₦airaland Forum

Cukes at 25 days... applied this earlier(last week) and seeing the benefits already.

I'll advise anyone growing cucumbers to buy a pesticide (organic or synthetic) even before you buy the seed. lol. I went to the farm and was wowed by how fast these pests can reproduce. It's barely 2 weeks since my last application and I found so many red pumpkin beetle and epilachna beetle on my plants.Thankfully I had an effective solution to them.After spraying I couldn't find any even this morning no sign of them. Also helped some of the plants to climb the trellis

Mercie123:
So I was able to get the Murano 2F1 @#8,000/50g here in Lagos.

I got the following prices for other varieties:

Cucumber Marketer @ #500/10g
Cucumber Marketer @#6,500/500g
Cucumber Poinset @#6,500/500g
Cucumber Tokyo F1 @#7,500/50g

Sorry I couldn't get the pictures 'cos a courier guy actually picked up mine for me.

okay! Thanks

greetings:
Thank you for responding. I was watering it and all,its just a little planting in my lawn in place of flowers. Just experimenting. So am Guessing the peppers are done with their cycle....I'll uproot them and try something different.

Still one question unanswered where do you get quality soil.?

Any loamy soil will do... You can also do some soil amendment by adding organic manure to the soil and mixing it properly.

Mercie123:
Vicky already started cucumber farming. I'm starting mine pretty soon, getting my Murano 2 F1 seeds tomorrow by God's grace, you guys have really inspired us. @vanpeele @pavore9 @organicfoods @jethro7

Great! please do take some pictures of some other vegetables' seeds when u go to buy and get some prices. I'm interested in adding some variations to my farm. Thanks

ishaqteejay:
do you want to start sack farming?

Already started sha.. just looking to add some more plants that are in demand here. Thanks for the quick response. Don't you mean 5grams. 5kg is quiet a lot.

ishaqteejay:
Had my harvest with 3 and half bag from 150 sacks.forgot to take picture. Take a look at my cabbage.

wow.... I was considering having some cabbage and tomato inter cropped on some of my newly cleared space.How much did you get the seeds of both cabbage and tomato respectively. I haven't seen any down here.

greetings:
Vanpeele, love love! You're doing good.

My first question is where do I get soil for the sacks... I mean how do I recognise the soil I need and where can I get it? Planted tomatoes during harmattan but they all died in February when it was supposed to start fruiting.... making me suspect the soil. Meanwhile, the peppers I planted at the same time are fruiting now and I have been harvesting them for home use, but I just noticed they look frail and no more fruiting. ..leaves are turning yellow and falling off. What could be the cause and how do I treat it?
The seeds were manufactured from my kitchen ,could that be the cause?

I guess you weren't irrigating your tomatoes that's why they dried up.. Remember we had extended period of harmatan into late February. It probably wasn't the soil as pepper and tomato requires the same type of soil and nutrients.Since you planted in harmatan which I'm guessing is November or December the pepper should be over 6 months by now. pepper like every other vegetable die of at some point so don't expect them to yield on and on. There is a method called successive planting. you plant new crop which will replace the once dieing off so you have ready to harvest vegetables and fruits all year round. Make a new nursery and start over you could try growing a few other plants which you fancy along with your pepper and tomatoes.The seeds being from your kitchen shouldn't play much part in the plant's general health as tomato and pepper are selfpollinating and I don't thing they can have notable hybrid vigour compared to most cross pollinating vegetables so I would not be buying from a seed dealer #HappyFarming

omisakint:
Thanks for the suggestion sir. What feed will you suggest that will likely yield the best productivity...

Coppens and Multi feed are good. You can combine any of them with locally formulated feed to reduce the cost of production.

omisakint:
I finally got a pond yesterday.... ...


Cleaning stats today. Plan to stock latest Monday next week. .... Can you recommend the best feed for them?? I don't mind the cost. Thanks

You should mind the cost. That determines the profitability of your business. You only feed pets without minding cost. This is business. #My10CentAdvice

Mercie123:
You really don't have the slightest idea how much God is gonna bless you for not holding back on this. I'm grateful Vicky. Yes, no structures on the land, just the high fence and well fitted gate.(I'm happy my mum forced me to do all that back in 2013)Now, I'm gonna start hunting for cement bags, it may cost me a little as anything 'sell-able' is sold here in Lagos...lol. We are waiting to celebrate your harvest bro.

Glad I could be of help. Cement back over here are sold at #30 per dozen.With a good bargain and visits to 3 or 4 block industries the required amount would be ready in a week if u pay them upfront to keep the bags for you.

Mercie123:
@vickychuk thanks for your answer but really I don't know how to calculate this in (ft). Can you just give me an idea of how many bags I could have on a plot.


Thanks

Most plot of land measures 50x100 ft so using my planting area as yard stick that should be 10 to 11 times of my space. So it should contain around 1700 to 1900sacks but making of central pathway for moving input and harvest and a little increasein the gaps between rows of sacks for convenience let's say1500 sacks per plot assuming there is no structure on site. #Cheers

vanpeele:
Kudos. You're almost there. I'm thinking your trellis should be higher. If your cukes reach full maturity... I no think say you go fit waka between those ridges. Anyways, we're watching you.

Noted! I'll make the next batch higher.

I did a little expansion on the farm last week hoping to plant more this week but very little sun to dry the grass.I also planted some corn for personal consumption but obviously some squirrels had other ideas.

Cucumbers at 20 days. First sighting of tendrils.

Mercie123:
Nice work @vickychuk Can you tell the land space your 170 sacks occupy. I'm just trying to calculate how many sacks I could have on a plot of land. God bless.

The space is 22x19(ft). You can increase the spacing between the row of bags to enable you move around with ease and for proper air movement around the plants. #HappyFarming

senato123:
It is sad dat my first comment after going through dis masterpiece is sorry Jasper.please ensure u rest well.i decree d healing power of d almighty to accelerate ur total recovery in d name of Jesus.

D devil is a liar,we shall together feed dis nation n deliver dis country from stagnation by d erudite power of agriculture. Cheers.

In 5yrs time, if u dnt knw anything abt farming as a youth in Nigeria den u are laid back.

In 10yrs time if dnt own a big farm n u are a reading agric section of nairaland now n u are a youth,u will regret n refer to dis thread.

In 15yrs time Nigeria,will start exporting food as main source of income.

In 20yrs time, united nation will name Nigeria as top 3 food nations of d world.

U ask me how do I knw all dis. For over 50yrs people have l blamed government but for d first time youths have taken agric to social media n knowledge is shared n result achieved instantly.

Very soon farmland will become farm tank. If u dnt save now to acquire ur own. U will read dis thread in d future n said I told u.

Before u spend d next kobo u have. Think agric.

King of food.

[b]

senato123:
It is sad dat my first comment after going through dis masterpiece is sorry Jasper.please ensure u rest well.i decree d healing power of d almighty to accelerate ur total recovery in d name of Jesus.

D devil is a liar,we shall together feed dis nation n deliver dis country from stagnation by d erudite power of agriculture. Cheers.

In 5yrs time, if u dnt knw anything abt farming as a youth in Nigeria den u are laid back.

In 10yrs time if dnt own a big farm n u are a reading agric section of nairaland now n u are a youth,u will regret n refer to dis thread.

In 15yrs time Nigeria,will start exporting food as main source of income.

In 20yrs time, united nation will name Nigeria as top 3 food nations of d world.

U ask me how do I knw all dis. For over 50yrs people have l blamed government but for d first time youths have taken agric to social media n knowledge is shared n result achieved instantly.

Very soon farmland will become farm tank. If u dnt save now to acquire ur own. U will read dis thread in d future n said I told u.

Before u spend d next kobo u have. Think agric.

King of food.

[/b]

senato123:
It is sad dat my first comment after going through dis masterpiece is sorry Jasper.please ensure u rest well.i decree d healing power of d almighty to accelerate ur total recovery in d name of Jesus.

D devil is a liar,we shall together feed dis nation n deliver dis country from stagnation by d erudite power of agriculture. Cheers.

In 5yrs time, if u dnt knw anything abt farming as a youth in Nigeria den u are laid back.

In 10yrs time if dnt own a big farm n u are a reading agric section of nairaland now n u are a youth,u will regret n refer to dis thread.

In 15yrs time Nigeria,will start exporting food as main source of income.

In 20yrs time, united nation will name Nigeria as top 3 food nations of d world.

U ask me how do I knw all dis. For over 50yrs people have l blamed government but for d first time youths have taken agric to social media n knowledge is shared n result achieved instantly.

Very soon farmland will become farm tank. If u dnt save now to acquire ur own. U will read dis thread in d future n said I told u.

Before u spend d next kobo u have. Think agric.

King of food.

These predictions are gradually taking place.

Nothing more annoying than being told to derive an already existing formula.... Engr offor quiz be like:
1 Derive the Carnot equation
2 Prove that the earth is on positive entropy.
3 without using steam table find the dew point temperature when a molecule of methane is combusted at 1800KPa.
and blah blah blah...
You have 10 minutes.
*5 mins into the quiz he shout submit your script *

oblo:
What might be your cost analysis for your setup so far?

What your expected profit over time?

If everyone had just a setup like this with other veggies as well.. especially tomatoes one can only imagine the independence.

So far...
Cost incured:Pics

Profit Projection:I planted 4 per sack and I have 170 sack. that is approximately 700 plants.
Profit margin varies depending on factors such as yield,size of the fruit,selling price etc. It could be low (assuming each plant yields 2 small fruit which takes 150 to fill a bag and you sell for 3k on average) or high(assuming they yield about 5 to 10 moderate sized fruit taking 100 or less to fill a bag and u still sell at the average price or higher.We are hoping for the best by the grace of the almighty.

I applied fertilizers last time on the farm and noticed few plants in sacks(3) were i added too much fertilizer withered as a result of burns so next application would be by next week(Lesson learned) These are pictures of the Cukes at 13 days by the way.

22 May :So I went to the farm to set up the trellis for the cucumber plants.I was able to do that but discovered I'd be needing more of the ropes.There has been sufficient amount of rain so I'm not going to be irrigating for some time. (Weather promises more rain).

kentochi:
I will soon start my own farm.

You are most welcome to join the growing team of young farmers.

vanpeele:
No wahala....when you've graduated (harvested), make it a duty to teach others. You can start with teachers in your community or state..they're very positive(most of them). You maybe shocked at the curiosity that follows.

Your phone fit no rest...

It has already begun o.My aunt teaches in a government owned primary school and they were allocated small portions to teach pupils practical agriculture. I helped her cut some cassava stem, we also planted some corn, pumpkin and I gave her and some of the other teachers some Cukes seed. Surprisingly none of them have ever seen a ready to plant cucumber seed and they were all like 'so this can really grow over here?' Funny thing is none of them planted cucumber on their own portion except my aunt. The elderly women bag the thing for their backyard gardens haha. Old peepz can be funny at times.

17th May... Cucumbers at 8 days.
Replanted to replace the ones that failed to germinate ,irrigated,applied fertilizer, sprayed pesticides to discourage insect attack and cut bamboo for the trellis.

Planting date-9th of May
Picture showing the filled sacks, Sowing of seeds (Planted 4 per sack). Light watering after sowing seeds.

More Pics-
Fertilizers

Pics of the requirements.

Applied Manure (Chicken droppings on the farm) and worked it into the soil while bagging the sand. Basically I just spread it across the planting space and left for 8 to 9 days to release gradually before bagging.
Note: The manure had been composted by the poultry owner for about 4 months (as she claimed).she had used some on her farm so that's why I believe her.(Not like I would have rejected them anyway)

Land preparation
*Weeding
*Raking of weed and garbage
*Sacks for planting

Some of the requirements of cucumber Farming:
* Good seed(Hybrid) is better for higher yield and quick
maturity.
* Fertilizer (optional for organic farmers)
* Manure (Well composted dung)
* Good irrigation
* Pesticides
* Trellis (very important if you want really nice looking fruits and higher yield).
* Sacks (optional but has numerous benefits)

I'm growing my Cukes in sacks because of space constraints . The sacks also help to keep nutrient within the reach of the plants (i.e they are not leached away during irrigation)

About Nature Farms :
The dream is to grow into an integrated farm (vegetables, fruits,livestock and possibly processed and ready to eat food) but to achieve that one has to start somewhere right?
So for now I'll be updating about the progress of my Cucumbers.
Feel free to comment , constructive criticism is allowed also.

Hi Nairalanders,

I know you all must have seen many threads(educative) on agric section. I'm not doing anything different either. Consider this as my little piece (giving back to society).Afterall I learnt virtually everything I know about agriculture on here and got inspiration to venture into agribusiness from most of the ops of other threads
robonski15, vanpeele
soft77,pavore9,world1,lesgupnigeria, ishaqteejay, jasper7 ,jethro2, Mercilicios, farmtech,Glory2God and many more too numerous to mention.

You all played a BIG part in the birth of Nature farm. So I hope I can be an inspiration to that Nigerian youth out there that thinks it's all doom and gloom for the future(based on say no employment),I dare to say it's not .Entrepreneural spirit coated with passion is all that you need on
this new CV and if your passion so happens to be agriculture as mine then you are in the right place my friend.

Note:I'm not an expert in the field just here to share my on the farm experience with you an hopefully kick that motivation and bring someone out of his/her comfort zone. Gracias