Grow cabbages inrotation with legumes

for more benefi ts

Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteP.O. Box 57811-00200, NAIROBI.

Tel: 254-20-4183301-20, Fax: 254-20-4183344Email: resource.centre@kari.org

Website: www. kari.org

Compiled by: Masinde, AA

For more information contact:

Centre Director, KARI Kitale Box 450 Kitale, 30200

Tel: (054) 201079Fax: (054) 30378

Email: inmaktl@africaonline.co.ke

KARI information brochure series / 55 /2008 Ksh. 20

Cabbage legume cycle

• Plant the cabbage seedlings

• Keep the fi eld weed free do not top dress

with inorganic fertilizer as it is not necessary.

Step 5: Cabbage Harvesting

• Harvest the cabbages after 65-75days when

heads are full and fi rm depending on the

variety and area.

Benefi ts

• The leguminous ALV fi xes Nitrogen which is

sued by the cabbage and the grower saves

money by not buying inorganic N fertilizer

like CAN.

• More vegetable is available form the leaves

of ALV (3 tonnes/ha) in addition to cabbage

harvest.

• There is reduction in pest and diseases

incidence and therefore a saving on cost of

spraying.

How to do legume-cabbage rotationStep 1: Planting

Plant the leguminous ALV (sunhemp or cowpea)

during long rains at

Sunhemp: 45cm x drill

Cow pea: 45cm x 20cm (

• Apply 180g (One 50gm blue band container)

of Triple Supper Phosphate (TSP) per every

3mx4m plot.

• Check crop germination for good stand count

to ensure adequate biomass for incorporation

• keep the fi eld weed free.

Step 2: Leaf harvesting

• Just before the crop fl owers (2.5 months after

planting), harvest the leaves and the very

tender shoots for use in the kitchen or sale as

vegetables.

Step 3: Plant incorporation

• Chop the remaining straws, shoot and roots

into small pieces, then incorporate in to the soil

by digging them into the soil.

• Let the fi eld rest for 1-11/2 months, mean

while establish your cabbage nursery.

Step 4: Cabbage planting

• Prepare the fi eld after the 1-1.5 months

• Make holes at a spacing of 60cmx50cm and

add 1-2 bottle tops of phosphate fertilizer

preferably DAP, per hole.

IntroductionCabbage gives higher yields at a lower cost when

grown in rotation with leguminous African

leafy vegetables (ALV) like cowpea (kunde) and

sunhemp (mitoo, miroo)

The ALVs fi x nitrogen that benefi ts the cabbage

crop whose head weight increases from an

average of 2kg to 3kg, for the varieties which are

small headed.

The cowpea and sunhemp leaves are used as

vegetables and they also fi x nitrogen and reduce

pests and disease incidences.

This system is suitable for farmers in areas with

2 well defi ned seasons of rain, depleted soils and

where continuous cropping of the same crop is

common.

Cow pea crop

Good cabbage crop