Growing Winnetou

VEGETABLES are an important part of a person’s healthy diet as they are naturally low in fat and calories.

They provide the body with nutrients including potassium, dietary fibers, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin C which helps the human body to maintain blood pressure and lowers the risks of contracting diseases.

This article will edevour to explain the steps   and importance of growing the Winnetou Vegetable for consumption and its benefits. It may seem to appear thicker in size with curly leaves, but the Winnetou is like any other vegetable an average Zambian is used to preparing.

In an interview with David Ng’ambi, a vegetable expert from Syngenta Seed Company, he explained that the plant was originally important from Europe and contains all necessary nutrients needed for the human body.

“This plant can be grown in your back yard, however to do so, you must follow some steps before direct putting It in your soil” Mr. Ng’ambi said.

PLANTING WINNETOU

When planting Winnetou, one must first start by placing the seedlings in a greenhouse simply because it is not advisable to directly plant in as it may experience hardening, which is, the process of starving the plant of what it requires. It is always advisable to manage the plant with extreme care before transplanting.

TRANSPLANTING

When the germination process has been completed, transplant the crop in soil that is already incorporated with any kind of vegetable Manure you would prefer and always make sure the soil is moist, it should not be too wet or too dry, and with the spacing of about 80cm by 60cm to give the plant enough space for its maximum yield potential.

After transplanting, make a small hole, not directly but next to the plant where you insert 5 to 10 grams of fertilizer. The small distance made between the plant and fertilizer hole is to avoid scotching of the plant.

FERTILISATION

Next is to avoid exposing the fertilizer there is a need to bury it especially when it’s sunny to avoid the loss of nutrient found in the fertilizer. After this is done, later pour little water on the plant to allow moisture and avoid dynes.

However, this process should be done between 4 PM to 6 PM (16 hours and 18hours ) simply because the plant requires cool temperatures to maintain the right amount of moisture for the plant to grow as it is required, so that, the flow of nutrients can be gradual and effective. This is also done to avoid too much sunlight from hitting the plant causing dryness around the area of the plant.

WATERING

After the above steps have been done, the plant then later needs to be watered twice a day. Slow drips of water must be inserted allowing it flow for two hours in the morning and two hour at dawn then after a month, water once a day.  

Planting of the Winnetou vegetable can be done yearly but is mostly advisably done during the rainy seasons.

PESTS AND DISEASE

Unlike any other plant, the Winnetou vegetable does not contract pests easily and resists any fungal diseases.

HARVESTING

When matured and fully grown, The Winnetou vegetable can be streamed to make an organic salad or cooked and served with any other side dish of your choice. It is high in nutrients and can be harvested and consumed for more than 6 months.

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