3 Months Crops in Nigeria- Crops to Plant and Harvest Within 3 Months

There are a lot of 3 months crops in Nigeria. 3 months crops are crops that mature within 3 months; these crops can generate income for farmers within a very short time.

The attraction of farmers to 3 months crops in Nigeria is the ability of the crops to turnover their investments in farming within a relatively short time.

Ask farmers around you about the types of crops that will likely to cultivate, you will be surprised that a lot of them will tell you that they prefer to cultivate three months crops because of their ability to provide income for farmers within a short time.

Some 3 months crops in Nigeria

The following are some of the 3 months crops that can be planted in Nigeria:

• Cucumber
• Okra
• Fluted Pumpkin (Ugwu)
• Ewedu
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Broad Acre Crops (Maize, Soybeans, Rice, Millet and Groundnut)

Cucumber

This crop is called farmer’s ATM in Nigeria because of its ability to make good money for farmers. Cucumbers are crawling plants that produces pods called cucumber fruits. Cucumbers are largely consumed by Nigerians. Go to any big city in Nigeria, you will see various markets where cucumbers are sold to the public.

If you cultivate a hybrid cucumber variety, you can commence harvest after 36 days, the harvest can go on for 1-2 months if the cucumbers are cultivated in the open field. Cucumber is one of the fast growing crops in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, open field growers of cucumbers can harvest 400-700 40kg bags of cucumbers from one acre of farmland. A 40kg bag of cucumbers sell for between ₦3,000 – ₦8,000 depending on the season.

To plant a one acre of cucumber, a farmer is not expected to incur more than ₦300,000 and he is expected to have a Returns on Investments of at least 100%, all within 3 months.

Okra

Okro is a crop that belongs to the flowering plant family. The green seed pods that it produces are what people eat. Okro is mainly used for the preparation of soups in Nigeria. Okra is also called ladies fingers by some people in Nigeria.

Okro is one of the most profitable three months crops in Nigeria. A farmer cultivating okra can start his first harvest as early as 40 days.

Okro farming is very lucrative, a farmer that implements Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) can get a Return on Investment (ROI) of well above 100% within 3 months of cultivating okro.

Okro farming is more profitable in Nigeria during the dry season as few farmers cultivate the crop during the dry season because of scarcity of water.

Fluted Pumpkin (Ugwu)

Ugwu is one of the most popular green leafy vegetables in Nigeria, if not the popular. Ugwu is popular among the people of southern Nigeria, but it is also eaten by people from the northern part of Nigeria. Ugwu is also well know as one of the main dry season crops in Nigeria.

Ugwu is a crawling plant; it is usually cultivated with the use of bamboo stakes. The leaves of ugwu are harvested after about 30-40 days of planting, the harvest can go on for several months. A farmer that cultivates ugwu can make a lot of money within 3 months because of the fast growth of ugwu plants.

Ugwu leaves are the parts of the plant that are used for the preparation of soups and foods by Nigerians. The big pods produced by ugwu plants are also used by Nigerians for food. Some farmers dry the seeds in the ugwu pods and sell to fellow farmers who may want to cultivate ugwu.

Ugwu farming is not too profitable in the rainy season because every Tom, Dick and Harry cultivate the crop in the rainy season. In the dry season, ugwu cultivation can be very profitable. A farmer can get returns of over 100% in the dry season.

Ewedu

Just like ugwu, ewedu is one of the most popular leafy vegetables in Nigeria. It is mostly eaten by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Though, people from other tribes in Nigeria now eat ewedu because of the nutritional value.

Ewedu is one of the highly lucrative 3 months crops in Nigeria. You can start ewedu farming with N50,000 and you can be sure of getting a good return, especially if you cultivate the crop in the dry season.

The Yoruba people do not joke with ewedu soup. Go to any occasion in the Yoruba part of Nigeria, you are likely to see ewedu soup as part of the menu. The demand for ewedu leaves in Nigeria is pretty high.

A farmer can start harvesting ewedu leaves as early as 3 weeks after planting. Ewedu is usually planted by broadcasting of the seeds on a bed.

You can plant ewedu seeds at the back of your kitchen or garden and start making money for yourself.

Lettuce

Lettuce is a premium leafy vegetable in Nigeria. It is usually grown for its leaves which are used for salads and other foods.

Lettuce is usually harvested within 50 – 120 days depending on the variety cultivated. There are various types of lettuce namely romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, summercrisp lettuce and butterhead lettuce.

Lettuce can be very profitable but a farmer should ensure that he sells his lettuce in a big city. In Nigeria, lettuce is hardly eaten in rural areas. The largest markets for lettuce in Nigeria are in big cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Kano and Ibadan etc.

Cabbage

Cabbage is a crop that belongs to the brassica family. It is also a leafy vegetable and one of the three months crops in Nigeria. Cabbages have dense leaf heads.

Cabbage can be grown in all areas in Nigeria, though areas with a near temperate condition like Jos is better for the cultivation of cabbage.

Cabbages take about 65 days from planting to reach maturity and harvest. The green colour cabbage is the most popular type of cabbage in Nigeria. Few farmers grow the red colour cabbage.

The Returns on Investment (ROI) on cabbage can be very high.

Broad Acre Crops (Maize, Soyabeans, Rice, Millet and Groundnut)

Crops like maize, soybeans, millet and groundnut are some of the 3 months crops in Nigeria. These crops can be grown and harvested within three months.

The profit or returns on maize, soyabeans, millet and groundnut is not as high as that of vegetable crops but the risk is significantly lower.

For broad acre crops, the ROI can be 30% to 60%.

For those selling the maize crop as fresh corns, they can get a higher profit than those selling as dry grains.

Steps to Take to grow 3 Months Crops in Nigeria

To grow three months crops grown in Nigeria, the following has to be done:

• Get a suitable farmland site
• Have irrigation systems in place (drip irrigation or rain gun)
• Grow more crops in the dry season
• Do soil and water analysis
• Implement good agricultural practices
• Weed Management
• Use quality inputs (fertilizers and pesticides)
• Avoid sub-standard and ridiculously cheap fertilizers and pesticides
• Know your market

Should you want to grow any of the 3 months crops in Nigeria and you need guidance or farm set-up services, kindly contact us through sales@veggieconcept.ng or 08025141924.

Read about some 6 months crops that can be grown in Nigeria.