Most farmers in Namibia are expert growers of maize or pearl millet. However, growing vegetables for own consumption or for the market may be fun and lucrative.

Vegetable seeds are readily available in Namibia and most of them are hybrids that produce a higher yield.

There are vegetable crops to suit every taste and preference:

• Leafy vegetables: Plants with edible leaves such as cabbage, spinach and swiss chard.

• Fruit vegetables: Plants with edible fruits, like tomatoes, peppers and melons.

• Root vegetables: Plants that store food in their own roots or in their tubers underground, for example carrots, beetroot and sweet potatoes.

• Legumes: Plants that produce pods with edible seeds, such as peas and green beans.

• Bulb vegetables: Plants that store food in swollen leaves at the base of their stems, like onions and garlic.

Here is a guide to help the farmer with his planning:

To grow vegetables, a seedbed should be prepared. To prepare a seedbed, tillage is needed. It is important for a seedbed to be deep, even and firm. Tillage helps to control weeds and minimise soil erosion, and to also introduce fertilisers and pesticides into the soil.

Tillage operations use primary and secondary implements. Primary implements are basic implements used to loosen the soil, like ploughs, disc ploughs, chisel ploughs and rippers. Secondary implements are cultivators, discs and harrows, and are used for the final seedbed preparation. Some crops should be sown in nurseries and other can be sown or planted directly in a garden. A nursery bed should have good soil with compost, a reliable water supply, and preferably shade netting.

How to prepare a nursery seedbed:

• It should be dug very deep with a spade.

• The size of the seedbed should be around 1 m x 1,5 m.

• Fertiliser should be added and worked into the soil.

• Give the seedbed enough water.

• Before sowing, the seedbed is raked carefully so that it is level and has a fine tilth.

Sowing in nursery beds

• Make holes for the seeds with a small stick.

• The depth of the holes or furrow should be about five times the diameter of the seed to be sown.

• The distance between rows should not be more that 15 cm.

• Sow the seeds thinly with about 5 cm between each two seeds to ensure a good stand.

• Cover the seeds and press down the soil lightly by hand.

• Water the seedbed using a can with a fine nozzle or use a tin can with small holes pierced in the

bottom. At the beginning, daily watering should be done.

• About thee weeks after germination, excess seedlings should be removed to allow proper root development for the remaining well-spaced plants.

• Keep the area around the seedbeds free of weeds and insects.

More information on the crops/vegetables that farmers can grow in Namibia:

Pearl millet/mahangu (Pennisetum glaucum) is the major food cereal in the northern communal areas of Namibia and is popularly known as mahungu. It is normally reserved for those areas where maize and sorghum fail to grow because of low rainfall or adverse soil factors. This crop also has a high heat tolerance. Cowpeas like legumes are able to fix nitrogen in their roots with the help of bacteria, thereby increasing soil fertility. It is an ideal crop for Namibia as it tolerates heat and relatively dry weather conditions.

This crop is suitable for both human and animal consumption. Beetroot is a cool-weather crop and will produce most of the year in Namibia. Carrots are grown for their edible roots, which can be eaten either cooked or raw. Carrots contain vitamin A and can be stored for relatively long periods. Green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are warm-season annuals. Peppers and chillies (Capsicum spp) are small, bushy annuals or short-lived perennials with fruit usually red or green in colour, and can be eaten either raw or cooked.

Onions (Allium cepa) are biennial herbs with bulbs formed at the base of the plant from thickened food-storage leaves. It contains calcium, iron, fibre and vitamins B1, B2 and C. Sweet potatoes (lpomea batatas) are an important food crop. The tubers are boiled or roasted, and the young leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) are sub-tropical plants and related to potatoes, eggplant, peppers and tobacco plants. They can be eaten in various ways.

Source: We thank the Crop Production Guide, Namibia, compiled by Ingo Jacobi, published by NNFU and NAU Joint Precidency Committee, 2008, for using their guide.