Cabbages can make money if you do the right thing
By Micheal Kabenge Mugalaasi
Farmers often make losses due to mistakes they make albeit ignorantly. Below are mistakes vegetable farmers should avoid to enjoy 2023 and make more money.
Poor Soil Management
Any Successful farmer will testify to the fact that good soil guarantees a healthy beginning from planting to harvest. Therefore, it is important farmers understand that farming in poor Soil is a recipe for failure and an invite to a number of complications.
Many vegetables especially Cabbage, Capsicum, Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and the exotic types are heavy feeders and will require plenty of manure in order to grow as expected. As such, it is very important to carry out soil tests before planting anything.
Purchasing Poor Quality Seeds
Another top mistake new farmers make in vegetables farming is planting poor quality seeds. The truth is that poor seeds may not grow well or grow at all, some will become stunted if they manage to germinate.
While others may not produce healthy produce at all, some produce scanty fruits.
Planting of traditional seeds are gradually fading away and improved seeds are coming up. It is advisable that farmers should generally go for hybrid seeds. This is because they give good yield.
Poor Water Management
Just as you need water to survive, plants also need to water in order to grow healthy. If you are inconsistent or are improperly watering your crop in a manner which may lead to crops not receiving enough water, your crop health will decrease or die.
Therefore irrigation is very important for vegetable farming especially during dry season. Vegetables are more healthy, fresher during dry season if well irrigated. That is why dry season vegetable farming is the best in terms of commercial purposes.
Farmers that engage in farming this season make five times the profit compared to raining season. It should be noted that vegetables can be irrigated during the rainy season if there is shortage in rainfall or drought.
Keep in mind that vegetables need just the right amount of watering, over watering may lead to fruits cracking or leaves dying. Make sure you make a path way for water to flow out after heavy rain or irrigation.
Planting too much is not right
Some farmers in a bid to manage space cluster crop in the farm yet there should be enough space for plants to breath and receive sunlight.
Planting too much seeds/seedlings in vegetable farming is a big mistake. Avoid it at all costs.
Give your plants enough space to breath while you also use the most of the space you have available.
Lack of maintenance Culture and poor pest management
Weeds and alien plants compete with crops for space, water and soil nutrients. Failure to tackle such issues in the early days will lead to the weeds overgrowing and eventually covering your crops.
It’s understandable that most new vegetable farmers don’t know the actual time to weed the farm.
Another bad mistake in vegetable farming is poor pest or insect management. This is where you need an agronomist’s advice.
Ignoring challenges
Let’s assume that the leaves are becoming yellowish, you should be worried because it may be as a result of many things such as lack of a particular nutrient or too much of water intake.
Not staking as a common mistake in vegetables farming
Some vegetable plants such as cucumber, pepper, tomatoes require staking for proper fruiting. You may not produce plenty produce if they are not staked.
Not harvesting on time
Vegetable crops should be harvested on time, vegetables are harvested at different times depending on the crop. Harvesting cucumber starts from week 6, water melon 75 days and if delayed, the fruits will rot.
Conclusion
We are not perfect and as a result we make mistakes, but what sets us apart from other farmers is that we learn from those mistakes.
The author is a Veterinary Officer and an Agronomist. He can be reached via; 0757903213
thanks for the knowledge