Page 14 - Vol.39-No.5

CROP PROTECTION

LEARNING LESSONS FROM

BACKYARD GARDEN PRODUCTION

PART II STAPLES, SPICES,

VEGETABLES AND ANIMALS

sweet potatoes are heavily damaged by
underground insect pests and other pests
like slugs and snails they make fine feed
for pigs and cattle.
DR. TERRY MABBETT Not all staple crops are cereals or grow
underground because one of the richest
sources of starch is the breadfruit, can-
Some staple cereal crops like rice and non-ball size green fruits that grow on tall
wheat are not suitable or appropriate for trees and which can be boiled or roasted
backyard production due to the large area depending on stage of ripeness. The bread-
and specialist growing conditions required fruit tree originates in the South Pacific and
to make cultivation worthwhile. However, has a very murky past having brought west
such drawbacks are more than compen- into Africa and the New World by sailors of Cucurbits crops like cucumber shown
sated for by the production of other cereal the infamous ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ fame. here are popular as backyard vegetables,
staples like maize, millet and sorghum, and Breadfruit is ideally used in soups or boiled but will take up considerable space
a massive range of root crops covering and fried with fish including salted fish. As unless they can be trained to vine-up
cassava, sweet potato, Irish potato, yam the name suggests the flesh has the look poles (Picture Dr Terry Mabbett)
(Dioscorea) and cocoyam (Colocasia) which and consistency of a loaf of wheat bread.
are the bedrock of backyard staple food Solanaceous crops like tomato, eggplant
production. and green capsicum pepper all find pride
Yam is ideal when space above ground is of place in the backyard along with the
limited because the massive tubers develop cucurbits including cucumber, squash,
pumpkin and musk melons.
underground fed by a lush green climbing
plant that will vine, twine and climb up There is increasing demand for African
trellises, walls and trees. Traditional and grown garden peas as mange tout and
more modern storage methods allow the sugar snap peas, as well as green beans,
yam tubers to be kept for later use while in European countries. These and other
cassava roots can be left in the ground for non-traditional vegetable crops like carrots,
many months as a food reserve. Cassava beetroot and salad onions are increasingly
with its ability to grow in even the most grown in the African backyard garden, es-
barren soils and relatively untouched by pecially in the higher cooler areas of East
pests and diseases including locusts has Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a and Central Africa where these nominally
been called the ‘famine reserve’. The roots very useful staple/vegetable which does temperate crops will thrive.
are peeled, ground and processed into flour best at higher and cooler elevations Spices for life
to make ‘gari;’ and other foods widely con- (Picture Dr Terry Mabbett)
sumed throughout West Africa. There is a closely related tree produc- Man cannot live by bread alone. Spice of
ing a similarly large round fruit but this life comes from the herbs and hot capsi-
time with pointed projections whereas the cum peppers used to season meat, flavor
fresh foods like salad and make condiments.
outer surface of the breadfruit is smooth.
The fruit is packed with full brown nuts Marinating meat is a relatively new and
trendy aspect of western cuisine but Af-
almost exactly the same size and shape
as sweet chestnuts popular in European ricans have traditionally seasoned meat
using hot peppers, pimentos, chive and
countries like France. When roasted they
taste and smell just like roast chestnuts thyme. Hot capsicum pepper is the most
universally used spice throughout Africa.
and this is why the tree is sometimes called
‘Chataigne’, the French word for chestnut. There are many different types of cap-
No backyard is a garden without vege- sicum pepper including the large so called
tables providing fresh produce year round ‘Congo’ peppers in various shades of red,
orange, yellow and green and the tiny
Cassava is a root crop that will packed with minerals and vitamins. The list elongated bird peppers red when ripe and
yield under difficult conditions for Africa is almost limitless and includes so called because they are eaten by birds
including drought leaf vegetables like lettuce, cabbage and which disperse seeds in the process. Hot
(Picture courtesy Nick Ashton Jones) African spinach (Amaranthus), legume capsicum pepper is highly regarded in West
crops such as Vigna (cowpeas or black-
Sweet potato is another vine and climb eye peas), green string beans and pigeon Africa and is of equivalent importance to
crop with large sweet tasting food storage peas (Cajanus cajanus) which may be used the meat in chicken soup.
organs underground. Root crops grow in green in the pod like garden peas or mature Not all the herbs and spices grown in the
abundance and when there is a glut or the and dry like Vigna. backyard will be destined for the mouth and

12 Vol. 39 No. 5