Smart farms

: 07 July 2020; Hits: 15219

Ngong farmer discovers asparagus, vows not to plant anything else

By Brian Moseti

A chance encounter with Asparagus introduced David Nahashon to a crop that has changed the fortunes of his farm in Matasia Village of Ngong District in Kajiado County.

Nahashon, like most Kenyans, had cultivated maize, beans and common vegetables like collard greens and spinach for decades, yet most of his ventures ended up being just for sustenance. That was until he saw asparagus retailing at Sh1000 per kilogram in a local supermarket.

"Until that supermarket trip, I had not heard about asparagus. but on further research, I discovered that it grows well in Kenya and that there is a ready market for it," said Nahashon.

To learn more about the crop's cultivation, Nahashon travelled to Gilgil in Nakuru County, where a friend hosted him as he studied the activities of farmers in the area, who had discovered the crop earlier and were supplying local tourist hotels.

Starting out, however, was challenging for him owing to the high cost of asparagus seeds, which averages Sh25,000 per kilogram.

"Nobody was selling seedlings, so I had no option but to buy the seeds and start my own nursery, from which I was able to raise my first crop," said Nahashon.

Related News: Fact sheet: Seed suppliers in Kenya

Although he remains coy over his earnings from the crop, which now covers an eighth of an acre, Nahashon must be making a tidy sum given that one acre yields 2 - 8 tons of sellable asparagus per year. An acre of land can accommodate around 12,000 - 14,000 asparagus tips at a plant spacing of 12 inches and a row spacing of 5 - 6 feet. Farm gate prices range from Sh700 to Sh800 per kilogram for bulk buyers, while retail prices can go as high as Sh1,250 per kilogram.

Asparagus is a popular soup ingredient in Europe and India and it is one of the most expensive vegetables in the world. The cost is kept high, in part, by the fact that the part of the plant that is consumed is the green shoot (spear), which is only on the plant for a brief time.

Additionally, there is a long waiting period between transplanting and the first harvest - it is advisable not to harvest asparagus until the third year to let the crop develop deep and strong roots. However, most farmers harvest for about three weeks in the second year.

Asparagus grows well in sub-temperate and subtropical agro-climatic regions with an elevation of 1000m above sea level. It prefers areas with a day-time temperature of 24°C - 29°C and night-time temperature of 16°C - 21°C.

The crop prefers sunny conditions and a loose, well-drained soil. It will, however, tolerate heavier clay soils with good internal drainage that sit at least four feet above the water table to avoid interference with the plant’s extensive and deep root system.

Asparagus does not require a lot of water once it has become established, and it tolerates water that is moderately saline. The ideal pH range for asparagus is between 6.7 and 7.5. It does not tolerate acid soils and will not grow well at a pH of less than 6.0.

Seeds should be sowed in 4-inch peat pots using a rich, loamy soil mix. Seedlings are ready for transplanting within three months of sowing.

To buy asparagus seeds and seedlings reach out to: Plantmart seedlings: 0792764947 and Urban Garden Kenya: 0716 598833.

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Thursday, 22 October 2020 [quote=David Inyoung]Hey Brian, I live in matasia, how can I get the contacts of...

Wednesday, 21 October 2020 Hey Brian, I live in matasia, how can I get the contacts of Nahashon to do a far...

: 01 July 2020; Hits: 9994

Farmer’s friend: getting top yields for cabbage

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By George Munene

Cabbages have long been a favourite among farmers due to their relatively low cost of production and rapid maturation, at just three months.

However, with food supply chains now far more local as a result of the COVID-19 travel restrictions, prices are varying sharply between regions, seeing farmers venture into crops that were previously coming from other regions.

For those seeking to begin in cabbages, or just to raise their yields, we take a deep dive into the ideal farming methods, from nursery to farm:

Nursery

Cabbage seedling should stay here 4-5 weeks. With 4 weeks being the sweet spot you want to carry out transplanting.

⦁ Sift the soil you'll use--ensure it has no lumps, pebbles or sticks as they obstruct seedling growth.

⦁ Mix this soil in with manure,the manure must be more than the soil.

⦁ Sunbake this mixture to kill off pests or drench it using pesticides

⦁ Mix in sand into the seedlings as you sow, cabbage seedlings are very small and this makes it possible to pick them out.

⦁ Plant the seedling at a maximum 5 millimeter depth.The soils used must again be very light to allow the roots easily go under.

⦁ Shade your seedlings to avoid excessive direct sunlight and waterThe shade also avoids your seedlings breaking if they are directly rained on

⦁ Water twice a week, less if the season is colder.Use a perforated hand held can--it empties put rather pouring avoiding the force of water from a pipe or sprinkler that can injure the still young stems and leaves

⦁ As weeds emerge, root them out manuallyThis should be done regularly and while they are still nascent to avoid uprooting them with the seedlings

⦁ Spray your nursery bed weekly for pests or whenever you inspect for and find pests⦁ Apply foliar feed to the sellings twice over their 4 week stay in the nursery

Transplanting

Seedlings should be transferred in the evening when the sun is less biting to enable them best absorb the transplanting shock and remain supple.

⦁ Only remove the seedling number you'll be able to entirely transplant for the day

⦁ Ensure they are adequately watered before transplanting

⦁ Have the nursery near as is possible to the land you'll be transferring them to

⦁ Carry the seedling in bits, ensuring you scoop them out in lumps, do not pluck them out

In the Shamba

⦁ The area you are transplanting your cabbages to should have been well weeded out

⦁ For large variety cabbages such as the Queen and Michelle F1 you'll need about 60 cm distance between holes. Smaller cabbages such as Gloria F1 need just 45cm between themAdequate spacing allows for proper canopy formation and gives the farmer space needed to tend to their crop

⦁ The holes dug for transplanting should be allowed to 'warm up' for a few days to rid them of pests and allow for air permeation

⦁ Use old and dried manure--this will have killed off pest such nematodes, grasshoppers and wormsYou can drench it out to be sure that pests that are vectors for disease are killed off. You will need to leave drenched manure for 3-4 days to avoid injuring the transplanting seedlings2 handfuls of manure will be adequate and help keep fertiliser use at a minimum

⦁ Use a soda bottle top/ teaspoon of fertiliser for every hole

⦁ Water generously before introducing translated seedlings to introduce seedling to an environment as similar to the one they were used to in the nursery

⦁ You can use a root stimulant 4-5 after sowing--they contain hormones that encourage the young roots to feed

⦁ 10-14 days spray your crop with foliar feed--repeat this at least every fortnight

⦁ Poke the soil around the cabbage--if the stick comes out muddy, do not water. Watering is preferable in the evening at about 5-5:30 when the soil is very hot or very early in the morning.Water at the base and don't flood the crop; waterlogging injures the stock, shocks the roots and hinders them from taking up nutrients.It is preferable the water be adequate but not too much.

Check that the water sinks when watered--this shows that the area around the crop is permeable and well aerated.

If under drip irrigation, water for 45 minutes.

*Very cold water sprayed directly onto leaves causes cold burns. To avoid this use a drip system or water directly onto the base of the crop.

1 Month

⦁ First top dressing with CAN fertiliser (bottletop) as you weed

⦁ Continue with the every two week foliar+pesticide mix spraying

⦁ Troop to the shamba to find out if whether they're any damages to crops or pests affecting your crop

2 Month

⦁ 2nd CAN and last dressing and weeding

⦁ Spray your last foliar feedExcessive foliar causes the leaves to be extremely large and won't properly fold back into the cabbage.

⦁ Even more water is needed at this stage as cabbage leaves begin folding

⦁ Scout your crop, lifting the still succulent leaves gently to avoid breakage. As the cabbages begin to fold in,ensure they're no pests on the leaf surface as they'll be harboured within the cabbage, making it impossible to reach even with pesticides.

⦁ Look out for any worms,caterpillars and sprayThe second to third months are the watching period as you wait for the cabbage to fully mature and reach out to prospective buyers.

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: 01 July 2020; Hits: 13775

Innovator: farmer fills cement bags to create a mountain of food

By Jolene Njambi

A young farmer from the peri-urban Thika Central Valley is using more than 600 vertical bags to boost his food production six fold, fully maximizing the output from his limited space, while also halving his usage of irrigation water.

Five years ago, Kevin Kariithi from Thika Central Valley, was looking for a hobby after completing college when his mother, who is passionate about farming, suggested he try vertical farming.

Inspired by their neighbour, he and his mother began the vertical farming as a kitchen garden project, with just 30 cement bags. Today, their project has become an expansive vertical garden of 673 bags.

“We liked the idea of starting our own garden. We wanted a steady supply of organic fresh produce straight from the garden and to reduce on costs we incurred from buying vegetables for our daily consumption. However, the lack of availability of adequate space presented a challenge. On seeing our neighbour successfully grow crops in cement bags, we decided to seek his counsel,” said Kariithi.

They soon learned that vertical farming is not only affordable and easily sustainable, it comes accompanied with other benefits such as efficient water use, prevention of the spread of diseases among crops, easier crop rotation, and better nutrient uptake by the crops as there is less competition for nutrients as the crops are grown individually.

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It was a journey that began with them collecting 30 cement bags and buying 30 heads of sukuma wiki and spinach seedlings. They then dug up soil amounting to one wheelbarrow from a section of their plot, mixed it with chicken manure in the ratio of 1:1, adding a bucket of lime. They cut the cement bags in half, inserted inside the soil mixture and planted their seedlings.

What resulted was around 100 bags of produce within the first six months. This encouraged them to expand their vision and make further attempts at planting other crop varieties. Now, their 100 by 50 plot holds up to 673 bags of crops, across 73 bags of strawberries, 100 bags of pepinos, mulberries, oranges and mangoes and 500 bags of Sukuma, spinach and other indigenous vegetables arranged in rows for efficient use of space.

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Kevin explains that his use of cement bags as opposed to large vertical bags made all the difference.

“The use of large vertical bags has a tendency of making the soil inside get compact thereby preventing water from reaching the bottom, all the way to roots. But with cement bags, crops are able to get maximum water absorption.”

Each bag holds at least three plants. One litre of water is used per bag and the crops are watered every three days. Strawberries, however, are a bit more demanding requiring to be watered every two days with a minimum of two litres of water.Through mulching, they have been able to conserve water, limiting the number of times they irrigate to a maximum of three times per week. This is because the soil is able to maintain moisture for a much longer period.

Currently, they use 1.5 kg of CAN fertilizer and 1 kg of DAP for the bags containing spinach, sukuma wiki and other indigenous vegetables. For the strawberries, they apply a foliar fertilizer at a rate of 10 ml per 10 litres.

Kevin admits that despite the benefits vertical farming has brought into their lives, they have had to overcome a few challenges along the way.

“One challenge of using cement bags is that they must be replaced annually as they easily get worn out by sunlight, which can be costly. However, this is not much of an issue for us as we live in an area where there are numerous ongoing construction activities that supply us with cement bags in bulk.”

“Turning cement bags every three weeks to ensure maximum sunlight utilization can at times prove tasking, but it only takes determination and consistency.” He adds.

Now, having experienced success in this venture, they look forward to making strides toward commercializing their produce.

“We have goals of further expanding our farm and leasing it to interested parties in the near future. We also hope to train people in other areas on how to venture into this method of farming as we have seen the promising results it brings and would be delighted to see other people experience the same.” He says.

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