QUARTER 1

Produce Vegetable Crops

Module 1. Basic Concepts in Vegetable Production

1. Concepts and opportunities in producing major lowland and semi-temperate

vegetable crops

2. Types of vegetable gardening

Content Standard Performance Standard

The learner demonstrates The learner independently applies

understanding on the basic the concepts, competencies and
concepts, competencies, and opportunities in vegetable
opportunities in vegetable production based on standards set
production. by the Vegetable Production
Manual.

Courtesy to

Lesson 1 Basic concepts and opportunities in producing

major lowland and semi-temperate vegetables

Introduction

This module deals with the basic concepts in vegetable production. It includes
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes in producing lowland and semi-temperate
vegetables, opportunities in vegetable crop production, and types of vegetable
gardening.

Learning Competencies/Objectives

This module has the following learning competencies/objectives:

1. Basic concepts and opportunities in producing major lowland and semi-temperate

vegetable crops

2. Types of vegetable gardening

 Diagnostic/Pre-assessment

A. Direction: Answer the following questions correctly.

1. What is a vegetable?
2. What are five reasons why vegetables are important?
3. Cite situations that there is a good future waiting in the production of
vegetables.
4. Enumerate some problems in the production of vegetables in the
Philippines.

KNOW

Activity 1. Brainstorming

1. Look at the pictures of different vegetables grown in the lowland and

highland areas. What can you say about the pictures?
2. Why grow vegetables?

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Basic concepts in producing major lowland and semi-temperate vegetables

Food is a necessity. Vegetables, in particular, are considerably cheap and

rich sources of healthy foods containing nutrients which can have a great impact on
the nutritional condition of Filipinos.

It has been observed that vegetable products mostly come from commercial
vegetable growers in the country. However, the manner in which these vegetables
are grown is not known by the consumers. Safety of the products is one concern
because of the wide use of pesticides to be able to meet the desired quality and
quantity of vegetable products. Also, when these vegetables reach the local market,
these become somewhat expensive. As such, the production of vegetables in the
schools and the backyards can help augment the supply of vegetables for the family
and even the neighborhood. These vegetables are preferred by the people in the
school and in the community because of they are fresher than commercial
vegetables, safe from chemicals, sold at lower than the prevailing market prices, and
delivered free at the right place and at the right time.

What is a vegetable?

A vegetable is a plant or a part of a plant that is used as food, typically as an

accompaniment to meat or fish. Examples include cabbages, potatoes, carrots, or beans.
In culinary terms, a vegetable is an edible plant or plant part, intended for
cooking or eating raw. In biological terms, "vegetable" designates members of the
plant kingdom.

 https://www.google.com.ph/search?
q=definition+of+vegetables&rlz=1C1SAVS_enPH583PH583&oq=definition+of+vegetables&aqs=chrome..69i57.2
0553j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8: Retrieved May 9, 2014

What is vegetable gardening?

Asuncion (1983) defines vegetable gardening as the art or science of

growing and culturing of various vegetable crops for human consumption.

Why grow vegetables?

Specifically, vegetable growing is important for the following reasons as

reported by Asuncion (1983):

1. It is one of the most important sources of food.

2. It provides much of the family’s food needs.
3. It provides an additional source of income for the family.
4. It serves as a good source of food nutrients needed by the human body.
5. It provides healthful outdoor exercises for the gardener.
6. It provides an opportunity to learn a profitable hobby or an avocation as
gardening, farming, food processing, farm management, or any other activity as
an outcome of areas related to school gardening.
7. It helps in the prevention of air pollution.
8. It beautifies the premises of the school and the home.
Aside from these, vegetable gardening is an answer to the call of the
government about the National Greening Program.

Opportunities in vegetable crop production

Basically, the Philippines is endowed with a favorable climate and hectares of

fertile soils for the production of vegetables year round.
Pabuayon (2001) reported that vegetables as part of Filipino subsistence, be
it as food or as source of livelihood cannot be undermined. All 43 kinds and 250
lesser-known species of Philippine vegetables are important sources of minerals,
vitamins, fiber, and proteins. In the crop category, vegetable ranks second to
ornamentals in terms of income generated per unit area and time. Moreover, it is
widely used as an intercrop for coconut and fruit trees, and as a component of the
other cropping systems. Ironically, per capita consumption is quite low at 39
kilograms considering that the recommended intake is 69 kilograms.

Pabuayon (2001)further reported that beyond rice and corn production, the
Philippine agricultural industry is focused on meeting export commitments. This
policy is supported by the government and is also the reason for the increased
production of vegetable crops such as eggplant, onion, tomato, garlic, squash, and
cabbage. Among these crops, eggplant leads in value of production with P1.8 M in
1999 from just P0.6M in 1990. The remaining four ranks in this order: onion (P1.1M),
tomato (P1.03M), garlic (P0.9M), cabbage (P0.6M), and squash (P0.5M). In terms of
volume, eggplant still ranks first (28%), followed by tomato (22%), squash (18%),
onion (15%), cabbage (14%)/ and garlic (3%). Compared to Asian and world
production, local vegetable production is relatively low. Eggplant averaged a yield of
9.95 t/ha in 1997 which is only half of Asia's average yield of 15.91 t/ha and the
world's 16.17 t/ha. However, our local eggplant yield is far better than Thailand
(6.19t/ha), Indonesia (3.48 t/ha), and North Korea (1.67 t/ha).The same trend goes
for tomato which registered an average yield of 9.73 t/ha, onion (7.18 t/ha), and
garlic (2.6 t/ha).

Vegetables grown in the Philippines have also export opportunities. Fresh,

chilled, dried, and processed forms of vegetables are exported. Also, it was reported
that onion was the number one export in terms of value at $10.5 M followed by
shallot at $7M. Another major export was asparagus at 5,660MT. Other exports
included garlic, beans, peas, tomato, and vegetable seeds. Aside from these large
amounts of pepper, eggplant, melons, and water melons are also exported. The
country can capitalize on the export of squash, sword bean, white gourd, sitao, and
radish which are also gaining ground internationally.

Although vegetables have a high potential of contributing to our farmers'

income, the government has given little priority to this industry. This, coupled with
existing problems such as the unstable supply and low quality of produce, poor farm-
to-market roads, inadequate storage facilities, limited access to reliable market
information, and lack of entrepreneurial skills among growers and cooperatives
obstruct the industry's potential in the world market.

According to Pabuayon (2001) through the Bureau of Agricultural Research, a

network solely dedicated to improving the vegetable industry was created. The
vegetable network, which is composed of experts from University of the Philippines
at Los Baños (UPLB), Benguet State University (BSU), Visayas State College of
Agriculture (ViSCA), and Central Luzon State University (CLSU), coordinates all
researches, development, and extension efforts pertaining to vegetables. Likewise, a
National Integrated Research Development Extension Agenda and Program
(NIRDEAP) was drafted to state specific projects for the network.
www.bar.gov.ph/.../3364-apr-june01-the-growing...
 PROCESS

Activity 2
Perform the following formative assessment/activities.

1. To develop the knowledge and skills you learned in your Basic

Computer subjects, research on the vegetables commonly grown in
your locality or the vegetables commonly sold in the market and then
find out their nutrient value. Cite/acknowledge your sources and date
of retrieval.
2. Compare your work to your classmates to learn more from each other.
3. Submit your output to your teacher.

REFLECT AND
UNDERSTAND

Activity 3
1. Do you eat vegetables? Why should these be included in our diet?

TRANSFER

Activity 4
 Conduct an interview with an experienced vegetable grower or farmer in your
locality regarding the opportunities in vegetable production. Construct
questions based on the following:

1. What are specific vegetables that he/she grows?

2. Why did he/she choose the crop?
3. What is the capital needed?
4. What are the market demands?
5. What other details do you think are important for horticulture students to
know?
Submit your output to your teacher.

QUARTER 1

Produce Vegetable Crops

Module 1. Basic Concepts in Vegetable Production

1. Concepts and opportunities in producing major lowland and semi-

temperate vegetables
 2. Types of vegetable gardening

Content Standard Performance Standard

The learner demonstrates The learner independently

understanding on the different discusses the different types of
types of vegetable gardening vegetable gardening as prescribed
in the Vegetable Production Manual

Lesson 2 Types of vegetable gardening

Courtesy to

Introduction

This lesson deals with the different types of vegetable gardening.

Learning Competencies/Objectives

This lesson has the following learning competencies/objectives:

1. Importance of vegetable gardening

3. Types of vegetable gardening

Diagnostic/Pre-assessment

A. Selection Type. Direction: Select the best answer by writing the letter in
your test notebook.
1. Vegetable home gardens help the families in many ways. Which of the
following is not true about vegetable home gardens? Vegetable home
gardens …
a. Provide additional income for the family.
b. Are a source of a variety of vegetables throughout the year.
c. Prevent bonding with family members through gardening.
d. Develop the value of manual labor, industry, and cooperation.
2. Market gardening is located near centers of population to have a ready
market of vegetable produce. In order to meet the consumers demand,
 some requirements are needed except the . . .
a. Frequent use of toxic pesticides.
b. Intensive and continuous cropping.
c. Wise use of fertilizer and irrigation.
d. Efficient protection against crop pest.
3. This type of vegetable growing is practiced in wide tracts of land with the
purpose of producing vegetables for distant markets.
a. Home gardening
b. Market gardening
c. Truck gardening
d. Vegetable forcing
4. Vegetables grown out from their normal or regular growing seasons are
called off-season vegetables. Which of the following statements is not true
about vegetable forcing?
a. Off-season vegetables are best grown in greenhouses.
b. Off-season vegetables need intensive and expensive care.
c. Off-season vegetables are marketed at a lower price than
vegetables grown during the regular growing period.
d. Off-season vegetables require scientific procedures and the use of
special environmental facilities.
5. Which of the following hinders a farmer from engaging in vegetable
production?
a. Negative attitude of the farmer and lack of technical know-how
b. Erratic supply and low quality produce
c. Poor farm-to-market roads and inadequate storage facilities
d. Limited entrepreneurial skills and reliable market information

KNOW
 Activity 1
Group 1 - Why are there less farmers engaged in vegetable production as
compared to the production of other crops?

Group 2 – What are the types of vegetable gardening?

Note: Present your output to class in any manner you feel is best. You are given 3
minutes for presentation.

Reading Resources and Instructional Activities

Vegetable gardening in the Philippines is classified according to the purpose

for which the vegetables are grown and the methods used in producing, marketing,
and utilizing the crops.

According to Soriano and Villareal (1977), the different types of vegetable

gardening are home gardening, market gardening, truck gardening, growing for
processing, vegetable forcing, and vegetable seed production.

Home/Backyard Gardening

Home gardening is an intensive way of growing various kinds of vegetables

which are adaptable in the locality. The number and kinds of vegetable that the
family can grow depends upon their choice or needs.

The ultimate objective for raising vegetables in the backyard is to have a

ready supply of fresh, safe, and un-expensive variety of vegetables for the kitchen all
year round. Labor is shared among members of the family. Children are also taught
to value manual labor, industry, and cooperation through this endeavor. The rest of
the produce from the garden can also be for the market to provide additional income
for the family.
 According to Asuncion (1983), there are three kinds of home gardening:
city/urban home gardening, town gardening, and farm home gardening. The farm
home gardening and the town gardening are home gardening where the gardener
can choose the best place and soil for his garden. Both types are done in a bigger
scale. On the other hand, the city/urban gardening give the gardener a little choice
on the garden site and soil types. Generally, this type of gardening is done on vacant
lots, near a building’s porch or window, on wall plant boxes, or along the fences.
Only a few kinds of vegetables can be grown in these types of gardens to meet the
requirements of the family’s needs.

Market Gardening

Market gardening as the name implies is a type of gardening located near

centers of population which are ready market of their produce. Soriano and Villareal
(1977) emphasized that land and labor are expensive. Therefore, this type of
gardening calls for intensive and continuous cropping, wise use of fertilizer and
irrigation, and efficient protection against crop pests. These are required in order to
produce quality products that will command high price to meet the high production
costs. Rapid growing of vegetables is important so vegetables are planted
continuously so that the turn-over from the land is fast.

Truck Gardening

Truck gardening is the opposite of market gardening since a large tract of

land is used to produce vegetables for distant markets. According to Soriano and
Villareal (1977), the unit cost of production is lower than in market gardening. They
further stated that this type of gardening is a highly developed industry in places
where there are good roads and excellent transportation facilities. Places engaged in
truck gardening in the Philippines are the growing of onions, tomatoes, and
eggplants in Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan, and cabbages, beans, and white
potatoes in Benguet.

Vegetable Growing for Processing

According to Soriano and Villareal (1977),growing vegetables for processing

is a type of vegetable production wherein vegetables produced are canned, pickled,
frozen, or dehydrated. The advantage of processed vegetables is that the vegetable
produce may be held in storage until needed by the consumer. High quality as
judged by acceptability of the product, large yields, and low cost of production are
the important features of growing vegetables for processing. The cost of production
is lower than that of the market and truck gardening because of mechanization and
the generally lower land value. Labor is remarkably reduced through mechanization
of most of the farm operations.
Vegetables for processing are either grown by the processing company or by
farmers on a contract basis with the
processing company. The contract specifies
the price and other marketing arrangements
even before production has begun. It also
states specific requirements to be fulfilled by
the grower such as the variety to be grown
and the size and schedules of delivery.
Examples of vegetable processors in the
Philippines are Del Monte in Mindanao, RAM
in Laguna, and Purefoods in Metro Manila.

Vegetable Forcing
Vegetable forcing is the growing of
vegetables out of season which means the
vegetables are planted at any time other
than their normal period of growing. This type of vegetable production requires
scientific procedures and the use of special environmental facilities.
In the Philippines, off-season tomatoes and high value leafy vegetables are
grown in plastic or glass greenhouses. Recently during the cold months, specifically
in Benguet and its neighboring towns, vegetables, cut flowers, and strawberries
were grown in greenhouses to protect the plants from frosting. Another example of
vegetable forcing commonly used in the Philippines is the use of rice straw beds to
grow mushrooms (Soriano and Villareal,1977).
Vegetable forcing is a very intensive
Vegetables grown inside the greenhouse of the Jones
and expensive enterprise. This type of Rural School, Jones, Isabela

vegetable growing should, therefore, only be

resorted to when the supply is limited and the vegetables produced can be
guaranteed to be of the highest quality so as to command high price.

Vegetable Seed Production

Vegetable seed production is the growing of vegetable to produce seeds for

planting. This is the most specialized type of vegetable growing because it requires
knowledgeable and skilled workers with a good background of plant breeding to
ensure genetic purity and good quality of the seed crop. The seedman should also
possess technical know-how on seed preservation and methods of seed packaging
and storing to maintain good germination (Soriano and Villareal, 1977).
Successful production of good quality vegetable seeds calls for specific
climatic and location requirements.

PROCESS

Activity 2

You did a great job in Activity 1. Congratulations for a job well done! This time
you will undergo an exciting and challenging task in Activity 2.

Visit your local market. Make a list of vegetables being sold there. Interview
the vegetable vendor as to where the vegetables they sell come from. Compare
prices of vegetables locally grown versus those coming from the highlands.

Prepare questions based on the tasks stated above.

Be respectful and friendly in dealing with the people you are going to
interview.

Write your output in short bond paper and submit it to your teacher. Later on,
you will present it to the class for further discussion.

REFLECT AND
UNDERSTAND

Activity 3

With the same grouping as in Activity 1 and 2, make a poster of an ideal

vegetable garden. The poster should be done on one whole white cartolina. Use a
maximum of five colors to shade your poster. Imaginative posters will be given
additional points.

TRANSFER
Activity 4

1. Individual project. Make a project entitled “Gulayan sa Bahay para sa

Kusina ni Nanay” In case you do not have available land area to grow your
vegetables you can grow them by using recycled materials which you can
hang on walls, in the porch, or along the fence.
2. Group project entitled Adopt a purok garden. This is a community based
project. Visit your barangay and select a purok where you can develop a
purok vegetable garden. Inform and seek permission from the barangay
chairman of your community based-project. This activity will showcase
your knowledge and skills in vegetable growing.

Summative assessment

A. Selection Type. Direction: Select the best answer by writing the letter
only in your test notebook.
1. Vegetable home gardens help the families in many ways. Which of the
following is not true about vegetable home gardens? Vegetable home
gardens …
 a. Provide additional income for the family.
b. Are a source of a variety of vegetables throughout the year.
c. Prevent bonding with family members through gardening.
d. Develop the value of manual labor, industry, and cooperation.
2. Market gardening is located near centers of population to have a ready
market of vegetable produce. In order to meet the consumers demand,
some requirements are needed except :
a. Frequent use of toxic pesticides.
b. Intensive and continuous cropping.
c. Wise use of fertilizer and irrigation.
d. Efficient protection against crop pest.
3. This type of vegetable growing is practiced in wide tracts of land with
the purpose of producing vegetables for distant markets.
a. Home gardening
b. Market gardening
c. Truck gardening
d. Vegetable forcing
4. Vegetables grown out from their normal or regular growing seasons
are called off-season vegetables. Which of the following statements is
not true about vegetable forcing?
a. Off-season vegetables are best grown in greenhouses.
b. Off-season vegetables need intensive and expensive care.
c. Off-season vegetables are marketed at a lower price than
vegetables grown during the regular growing period.
d. Off-season vegetables require scientific procedures and the use
of special environmental facilities.
5. Which of the following hinders a farmer from engaging in vegetable
production?
a. Negative attitude of the farmer and lack of technical know-how
b. Erratic supply and low quality produce
 c. Poor farm-to-market roads and inadequate storage facilities
d. Limited entrepreneurial skills and reliable market information

Summary/Feedback

The ultimate aim of vegetable production is to have a sufficient supply of

varieties of vegetable year round that are safe to eat. Vegetables serve as good
sources of different nutrients needed by the body. These vegetables could be grown
according to purpose. Through vegetable growing, the value of manual labor,
industry, unity and cooperation are developed among family members. Raising of
vegetables can also add to the family’s income.

References

Asuncion, R. G., Jr. 1983. Elementary Agriculture. Saint Mary’s Publishing Inc.,
Manila Philippines.

Bautista, O.K. and R.C. Mabesa. 1977. Vegetable Production. University of the
Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna, Philippines.

INGO. 2005. Resource Manual on Integrated Production and Pest

Management(IPPM) in Vegetables: World Education (INGO) Philippines,
Inc.; Laguna, Philippines.

Reyes, P. L. Undated “Lecture Notes on Field Crop Production” GregorioAraneta

University Foundation. Victoneta Park, Malabon, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Soriano, J.M. and R.L.Villareal. 1977. Types of Vegetable Production. In:Vegetable
Production. University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna,
Philippines.

www.bar.gov.ph/.../3364-apr-june01-the-growing... BAR Digest Home Archives April-June

2001 Issue (Vol. 3 No.2). Retrieved March 3, 2014.