Cucumber is a vegetable crop that is commonly grown worldwide. In Nigeria, it is widely grown by farmers. It is also known as a high yielding crop.
Cucumber farming is profitable if you get a good yield from it. There are tactics that can be used to increase the yield of cucumbers; the strategies are discussed as follows:
Training
To get a good yield from your cucumber farm, you need to get trained on how to use precision agriculture strategies. Never rely on how cucumbers are cultivated by the average farmer in Nigeria. Training is very important in vegetables farming. It can make you get a good yield and super normal profit.
Financing
Money is vital in all businesses. Cutting corners in order to avoid some expenses may spell doom for you as a cucumber farmer. You need to sort out your finances before venturing to engage in cucumber farming. I have seen a lot of cucumber farmers who had low yields because they did not plan their finances well before they embarked on cucumber cultivation.
Farmland
Getting a soil that is rich in nutrients will reduce your cost on fertilisers. Also, if your farmland is near a motorable road, you can reduce the cost of getting your cucumber fruits to market.
Soil and Water Analysis
The golden rule of farming is that you must conduct a soil test before embarking on any activity on your farmland. Soil test will show you the nutrient and microbial profile of your soil. It will guide you on the type of fertilisers to use for your farmland.
Skilled employees
If you cannot manage and run your cucumber farm yourself, you should get experienced and skilled farm hands. Most farm hands in Nigeria are from the Republic of Benin and Togo. Young people in Nigeria do not like farming work, you should be extremely careful when engaging Nigerians as farm hands.
Preparation of your soil
Your soil should be well prepared before you embark on cucumber farming. Ploughing, harrowing and ridging should be done on your farmland before you plant your cucumber seeds.
Use drip irrigation
Drip irrigation can ensure that your cucumber plants have access to water all year round. It is also water and labour efficient. With drip irrigation, you can fertilise your cucumber plants easily and it can also boost your farm yield by 30 -200%.
Fertilisers, pesticides and other inputs
As a cucumber farmer, you should buy the right quantity of fertilisers, pesticides and other inputs needed in order for you to get a good yield.
Crop Management
Crop management is very important in cucumber farming. A cucumber farmer should walk around his farm daily and scout for pests and diseases. The conditions of all plants should be carefully checked every day.
Harvesting
Failure to harvest your cucumber fruits on time can lead to a reduced yield. Leaving big cucumber fruits on your cucumber plants can prevent new fruits from emerging. It can also cause flower and fruit abortion.
Cucumber farming in Nigeria is unarguably one of the most profitable farming activities around.