direct sowing: Vegetable are sowed either by

broadcasting or by seed drilling methods.
•Broadcasting method: Seeds are spread over
the prepared land by throwing small quantities of
the seeds into the air close to the surface of the
prepared land.
•Seed drilling method: This is a method for
planting small seeded vegetables in rows.
 Transplanting Method
Seedlings are transplanted in the
morning or in the evening to avoid
transplanting shock. Vegetables like
tomato, pepper, cabbage, egg plant
are planted by using transplanting
method
Procedures of planting and Transplanting
•Staking
•Establishing distance
•Holing
•Sterilizing
•Basal application
•Spraying concoctions
•Planting/Transplanting
 Crop Planting Crop Planting
distance (m) distance (m)

Black pepper 2.5 m Pechay 0.15x0.15 m

Bush lima 0.75x0.10 m Radish 0.30x0.10 m

bean
Bush sitao 0.75x0.10 m Soybean 0.75x 0.10 m

Cabbage 0.75x0.40 m Squash 1.00x0.50 m

Cucumber 0.75x0.30 m Sweet pepper 0.75x0.75 m

Eggplant 1.0x0.5 m Tomato 1.0x0.3 m

Mustard 15 cm

Okra 0.75x0.30 m

Onion 15cm
Planting system

Square- consists of setting a tree in each corner of a

square whatever the planting distance and most common
system of planting because it is th simplest to lay out and
makes operation easy by mechanical means.

Quincunx/diagonal system makes use of a square with

an additional (or fifth) tree in the center.

Hexagonal or Triangular system-tress are planted

equidistant to one another from every direction to form an
equilateral triangle.
Contour or terrace system- applied on the hillside
-prevents or reduces erosion and conserves
moisture between tree rows.
Square Quincunx

Diagonal Contour
Thinning
Thinning of vegetable is done to reduce the number
of seedlings per stand when planted in situ. It is
also used to obtain regular spacing and plant
population when sowing is done in drills by
removing the weakest seedlings or those infected by
diseases or damaged by insect pests.
Replanting
This is the practice of providing missing stands of
vegetables planted by direct sowing as a result of
poor emergence or when seedlings are damaged by
pests. The essence of seed supply is to maintain
correct plant population.
Trellising
This is usually required for vegetables
with climbing growth habit. Trellising is done
to provide support for the plant to climb and
display the leaves for photosynthesi to take
place.
Mulching
A mulch is a layer of plant residue or other
materials which is applied to the surface of the
soil in order to reduce evaporation, run-off or to
prevent weed growth. The purpose of mulching is
to conserve soil mixture. Mulching also ensure
clean fruit, hasten maturity, and increase yields.
Watering:
One of the most critical inputs to
vegetable is water. Young vegetable
seedlings in the nursery or in the field
should be watered in the early morning or
late in the afternoon. Watering should be
done before transplanting particularly in
the afternoon.
Fertilizer application
this is an important variable cost in vegetable
production.
 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
 Applying basal and foliar fertilizer
Basal- applied in the soil by digging holes or mixing
basal fertilizer into the soil of preferred bed before
planting the seedlings
Foliar- applied by spraying into the plant leaves
and body during ambient temperature while the
stomata is open.
Weeding
Weed is any plant that grows where it is not
wanted. Weed can reduce yield up to 40-60% if
not controlled.
 Pest and Disease Control

Organic Control Method

•Introduce of beneficial microorganism

•Increase population of natural enemies by planting
alternative host plant for natural enemies
•Maintain sanitation in the field
•Plant sacrificial plant
 General procedures in plant care
•Visit the plants everyday and observe presence of
pests and disease
•Water the plants everyday other day preferable 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 disease observed
•Plant insect repellants around the garden
•Practice crop rotation
 HARVESTING OF VEGETABLES
is the separation of the portion of need from the mother plant.
may be carried out once or over time or repeatedly.
Leafy vegetables may be harvested by total removal or by
ratooning.
Seed and the fruit vegetables may be harvested once, or by
topping or digging or lifting.
Fruit vegetables may be harvested over a period of time by picking.
Maturity indices
Solanaceous (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 leaves
 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
 Don’t panic it’s organic

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