Session Information

Workshop:Home and School Organic Gardening

Title: Planting and Transplanting Techniques

Suggested This 2-4 hour session is part of a full gardening workshop. Total workshop can run
COTEbetween 3-5sessions of 4 hours each recommended for week 8 of PST.
PlacementHowever this workshop is can be moved to almost to almost any week.

Objectives:

  1. Participants can transplant and seed a variety of vegetables in beds.
  2. Participants can prepare a vegetable planting plan taking into account the areas local planting and harvesting schedule as well as vegetable varieties best suited for the local environment.
  3. Participants can list the materials needed to initiate a school or community garden.
  4. Participants can prepare simple box or container gardens for starting seeds or direct growing.
  5. Participants can explain the benefits of intercropping their gardens in order to take maximum advantage of growing spaces.
  6. Participants can list companion plantings possible in Dominican gardens.
  7. Participants can describe simple measures to collect and store seeds.

MaterialsGarden Trowel or Machete (colin style) and Gardening Shovel (1 of each for every 3 participants)

Seeds and transplants representative of good companion planting.

Wooden dried cod boxes (one for every 3-4 participants) for container gardening.

1 large sack of clean river sand, one sack of soil, one sack of compost

Soap for cleanup, First aid kit.

Logistics:Planting should be done in previously constructed beds. There must be an available water source after planting.

Session Outline :Introduction - Objectives5 Minutes

and TimelineCompanion Planting Benefits 0.25 hours

Transplanting and Direct Seeding0.75 hour

Container Planting 0.50 hour

Seed Selection, Collection and Storage 0.50 hours

Total 2.0 hours

Description of:Introduction / Motivation

Activity /Technical trainer or facilitator introduces the above stated goals of the session.

PresentationPCTs should be aware gardening can be taught and practiced in urban areas as well. The container gardening covered in this session is an excellent method to practice gardening for those lacking space or for extending the gardening season where climate (droughts, heavy rainfall) can play havoc on outdoor gardens. Curriculum tie-ins can include natural sciences, physics, health and nutrition etc.

Information

  1. Planning your garden.
  2. Companion planting for maximum use of space and for pest control.
  3. Planting Techniques – Seeds directly into beds.
  4. Planting Techniques – Seeds into beds for transplant.
  5. Planting Techniques – Transplants into beds
  6. Preparing and Using Containers for Gardening.
  7. Cleanup and tool Storage: Tools should be cleaned for storage.
  8. Personal Safety and Health: Trainees should also be instructed to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. Pathogens in raw materials can cause infections.

Introduction: Trainer gives the goals and objectives of this session as listed above.

Planning your Garden: As with all projects, good planning can increase the chance for success. With gardening this can be even more important. What we plant and when we plant it is part of the planning process. Use your diagnostics to help plan. Seasonal calendars will indicate appropriate or inappropriate (too dry, to rainy) periods to plant your garden as well as the normal crop cycles.

Companion Planting: Review the benefits of companion planting.

  1. Maximization of Space – Vertical, Horizontal, Below ground (rooting patterns)
  2. Maximize time and nutritional benefits – With different crops you will always have something to harvest in the garden.
  3. Use different plants for control of pests – Insects, weeds.
  4. Additional benefits - Less work, can save water.

Transplanting and Direct Seeding: Participants plant seeds and transplants into the beds prepared in the earlier sessions. Techniques for pulling the transplants from the seed beds should be demonstrated. Participants should be encouraged to decide where each vegetable or fruit should be planted and in what combination.

Container Gardening: Container gardening is an economic way for almost anyone to take part in gardening activities. It can be done on patios in urban areas or in apartments without access to plots of land. It also allows gardeners to prolong their planting season in areas where the climate may restrict outdoor gardening due to drought or extensive rainy seasons. This ties into the PACA tool – Seasonal calendar which can indicate these climatic characteristics in advance. Container gardening can be very economical. The wooden boxes in which salted cod (arrenque) is sold in colmados are usually thrown away. These make excellent containers for gardening.

Steps to Preparing Containers: Line the planting box with newsprint, cardboard so tat the soil mixture will not fall through the cracks. Place some dried leaves or straw (aprox 1 inch) on top to absorb excess moisture during watering. Mix topsoil, prepared compost and clean river sand in the following proportions according to your container garden goal (preparing transplants or growing vegetables for consumption.)

For Transplants For Consumption

Sand % %

Topsoil % %

Compost % %

Fill the boxes to approximately one inch from the top with the soil mixture. Plant the seeds desired according to their specific spacing requirements. Note, in some cases you may want to line the box with plastic for extra cleanliness and protection against leaks.

Seed Selection: Look for local sources of seeds. The Ministry of Agriculture (Secretaria del Estado de Agricultura, SEA)can be approached to donate seeds for PCVs interested in gardening projects. APCD Alberto Rodriguez often has donated seeds available. Seeds can be obtained in your communities or the nearest municipality in agriculture supply stores and hardware stores. Local seeds have advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages – Adapted to the local growing conditions, may be easier to find, probably are accepted in the local diet for personal consumption.

Disadvantages – Inferior seed stock. Poor collection and storage techniques could lower germination rates.

ALWAYS TEST YOUR SEEDS BEFORE PLANTING NO MATTER WHAT THE SOURCE.

Seed Collection and Storage: Review with participants simple seed collection and storage techniques. If possible find examples in the demonstration farm of vegetables that can be harvested for seed.

Cleanup and tool Storage: Tools should be cleaned for storage, removing soil or plant debris. Some tools made need sharpening. Although not a part of the session, this can be an excellent opportunity for application/practice. Each participant can take one tool home to be sharpened with their host family. Many rural farm families are very practiced at sharpening gardening tools.

Personal Safety and Health: Trainees should also be instructed to wash their hands

thoroughly with soap and water. Pathogens in the raw materials or the soil can cause infections. Talk about why gardening should be done with closed shoes or preferable boots and the importance of having plenty of drinking water available.

Participation / Practice

All of the steps above are hands-on activities performed by the participants.

Process

Generalization: At the end of the workshop, have participants summarize planning techniques for seeds and transplants.

Reflection: If participants have already visited local schools, have them discuss opportunities and limitations for this activity with local schools as an non-formal educational activity

Application: All PCTs are required to prepare a planting plan for a home garden based using the attached format and instructions. In addition, during extended CBT periods, participants are encouraged to conduct home gardening activities with their host families as an independent study/application activity. Tools, seeds and transplants should be available for those who choose to do this activity.

Evaluation: The technical trainer will evaluate submitted planting plans. In addition, participants will be observed for during the hands on portion of this session with feedback given at the moment. Feedback on motivation can be given during interviews.

Additional Notes/ All participants should be given a copy of the gardening manual prior to the start of this
Workshop and if possible read section 2. This manual also includes an appendix with complete listing of beneficial companion plantings.

Recommendations: The transplanting segment of this session should be done as early as possible in the

morning or close to dusk to take advantage of cooler temperatures and minimize stress to transplants. Advise participants to wear closed shoes prior to the start of the session.

If there has been sufficient set up time to prepare plants (90 to 120 days), this session is also ideal to demonstrate how to tie up climbing and pole plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers and some bean crops.

Among the educational tie-ins that can be integrated into this session is theseed testing technique using moist paper towels. If materials are prepared ahead of time, this activity can be demonstrated while the participants on their first extended break (30 Minutes) of this session.

If climate and space is appropriate, demonstrate a raised bed /basket technique for potatoes. Take the bottom out of a wicker basket or other container which is at least 12 inches tall and aprox 12 to 16 inches in diameter. Place in strategic areas of your garden either in the beds or around them. Fill with soil and compost. Plant 3-5 potatoe seeds in each basket. Benefits include ease of harvest, all you do is pull up the basket and loosen the soil to harvest the potato. This will not harm other plants during harvest.

Sources: Prepared by T. Kiefer, Entrena S.A. March. 2008

Planting Calendar Instructions

On a 8 1/2 x 11 paper, diagram your garden. Draw in beds, the vegetables, fruits, flowers, fruit trees and perennial herbs or plants. Your Garden can be any shape but should be approximately 5 square meters in area.

Below the diagram or on the back you should list all items that you will plant along with their seeding, planting and harvesting dates. Calculate that you will start this garden one month after you arrive to your site (Aprox: May 31st) For this exercise we will assume that your project site has the same rain calendar as your CBT community.

ENTRENA, S.A.,1