Despite the unpredictable weather patterns in the arid, Ichagaki Maragua constituency, a group of farmers are thriving in horticulture farming.
The farmers have craftily introduced the growing of French beans, cucumbers, kales and other traditional vegetables to their subsistence farming of beans and maize to not only supplement their incomes but also contribute to the country’s food basket.
By using canal like methods the residents have leveraged the presence of a water resource, river Githambara to water their farms and grow vegetables in all seasons.
The farms are sub divided into portions and KNA caught up two of the farmers tending to their cucumbers (Cucumis sativus).
The study aimed to determine the necessary steps for growing an antioxidant-rich vegetable in well-drained soils with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5.
“Cucumber is fast growing vegetable as it takes only 45 days to mature and I have grown it for more than three years now relying on it for my family’s daily needs” says Mercy Muthoni, as she waters the plants in her half acre piece of land
After tiling of the land, planting holes are dug at 2cm deep while observing a spacing of 90cm by 100cm to give the plant enough room for propagation.
At planting, we mix the soil with manure and DAP fertilizer and directly plant 2 or 3 seeds as we avoid raising the seeds in a seed bed first because it will cause disturbances to the roots during transplanting into the main field.
Moreover, Muthoni grows the Carmen F1 variety which is harvested at 6 to 8 inches and a farmer can harvest up to 8 times before uprooting the entire crop.
“50 gms seed sachet cost at Sh .450 at the local agro vet and the same when well tendered to will produce up to 500 Kilos of the cucumber” she says. Hence, they sell a kilo at Sh. 20 even though the price can go up to Sh.50 when the demand is high.
Martin Irungu notes that for optimum harvest and considerable return on investment a farmer must be able to control weeds and pests whereby hand weeding and use of mulches and cover crops is used to manage weeds.
“Aphids, cucumber beetles, white flies and thrips are the most common pests that affect the cucumber plant and thus constant application of pesticides is required” he says adding that, “Managing pests is the most expensive part of this farming because the cost of pesticide is high”
Another challenge that the farmers have to grapple with is lack of a clear cut marketing strategy for their produce as the vegetable is not popular in the county and its surrounding areas and is sold to consumers in Thika, Nairobi and beyond.
“Our only avenue for market is through the middle men who in return exploit us, but we have no choice since we cannot access the far off markets on our own” observes Irungu Meanwhile, they intercrop cucumbers with French beans, beans and fast growing maize crops.
The cucumber which is mostly eaten in its raw form is low in calories and is known to contain numerous health benefits like promoting weight loss, keeping the body hydrated and improving intestinal functions.
Cucumis sativus also improves blood pressure and is recommended for the management of atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertension.
Lastly, after harvesting, the leaves are fed to animals which the farmers say significantly boosts milk production.
By Florence Kinyua
