All Year Round Vegetable Cultivation in Trenches in Cold Arid trans-Himalayan Ladakh

Abstract

<p>Trench greenhouse is a low cost underground rectangular structure (30’×10’×3’; L×W×D) in north-south orientation with stone wall on four sides. It is covered with polyethylene sheet at ground level during winter months. The air temperature inside the trench was found to be 20.7±2.8 °C warmer during day and 7.0±1.2 °C at night that support growing of leafy vegetables during winter (mid October to early March). Three cycles of crops were grown in a year in the greenhouses as against single crop in open field condition in cold trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. Spinach production was 64 kg -70 kg per trench during mid October to early March. Black plastic mulch significantly increased spinach production during winter months. Vegetable seedlings (13,000 to 39,000 numbers per trench) were raised during late March to early May, which is not possible in open field condition otherwise. A variety of warm-season vegetables were harvested (6 kg - 210 kg per trench) from the trenches during summer months.</p>