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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
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