The best time to plant cucumber in Nigeria is the dry season months of October – February; however, care should be taken because of the incidences of insects and flies during this time.
Planting cucumber in the dry season is advantageous because of the lesser incidences of fungal diseases like downy mildew. Downy mildew can reduce the yield of cucumber to near zero. It should be noted that irrigation must be in place before planting cucumber in the dry season.
The best time to plant cucumber in Nigeria should be based on factors like temperature, level of rainfall, the availability of irrigation, pests and diseases and availability of labour etc.
The best time to plant cucumber across the climatic zones of Nigeria
The best time to plant cucumber across the climatic zones of Nigeria is discussed below:
Mangrove Swamp Forest Zone
The best time to plant cucumber in the swampy forest zone like Rivers and Cross Rivers State is early November to early March. These months have low rainfall in the mangrove swamp forest zone.
Rain Forest Zone
The best time to plant cucumber in the rain forest zone like Osun and Ogun is late October to early March. This is due to the lesser incidences of fungal diseases in these months.
Guinean Savannah Zone
The best time to grow cucumber in the Guinean savannah zone like Nasarawa and Abuja is late October to early March. This is due to the lesser incidences of fungal diseases in these months.
Sudan Savannah Zone
The best time to plant cucumber in the Sudan savannah zone like Niger State and Northern part of Kogi is late October to early March. This is due to the lesser incidences of fungal diseases in these months.
Sahel Savannah Zone
The best time to plant cucumber in the Sahel savannah zone like Yobe state and Borno state is late October to early March. This is due to the lesser incidences of fungal diseases in these months.
Factors that can affect the time to plant cucumber in Nigeria
The following factors can affect the time to plant cucumber in Nigeria:
The availability of water
Cucumber farmers using irrigation facilities can plant cucumber in Nigeria anytime. However, it is better to plant in the dry season because of the lesser incidences of fungal diseases.
The availability of water can determine when to plant cucumber in Nigeria.
Intensity of pests and diseases
Cucumber farmers are usually advised to avoid the rainy season months of June and July because of the high incidences of fungal diseases like downy mildew. Downy mildew is a dangerous fungal infection that can reduce the yield of cucumber to near zero or even zero.
The dry season months also have its own share of diseases and pests as insects and viral diseases are common in the dry season. However, they can be easily managed unlike fungal diseases.
Availability of labour
The availability of labour can impact the time to grow cucumber. At a particular time of the year, the availability of labour can be very high while at some other time, labour can be scarce.
Should you wish to know the best time to plant cucumber in Nigeria, kindly contact us through sales@veggieconcept.ng.