bring to you another interesting crop that can give you financial freedom and food security in no time.
My aim is to help you discover the hidden treasures in engaging in simple farming with the ultimate desire to get you to participate in redirecting our economy to one based on agriculture. If you are ready, read on.
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Cucumber is a global fruit with creeping vines that spread in all directions.
This wonderful fruit is the fourth top vegetable crop that is cultivated and consumed on a global scale.
Cucumber is a creeping herbaceous vine, which bears cylindrical green fruits used as culinary vegetables.
Originally from South Asia, it has since been developed into a number of cultivars cultivated worldwide. Its vines spread in all directions.
The fruit is 95 per cent water and so, re-hydrates the body while at the same time helping it to remove toxins in the system.
It is rich in essential vitamins and mineral salts such as Vitamins A, B, C, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
It is one of the four world healthiest foods such that it is sometimes called super food because of its health and medicinal properties.
Cucumber has been found to be rich in Vitamin A, B, C,D, K and other essential minerals necessary for body building and protection.

Medicinal Values
Cucumber is found to be efficacious in the prevention and treatment of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, treatment for body irritation and body dehydration.
It protects bones, prevents constipation, and reduces bad breath and mouth odour. It also protects skin from wrinkles and ageing fast, relieves pain, and many other ailments.
Varieties
Basically, there are two types of commercial cucumbers – slicing cucumbers meant for fresh consumption and pickling cucumbers for processing into pickles.

The difference is that slicing cucumbers have thicker skins and are larger while pickling cumbers have thinner skins and are smaller.
The slicing cucumber is long, dark green and smooth-skinned.
It is sweet and is about 95 per cent water. However, other types of cucumber have assorted colours, sizes, shapes and textures. You will do well if you conduct research to find out the species that is prevalent in your sphere of market and look for the seeds.

Business Plan
The need to write a business plan cannot be over-emphasised in modern agribusiness. The plan would serve as a road-map for the running of the farm.
This gives you a clear picture about how you are to run the farm, where to sell and profitability of the farm. Such a written plan would also stand you in a better stead to obtain loans from banks if need be.

Land Acquisition
The first step in getting started in cucumber farming is to look for land that is well-exposed to sunshine and a fertile humid soil.
Ensure that there is availability of water supply by digging a well in the farm or locating the farm along riverbanks.
This is because availability of water is very critical to successful farming.

Planting
Having acquired a suitable land, the next step is to clear the land and burn the grass. Then till the land using a tractor or manually if you cannot afford it or if the size of the land does not permit it. Select appropriate seed. Note that there are types.

There are foreign, open or closed seeds, hybrid or general seeds.
Some seeds produce more than the others do. Study them and pick the type you want. You can seek advice from consultants. Dig holes of about 2.5 cm deep to plant the seed giving a space of about 40cm in between one seed and the other so that the vines would have ample space to spread and to avoid overcrowding.
Thereafter you mount stakes where you guide the vines when they develop. Apply organic manure for quality yield but where not available, apply appropriate fertilizer as at and when due. Cucumber can be cultivated throughout the year as long as there is availability of water.

Irrigation
There is need for frequent irrigation of the plants. The water enables them to bear sweet fruits. Without enough water, the fruits would be bitter. That is why availability of water is very critical to producing sweet cucumbers. With constant irrigation the plants would continue to produce instead of withering after the first fruits.
I reiterate that water is very critical to the success of cucumber farming.

Pests and Diseases
Use the right herbicides whenever pests’ diseases attack your farm. This is to ensure that the farm gives you optimal yield, fresh and succulent.

Harvesting
Unlike other crops, cucumber fruits are harvested before they mature so that the greenness and freshness are not lost.
The fruits mature in about 40 to 60 days of planting. After harvesting, they should be transported to areas of sales in airy vans to avoid suffocating them especially for those to be transported for a very long distance.

Marketing of cucumber is very easy because of the high demand for the fruit. It has a general appeal. This is essentially because of the health values of the fruit as mentioned earlier.
Apart from the local fruit markets, one can make arrangements to supply to hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, groceries, schools, hospitals, offices; in short, wherever there are people.

They need cucumber. Therefore, you have ready market for it. You unique selling point (USP) should be to supply very fresh fruits. This is to beat competition from the one got from the market that is almost pale and overripe. Before you harvest, inform your prospective customers for them to place orders. In this way, you will sell all your produce without hassles. If you do it very well, companies processing cucumbers would be knocking at you doors.
Profitability.

Cucumber farming is an agribusiness opportunity that has not been fully exploited in the country and anyone who, ventures into it would reap bountifully. One beautiful thing about cucumber is that it is very cheap yet highly profitable.
It is a simple business that anyone interested in it can do without previous experience. Those who have tried it are telling good stories. Perhaps, it is your turn.......for more info you can contact abro perishables and vegetables fruit of nigeria on 09033053043 or join our whatsapp group https:///LXK092QGXEvBkFAJe4wnUT