Flowers, vegetables and herbs: growing and using
Horticultural crops are plants grown in gardens and small plots, not in big fields.
- Flowers (marigold, rose, jasmine): grown for beauty, decoration, gifts, festivals and bees. Some, like marigold, are also used for dye and as pest repellers.
- Vegetables (tomato, spinach, brinjal, chilli): grown for food, vitamins and minerals. We eat leaves, roots, fruits or seeds.
- Herbs (tulsi, mint, coriander, basil): small, strongly scented plants used for flavour, tea, and home remedies.
Basic growing steps: choose a sunny place; loosen the soil and add compost; sow seeds or plant seedlings at the right depth and gap; water regularly but do not flood; pull out weeds; harvest at the right time.
Horticultural design and its uses
Garden design means planning where each plant goes and why.
- Height: tall plants at the back (or north side), short plants in front, so all get sun and all are seen.
- Colour and pattern: mix colours or use groups of one colour for a calm look.
- Space: leave a gap so roots and leaves can grow and air can pass. Crowded plants get disease.
- Water and path: place thirsty plants near the water, and leave a path to reach every plant.
- Companions: some plants help each other, for example marigold near vegetables can keep some pests away.
Uses of design: a school garden for learning, a kitchen garden for food, flower beds for beauty, a balcony pot garden in small homes, and healing gardens in hospitals.
Safety of horticultural crops
Gardens need safe habits.
- Sprays: if you must use a pesticide, an adult should do it. Read the label, wear gloves and a mask, spray when there is no wind, and keep children and pets away. Try safe ways first: neem water, hand-picking pests, healthy soil.
- Wait before harvest: after a spray, wait the days written on the label.
- Wash produce: rinse vegetables and herbs under clean running water before eating.
- Hands and tools: wear gloves, wash hands after gardening, keep sharp tools away from children.
- Unknown plants: some plants are poisonous. Never taste a plant you cannot name.
- Storage: keep chemicals locked and in their own bottles.
Try it: plan your bed
Try it. Draw a 2 m by 1 m bed on paper. Choose one tall plant, one flower and one herb. Place them so the tallest is at the back. Then open the 3D, press the + buttons and compare the layout. Predict: which plant would be hidden if you swapped front and back?
Key formulas and definitions
- Horticultural crops = flowers + vegetables + fruits + herbs
- Design rule: tall at back, short in front
- Safety rule: label read → protective gear → wait before harvest → wash produce
- Plants in a bed = flowers + vegetables + herbs (count each)
Worked examples
1. Name one use of each: flowers, vegetables, herbs.
Flowers: decoration and festivals. Vegetables: food. Herbs: flavour, tea or home remedy.
2. Why are tall plants put at the back?
If tall plants stood in front, they would throw shade on short plants and hide them. At the back, everyone gets sun and can be seen.
3. A bed has 4 flower plants, 4 vegetable plants and 3 herb plants. How many plants are there in all?
4 + 4 + 3 = 11 plants.
4. After spraying, the label says wait 7 days. You harvest on day 4. Is that safe?
No. You must wait the full 7 days so the spray breaks down. Then wash the produce too.
Common mistakes
- Planting tall crops in front so they shade the short ones.
- Crowding plants too close, which spreads disease.
- Spraying without gloves or label reading, or harvesting before the waiting days end.
- Eating vegetables and herbs without washing them.