Cucumber Farming; A Lucrative Area for Investment

Many Kenyans in urban areas appreciate meals with cucumber. This is a vegetable crop that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is a popular vegetable crop cultivated all around the world. Cucumbers can easily be grown in open fields, in containers or small buckets. As long as you keep them watered and picked, a typical cucumber plant will continue to produce fruit for a number of weeks. This plant has a climbing or trailing habit. The tender cucumber can be eaten raw or with salt in salad. It can also be used in daily cooking. Cucumber seeds can be used in oil extraction.

Cucumber is a vegetable that is widely consumed all over the world in different form due to the health benefits it possesses; in some quarters, cucumbers are referred to as super – food simply because of the overall health benefit one stands to gain when it is consumed. This makes it a very profitable vegetable to invest in due to availability of ready market, both locally and internationally.

Some of the health benefits of cucumber are; it is a good source of vitamins A, B1, B6, C and D, it is used to stimulate hair growth and it is also used for the treatment of skin irritation. Cucumber are also effective in the fight against cancer, they are also used in the treatment of diabetes. They can be used to cure bad breath and to rehydrate the body.

There are three commercial varieties that are available and they include the Japanese long green, Poinsettee and the straight eight type. The cucumber crop requires a moderate warm temperature and grows best at a temperature between 20c and 24c.  It is not suitable for adverse weather conditions.

Cucumber can be grown in wide varieties of soils from sandy loams to clay soil with good drainage. Make sure the soil contains organic matter by adding organic compost or any farm yard manure for higher yields. Soil PH should be between 5.5 and 6.7 is favorable for optimum growth.

Harvesting can be done between 40 to 45 days after sowing. On an average 8 to 10 harvests can be done in one year. Timely picking of cucumber is more important for better quality for fruit and can yield 8-10 tonnes per hectare.

One has the option to either sell the vegetable in wholesale or retail them in a fruit / vegetable market around them. One can as well be a major supplier to companies who are into the processing of cucumbers. Just ensure that your cucumbers are big, green and attractive and you will struggle less to attract customers.

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