book for PDF - John Snow International Europe

Crop/ Uses Cultivation tipsNutrientsLoofahCalcium, Vitamin Aand C. Eat thesmall green fruitslike cucumber orsquash.Grown in the sameway as Chouchou.The dried fruits areharvested for thefibrous backscrubberstheyproduce.Same tips as chouchouMaizeGood source ofcarbohydrate,vitamin B.The ripe cobs areeaten cooked. Theseplants are windpollinated and needplenty of space. Sowthem in blocks withrows running northsouthto avoidshading othervegetables.Plant in full sun in deep fertilesoil. Intercrop with beans,pumpkins and melons tosuppress weeds. Feed plantswith compost every two weeksfrom the time they are knee-high.Mulch well. Try open-pollinatedvarieties such as Hickory King.Harvest when the silks of the cobare withered and dry. UseCutworm collars to protectseedlings. Block the growingfunnels between leaves and stemwith a plug of soil to prevent stalkborer. Destroy plants that showsymptoms of streak virus.MoringaGood source ofvitamins andminerals especiallycalcium andVitamin A.The leaves, greenpods and flowers canbe cooked asvegetables. The driedleaves may be madeinto a powder to addto soups and stews.This fast-growing treecan be planted alongboundaries. It canalso be grown in bedsas a vegetable andharvested after oneyear. The dried seedscan be used to purifywater.Moringa tolerates hot, dryconditions and sandy soil.Leaves are produced all yearround if the tree is given water inthe dry season. Prune the tree toencourage leaf production and toavoid it shading other crops.96