Educational Galaxy

School Kitchen Garden — EG's own notes, in simple words

Book: Kaushal Bodh (CBSE, Class 6)  |  Chapter 1  |  Medium: English

Section: Part 1 – Work with Life Forms

Diagram (labels are printed on the image): A school kitchen garden with rows of plants, a watering can and a basket of vegetables. A general teaching picture; the crops shown are examples.

Children caring for a school garden. A general picture about growing food at school; no real school is pictured.

What the chapter is about

A kitchen garden, also known as a vegetable garden, is a garden where fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown. Its produce, or yield, is usually enough for a family's needs. In this project you create one on your school campus, either in plant beds or in pots. 'Life forms' means all living things on earth — human beings, animals, birds, fish, plants, insects, and even bacteria and viruses — and Part 1 offers two projects, of which you take up only one (or design your own with your teacher's help).

Most of our food comes from farms, but brinjal (eggplant), cucumber, chilli, coriander and mint can all grow in a kitchen garden. Quick-growing herbs and leafy vegetables such as coriander, mint and spinach are a good first choice: you can use the produce soon, and they are a good source of vitamins and minerals.

What you will be able to do

• Identify common gardening tools, equipment and materials, and describe their uses.
• Prepare soil on the school ground or in pots using gardening tools.
• Plant seeds or seedlings and help them grow through watering, manure and fertilisers, and care.
• Keep the plants safe with fencing and organic pesticides.
• Harvest the produce from the kitchen garden or pots.

Tools and materials you will need

Tool / material	Use
Garden trowel	Digging soil and planting seedlings.
Hand cultivator	Loosening soil, removing weeds, mixing manure into soil.
Watering can with rose attachment, or hose pipe	Watering plant beds, pots, seedlings and plants.
Gardening gloves (rubber)	Protecting hands and giving a firm grip on tools.
Gardening shears	Cutting branches, twigs and stems.
Seeds, seedlings, bulbs, rhizomes, cuttings	Growing plants in the garden.
Potting soil or mix	Filling containers or pots; a blend of compost, perlite, vermiculite, soil, coir or peat-moss.
Organic mulching materials (grain straw, leaf mould, shredded leaves, grass clippings)	Retaining moisture and suppressing weeds.
Plant labels	Identifying different plants in the garden.
Old pipes / PVC pipes / wooden sticks / bamboo poles / metal poles and string	Making a protective fence.
Bin and tarpaulin / scrap of old thick cloth	Preparing compost or vermicompost for extra nutrition.
Neem leaves and jerry can / large bottle	Preparing organic pesticide against harmful pests and insects.
Manure	Natural fertiliser from the dung of farm animals, giving extra nutrition.
Spray bottle	Spraying a small amount of a liquid.
Spade	Digging, edging and moving soil or other materials.

If you cannot get all these tools and materials, do not worry — ask your teacher or an expert for alternatives.

Before you start: visit a farm, nursery, garden or orchard

Visit an agricultural farm to get first-hand knowledge; if there is none nearby, visit a nursery, a garden or an orchard, and talk to the farmer, nursery worker, gardener or expert. Prepare questions first, for example: which plants are being grown; were all plants planted at the same time, and if not, why; can all plants be grown in a kitchen garden; how is soil prepared for sowing or planting; how are plants given nutrition beyond what the soil gives; how are plants protected from animals and pests; and what were the two most interesting things you learnt. Discuss your observations with your peers and teacher afterwards.

Planning your school kitchen garden

First measure the land area and decide the garden's components. Decide: beds on school land, pots, or both; and how you will calculate the area. When choosing the location, consider sunlight exposure, drainage, and spacing, so you can reach every plant while watering. Draw a layout sketch.

Plants need nutrients — specific elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potash that plants absorb from soil or a growth medium. Organic fertilisers such as manure, compost, vermicompost and green manure, and inorganic fertilisers such as urea and superphosphate, supply these nutrients.

Making vermicompost

1. Use a bin of plastic, wood or any water-resistant material, covered with tarpaulin or old thick cloth, with holes in the bottom to drain extra water.
2. Fill it with bedding materials — kitchen waste, fallen leaves and other garden waste, or any biodegradable waste, including midday-meal waste from school, from home, or from a nearby dhaba or restaurant.
3. Add water to moisten the bedding, as your teacher instructs.
4. Introduce red earthworms (Eisenia fetida) on top of the bedding and let them burrow in; get them from a farm or nursery.
5. Feed the worms kitchen scraps such as fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells and non-greasy food waste. Avoid meat, dairy, oily foods and citrus fruits — they can attract pests or harm the worms.
6. Keep the bedding moist by spraying water as needed, but not waterlogged, and keep it covered with a lid to retain moisture and prevent pests.
7. Use vermicompost from the bottom of the bin once it is dark, crumbly and earthy-smelling — usually within a few months.

If earthworms are not available, you can make compost by a slightly different process (search 'vermicomposting of solid waste' with your teacher's help). Check your learning: which materials did you use, which food scraps did you add, and what changes did you notice in the bin over time?

Preparing the ground, sowing seeds and planting seedlings

Soil preparation means clearing debris, rocks and unwanted plants that could hinder growth, so plants have room and enough nutrition. Mix manure with the soil as your teacher directs, in beds or in pots.

Sowing seeds: read the seed packet first for recommended depth, spacing and season (for farm seeds saved from a previous harvest, ask the farmer or gardener). Then (a) make furrows or small holes at the recommended spacing — in pots, decide how many seeds or seedlings each pot takes, depending on plant type, pot size and desired growth; (b) drop seeds into the furrows or holes, or sprinkle very small seeds evenly over the surface; (c) cover lightly with soil at the recommended depth; (d) gently pat the soil down for good seed-to-soil contact.

Planting seedlings: (a) dig a hole slightly larger than the seedling's roots; (b) remove the seedling carefully without damaging the roots; (c) place it so the soil level around it matches the level in its original container; (d) fill gently and press lightly around the base. Read any labels or tags that came with the seedlings, or ask the person who gave them to you.

Write the plant name and sowing date on labels with a permanent marker — labels can be old plastic bags stuck on waste cardboard or chart paper — and place them at the start of each row or section, or in each pot. Record seed-sowing depth (in centimetres) and plant-to-plant space (in centimetres) for each plant; note that plant-to-plant space is not the same for all plants.

Taking care of plants

Plants need nutrients, water and sunlight, and protection from animals, pests, diseases and extreme weather. General protection includes fencing, companion planting, sanitation, weeding, wind protection and organic pesticides.

Fence: measure the area, draw a sketch, decide where the fence goes, and collect local materials — bamboo, old pipes or old wooden sticks as poles, bound with strong string — to keep animals and people from stepping on plants.

Staking: support tall or weak-stemmed plants that may become top-heavy and fall over — tomatoes, cucumbers, peas and beans. Use bamboo, a thin fallen branch, or an old metal or plastic pipe as a stake, sized to the plant's length and weight, and tie the plant to the stake with string.

Watering: water regularly so soil stays consistently moist but not waterlogged — overwatering is generally harmful. Use a mug and bucket, watering can, or pipe, and make a schedule, especially in dry spells; new plants need more frequent watering. Water in the early morning or late afternoon to minimise loss by evaporation. Before watering, ask: how do I know a plant needs water; how often must I water; what is the best time; and what factors affect how much and how often?

Mulching after watering: spread straw, wood chips or shredded leaves around plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds and keep soil temperature mostly steady.

Organic pesticide: prepare with neem oil, garlic, chilli pepper and soap; apply as needed, following instructions carefully to minimise harm to beneficial insects, birds and animals that are not harmful to plants. Neem pesticide controls caterpillars, grasshoppers, whitefly and aphids. To make it: wash and chop 500 gram of neem leaves (or another bitter plant leaf recommended by an expert at the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or Agriculture Research Centre), mix with 5 litres of water, keep in a jerry can or large bottle for around 14 days, strain out the solids, and spray with a spray bottle.

Weeding: check regularly and remove weeds as soon as they appear, using a hand cultivator if you have one (ask your teacher for an alternative if not).

Decorating, observing, harvesting

Make the garden beautiful: neat rows and layout, stones (painted in attractive colours) edging beds or pots, painted clay pots, paintings on stones, sculptures from old objects lying around the school, and a scarecrow to keep birds away. Shri Nek Chand's Rock Garden in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, created from waste material, is an example to learn from.

Track growth in a diary: plant height, leaf colour changes, appearance of flowers, and pest attacks, week by week, with photographs from different angles or sketches. Then harvest: sort produce by quality and size, and ask your teacher the right method for each crop. For leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach, use cut-and-come-again — harvest outer leaves and let inner leaves keep growing. For root vegetables like carrots and radishes, gently loosen the soil and pull by hand or with a garden trowel. For tomatoes, brinjals and peppers, cut with gardening shears, leaving a short stem attached. Remove debris, foreign matter and damaged produce so only the best quality is kept. Check your learning: which crops did you harvest, how did you know they were ready, which tools did you use, what precautions avoided damage, and what did you do with the produce afterwards?

Market visit and setting a price

Visit the local vegetable market, observe vegetables and fruits, note their prices, and prepare a price chart. You may give the produce to the school kitchen for the midday meal, or decide with your teacher and peers. If you planned to sell it, the price must cover the cost of seeds or seedlings, soil amendments, tools and equipment, and labels. Work it out in five columns: what you grew; money spent on seeds/seedlings and other materials; quantity harvested (number or weight); market price of the produce; and money you would get for your produce.

Practice set — try it yourself

1. What is a school kitchen garden?
   Hint: Think about growing food at school.
2. What does a plant need to grow?
   Hint: Think sunlight, water, soil, air.
3. What is compost?
   Hint: Think decayed plants feeding soil.
4. Why water gently, not heavily?
   Hint: Think about washing seeds away.
5. Plan a garden row: crop, spot, watering plan.
   Hint: Choose one easy vegetable.

Questions with Answers

1. What is a school kitchen garden?
   A school kitchen garden is a small garden where students grow vegetables, herbs and flowers they can eat or use, turning school land into a living classroom.
2. What steps make a kitchen garden?
   Choose a sunny spot, clear weeds, loosen the soil, add compost, sow seeds in rows, water gently, protect plants from pests, and harvest when ready.
3. What is compost and why is it used?
   Compost is decayed plant material that feeds the soil, making it rich so plants grow strong and healthy.
4. What does a plant need to grow?
   Sunlight, water, air, good soil and care — without any one of these, growth slows or stops.
5. What safety rules apply in a kitchen garden?
   Wash hands after garden work, wash all produce before eating, never taste an unknown plant, and keep tools clean and stored safely.

Questions with Answers — extension (NCERT check-your-learning and Think and Answer types)

1. Name five gardening tools and their uses.
   Garden trowel — digging soil and planting seedlings; hand cultivator — loosening soil, removing weeds and mixing manure; watering can with rose attachment — watering beds, pots and seedlings gently; gardening shears — cutting branches, twigs and stems; spade — digging, edging and moving soil.
2. How is vermicompost made, and what must never go into the bin?
   Fill a covered bin (with drainage holes) with bedding of kitchen and garden waste, moisten it, add red earthworms (Eisenia fetida), feed them peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells and non-greasy waste, keep it moist but not waterlogged, and use the dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling material from the bottom after a few months. Never add meat, dairy, oily foods or citrus fruits — they attract pests or harm the worms.
3. How do sowing seeds and planting seedlings differ?
   Seeds go into furrows or holes at packet depth and spacing (tiny seeds sprinkled on the surface), covered lightly and patted down. Seedlings go into holes slightly larger than their roots, at the same soil level as in their original container, with soil filled in and pressed lightly around the base.
4. When and how should plants be watered, and why?
   Regularly, in the early morning or late afternoon, so soil stays moist but not waterlogged; this minimises evaporation loss, and overwatering harms plants. New plants need more frequent watering, and a schedule helps most in dry spells.
5. How is neem organic pesticide made, and which pests does it control?
   Wash and chop 500 gram of neem leaves, mix with 5 litres of water, keep in a jerry can or large bottle for around 14 days, strain, and spray with a spray bottle. Neem pesticide controls caterpillars, grasshoppers, whitefly and aphids.
6. How do you harvest leafy greens, root vegetables and fruit vegetables differently?
   Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach): cut-and-come-again, taking outer leaves so inner leaves keep growing. Roots (carrots, radishes): loosen soil gently and pull by hand or with a trowel. Tomatoes, brinjals and peppers: cut with shears, leaving a short stem attached.
7. How is the price of garden produce worked out?
   Add up what was spent on seeds or seedlings and other materials (including soil amendments, tools and labels), note the quantity harvested, compare with the market price, and calculate the money the produce would fetch.
8. What is Vrikshayurveda, and which sacred trees does Surapala encourage planting?
   Vrikshayurveda (Ayurveda for trees) is the ancient Bharatiya treatise on plant health, growth and disease treatment; Surapala's version (1000 CE; the other by Salihotra, about 400 BCE) encourages planting Bilva (Bael), Nyagrodha (banyan), Ashwattha (fig) and Neem.
9. What conditions helped your plants grow, and what would you do differently if they grew poorly?
   Good sunlight, drainage, spacing, moist (not waterlogged) soil, manure or vermicompost, weeding, fencing and pest care help plants grow. If growth was poor, check which of these was missing — for example too much or too little water, poor soil, crowding, or pests — and correct that next time, keeping a diary of what changed.
10. Which jobs are related to this project?
    Farmer, gardener, agricultural scientist, and mechanic for agricultural equipment such as tractors and harvesters.

How to use this page: Read the summary, say the Key Terms in your own words, then try the practice set without looking. Check your answers against Questions with Answers, and ask your teacher or parent to check your work.