Horticulture: vegetables and fruit

Horticulture is growing vegetables, fruit and flowers, usually intensively on small areas.

Nursery practice

Many vegetables (tomatoes, cabbages, onions) are raised in a seedbed or seedling trays, then transplanted.

• Prepare a fine seedbed with compost; sow in rows; cover with mulch; water lightly and regularly.
• Harden off seedlings by reducing water a few days before transplanting.
• Transplant in the cool of the evening, with a ball of soil around the roots.

Common vegetables

• Leafy: rape (covo), cabbage, lettuce – need nitrogen.
• Fruit vegetables: tomatoes (need staking), peppers.
• Root and bulb: onions, carrots, potatoes.

Irrigation methods

Watering cans, furrow irrigation, sprinklers and drip irrigation (most water-efficient).

Pest control

Aphids, red spider mites, bollworms and cutworms. Use crop rotation, resistant varieties, hand-picking, organic sprays and, carefully, approved chemicals (follow label instructions and wear protective clothing).

Fruit trees

Mangoes, citrus, bananas, avocados: propagated by seed, grafting or budding; need pruning and mulching.

Check yourself

1. Why are seedlings hardened off before transplanting?
2. Which irrigation method uses water most efficiently?
3. Give two safety precautions when spraying pesticides.