Abstract
Although Nigeria has no organized system of horticulture comparable to that of the developed world, a range of vegetables are grown casually as backyard crops. Many of these are both palatable and of good nutritional value, and have considerable potential as a supplement to a diet consisting mainly of starchy carbohydrates. To realise this potential, however, improved cultivars are necessary, as well as better crop management and the introduction of methods of preserving wet-season surpluses for use in the dry months.