OUR RAISED GARDEN JOURNEY (SERIES)

Without much Ado, the above video is my young son/environmentalist  teaching you on how to plant corn/maize 🌽. In very simple steps without beating about the bush:

1. make sure your farm or garden is moist (maybe one -two days after a good rainfall or after a drizzle you can as well wet prior to planting and turn the soil)
2. make sure your corn/maize seeds are well dried (preferably seeds from last harvest or buy from those selling dried grains in the market)
3. get a little stick or rod and just press further into the soil from 2cm to a depth of 10cm depending on the height of your ridges and to prevent wash-off from rain before germination. leave a space of at least 20cm along the ridges to give room for the growth of the maize leaves.
4. in your hole drop two seeds and cover.
5. wait for germination 🌱🌱🌱🌽. 

Do not forget that your plants need enough sun and water for photosynthesis and growth. plants need enough care so you might need to weed along the growing stages of the plant so that the weeds won't take all the needed nutrients your plants needs.

Also, plants might need to get extra nutrients through the application of fertilizers but if you are an organic urban gardener like us, their are organic ways of feeding your plants with the needed fertilizers without the application of harsh chemicals. We will talk about the organic method as we move along our raised garden journey. Stay hook on our blog so you do not have to miss any of our gardening experience 😉. 

You might want to plant yours too even if its in a bucket or just around your flower beds, if you do, kindly share your experience with us as we can learn from each other. Enjoy.💚

HOW TO START UGWU FARMING (LUCRATIVE)

Ugu/Ugwu vegetable, also known as fluted pumpkin, a vine plant popular in Nigeria. It can be used to cook diverse delicacies. In fact, I can’t eat my rice without a vegetable sauce because of how delicious and nutritious it is.

HOW TO START A LUCRATIVE UGU FARMING BUSINESS

1. GET A LAND

This is definitely the first step and it’s advisable you have the land very close to your resident for easy monitoring. If you don’t have a land, you can easily get one for a few token. The size of the land is determined by how large or small you want to start first. Please make sure the land is very fertile before you settle. The best soil type for ugu farming is loamy soil. The softer the land, the better.

2. BEST PUMPKIN SEED

To plant your ugu (pumpkin), you need to first acquire the seed. You can buy from the market or buy directly from another farm. If you’re to seek my advice, I will recommend buying from another farm. Reason has been that you’ll judge the seed based on its products. By observing the farm of the seller, you can then know if to actually go for it or look somewhere else. It’s paramount you get a seed that has high yield, resistant to diseases and fast to mature.

3. PREPARE YOUR LAND

Land preparation is very important in ugu farming business. You’ll need to till the soil to ease up the soil and also, to help in the erosion of the soil. Also, add organic manure 2 weeks before planting.

Also, you’ll need to construct some structure in the form of planting a nearly dead wood. This helps the ugu vegetable to grow and coil around for sunlight. Not only that, it facilitates the production of pumpkin fruits too.

You can do the land preparation yourself or hire someone who can.

4. PLANTING OF YOUR UGU

The ideal time to plant is between April and May when the rain is minimal. Dig a small hole, about 15cm – 25cm deep. Then plant the pumpkin seed and close it up with soil. The spacing Should be between 5cm. You can do this yourself or employ someone to help if the land is very huge.

5. HARVESTING

You can harvest ugu 30 days after planting. The ugu can start producing seeds 6 months after planting. If you’re going to harvest in large quantity, you’ll have to allow it stay longer than that.

SUCCESS TIPS IN UGU FARMING BUSINESS

1. Make sure to weed the farm every 2 weeks
2. Applying a 15:15:15 fertilizer will help a lot in the yields
3. Know your target market before harvest
4. You’ll need to water the seed for at least, 2 weeks
5. The pH of the soil should be neutral. That is 5.6-7

CONCLUSION

Ugu farming business is one of the lucrative business in Nigeria that will transform your farm to an ATM machine. I’m wishing you the best of luck. Share this post using the share buttons, ask your question using the comment box. See you next time!