Vegetables are the most consumed food in the globe. Their importance cannot be over emphasized. To live a normal and healthy life, you have to incorporate vegetable into your meal plans. In this article, you will learn how to start vegetable farming business, things needed, how to plant, water, apply manure and harvesting etc. Vegetables and fruits are the main alkaline diets that the body needs in other to stay healthy, strong and live a fulfilled life. It has gotten to a stage where everyone should be a farmer directly or indirectly. Is of no importance to misuse a land while food is a major challenge to many. Vegetable farming is one of those farming that bring return within a month after planting. It doesn’t entail huge space but if you have a huge area, there is no mistake in using it for vegetable farming. Anybody can start this business, it doesn’t require special qualification.

The sense in it is to plant that which people mostly purchase. You know that they are perishable crops, so put your money where you can gain more. Avoid vegetables that only few people are buying you can add it to other market moving vegetables. Dry season farming is very profitable. If you are contemplating going into the business, start it during the dry season as we now have hybrid vegetable seeds that can defy any condition, produce bountiful harvest within the shortest time.

HOW TO START VEGETABLE FARMING

It is very easy to start vegetable farming. The main thing is to compose vegetable farming strategy. Acquire a piece of land you can buy, rent for planting since vegetable is not economic tree that will decay before it depreciate. You can use containers or sack bags for vegetable growing. Also the recommended fertilizer application is organic manure; purchase good seeds for planting and get your equipment’s.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR VEGETABLE FARMING

Machete
Spade
Hoe
Watering can
Hose
Bowls
Knife
Sacks
Manure
Pesticides
Well or bore hole
LAND REQUIREMENT

The land should be close to you because vegetables require adequate attention. The ideal type of soil for vegetable farming is sandy soil. You can add manure to the soil if it is not rich enough before planting

LAND PREPARATION

Clear the land and remove stump, clogs and stones. Make beds or ridges spread animal dungs on the beds two weeks before planting you can treat the soil to prevent pests and disease attacks on the vegetables

PLANTING

Vegetables can be planted either through stem or seeds like in pumpkin leaf, you plant them through seeds while water leaf is planted through stem. You can plant directly into the soil or transplant but it is not every vegetable that favours transplanting. Planting vegetables from seeds takes between 2-5 days before germination depending on the type you are planting.

FERTILIZER APPLICATION

The best ways to grow vegetable is by the use of organic manures such as compost, dung, pelleted woods such as those gotten from carpenters etc. The best manure to use is nitrogen. It can be more of nitrogen for leafy vegetables that produces seeds but you will have to stop using manure with nitrogen when they start bringing out flowers this is because nitrogen will make them to produce foliage.

Add manure to every phase in the growth of any vegetable plants. After the first manure which was added after land preparation and before planting, add again while flowering, fruiting, and rooting. Importantly add manure after every harvest.

IRRIGATION IN VEGETABLE FARMING BUSINESS

If you don’t have means of irrigating the farm, don’t bother starting but it is okay to do so during rainy season. Vegetables love water, their soil should constantly be moistened. Irrigate every morning and evening especially during dry season or when there is shortage of water. During raining season you may not need to water them because vegetables doesn’t accepts excess water for it will kill the stem from ground level. Drip irrigation is the best for vegetable farming.

MULCHING

Mulching will help to retain moisture in the soil and prevent direct heat from the sun hitting the vegetable scourge. You can mulch them with green leaves or mulching bags

PESTS AND DISEASE IN VEGETABLE FARMING

The pest that disturbs vegetables are hoppers, they like chewing the leaves, creating holes in them. Once a whole has been created in any leaf, the economic value of such leaf is reduced. Leaf spot is diseases that affect the leaves of vegetables, it also reduces their values. Plant hybrid seeds, observe crop rotation for crops like pepper okra and egg plant

HARVEST

Harvest is done when the leaves are fully grown, fruit, seedlings or pod has developed

USES OF VEGETABLES

Vegetables are used for garnishing food
Food preparation
Medicine
Juice
Treatment
Salad making
Snacks mixture etc.
In conclusion, vegetable farming is all season farming it will put money in your pocket all year round. Harvesting the crops is within the shortest time this means that you can plant some veggies more than 3 times a year e.g. cucumber you can combine more vegetables in the same farm land and make additional income for instance you can plant water leaf, pumpkin, bitter leaf in the same plot of land. The sum used in starting vegetable business is little but the profit is massive.

Source: https://dosumtin.com/how-to-start-vegetable-farming-business/