Courgette Farming In Kenya
Courgette is also known as Zucchini. It is dark green in color and firm. They are closely related to Cucumber. The squash is very high in demand both in the local and export market. It is majorly used in salads and pickles. The crop is easy to grow. Very important, you need to keep the soil moderately moist throughout and grow during the warm season.
Courgette Varieties in Kenya
Some of the varieties grown in Kenya include Ambassador F1, Simba F1, Black beauty, Cera F1 and Green Zucchini, among others.
You need 1 kg of seeds per acre (6-8 kg of seeds/ha)
Ecological requirements for Courgette farming in Kenya
Courgette does well under the following conditions:
- Soils rich in organic matter and with good moisture-retaining capacity. Add one wheelbarrow of compost manure per each metre square of soil
- A pH range of 6- 7.5. Lime too acidic. We recommend you do a soil test first to know your soil pH level and the exact amount of lime needed to raise your pH to an adequate level.
- Warm climate with an optimum temperature range of 17º-22ºC.
- Adequate water supply of 800mm during the growing period. Do irrigation if in dry areas with little rainfall.
- Can be grown in almost all altitudes in the range 500 to 2000M altitude.
Courgette Establishment
Choose an open area where the crop will receive maximum sunlight
- Prepare the land to a fine tilth: Plough 2-3 times, harrow to break the soil clods, remove stumps and bring the soil to fine tilth.
- We also encourage minimum tillage by clearing vegetation of the previous crop and planting directly to reduce soil erosion and maintain the soil structure
- Make mounds or ridges 15-20cm high and 90cm by 90cm from one mound to another. This will help keep the zucchini leaves off the ground.
- Soak the seeds for 3 days to improve germination
- Sow 2-3 seeds per hole at 1.5 cm deep. 2 weeks after they germinate, thin to one plant per hill to allow growth of healthy plants
- Use 10g of phosphate fertilizer such as TSP/ DAP (150-200 kg/ha) per hill
Weeding; This should be done regularly during growth because weeds can significantly lower the productivity potential of the crop as they compete with crop for nutrients, water and light and harbor diseases and pests.
Mulching; The crop should be mulched to retain soil moisture and keep the fruits clean. When decomposed, the mulch releases nutrients into the soil which are absorbed by the crop.
Watering/Irrigation; To grow courgettes successfully, the soil should be kept moderately moist throughout, and more when the plants are in flowering and fruiting stages.
Support; Growing vines need to be supported regularly to avoid breakage or touching the ground. Most varieties, however form big, sturdy non-climbing plants.
Crop rotation; Strict crop rotation should be practised using non-family crops like cereals, legumes, brassicas, among others. It majorly helps prevent build-up of pests and diseases.
Manage the crop in the field
- Weed to reduce competition for nutrients, light water and also eliminate alternate hosts for pests and diseases. Remove weeds carefully as Courgettes roots are very delicate.
- Mulch to to retain soil moisture and keep the crop clean
- Scout your farm daily to identify any abnormal growth in good time before it is too late.
- Top-dress your zucchini after 4 weeks with MEA CAN 26% at the rate of 10g per plant.
- Always rotate your Courgette with cereals, legumes e.g Beans, cabbages and potatoes. Do not rotate with crops of cucurbitaceae family e.g Pumpkins, Watermelon and Cucumber.
Maturity, Harvesting & Post-Harvest Handling
Courgettes develop very rapidly and unless grown for seed, the mature fruits are not marketable.
Harvesting starts 2 to 2 and half months when the fruits are 10-20cm long and continues for 2-3 months. It is done by cutting the fruits off the stem, leaving a short peduncle on the fruit, rather than pulling fruits off to avoid damaging the plant. Regular picking (about three times a week, or on daily basis depending on productivity) should be done to encourage production of new fruits.
Courgettes are best eaten fresh or can be stored for a few days in the fridge.
Common questions asked about Courgette Farming in Kenya
- How long do courgettes take to mature?
Courgettes take an average of 40-50 days to mature. Conventionally, they’re supposed to be harvested when they are 10 -20cm long.
- How many courgettes do you get from one plant?
A farmer can harvest approximately four courgettes from each plant per week up to the 3rd month after planting.
- What month do you plant courgettes?
Courgettes don’t require high rainfall to grow but adequate moisture to do well; hence April is the best month to plant courgettes in Kenya.
- Where is the best place to plant courgettes?
Courgettes require medium rainfall areas with rich fertile loam soil. They can be planted in nurseries in greenhouses and later transplanted under the sun, or they can be planted directly on cultivated land.
Large containers, pots, or growing bags can be used where there’s no space.
Gardens are also good planting areas.
- What is the Courgette price in Kenya?
A kilo of courgette goes for roughly KES 129.
- Where do you sell courgettes in Kenya?
Courgettes can be sold directly to mama mbogas, or middlemen could be used to transport the produce to supermarkets or grocery stores.
- Courgette seeds price in Kenya.
Courgette seeds can be bought from the following companies. Their prices could vary on the variety and amount in grams needed.
- Stark Ayres Kenya limited.
- Kenya Seed company.
- African Seed Company.
- East African Seed Company.
- Zucchini sesame seeds 300g 350.
- Ambassador f1 courgettes Kenya
Courgette ‘Ambassador F1’ is a popular hybrid variety. This variety is high-yielding (2tonnes per acre) with a maturity of 50 days.
It produces dark green fruits.
It produces high-quality fruits with a beautiful waxy appearance.
Success Story of a Courgette farmer in Nairobi
By LEOPOLD OBI
Some few hundred of metres from Kamulu on Kangundo Road is Lucas Mutua’s courgette farm.
While thousands of farmers across the country stare at losses as a result of heavy rains, Mutua gets more than 200 kilogrammes of courgettes every week, which he sells to premium and regular customers.
Mutua, who turned 24 on Labour Day, says he could not find a reasonable price for his courgettes when he began harvesting the crops late last month.
“The market was flooded with courgettes but as rains continued poundng most parts of the country, the produce disappeared. Now the demand for the squash has gone up,” he said.
Notably, many farmers grow their crops on open fields, exposing them to flooding and other weather vagaries.
Mutua overcame this challenge by renting a greenhouse.
A final year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Mutua went into farming about three months “by accident”, he says.
He found himself out of the university at the beginning of the year following months of lecturers’ strike.
Idle and broke, he took the decision to find some work to keep him busy while earning “some reasonable coins”.
As an agricultural economic student majoring in horticulture, all he needed was conduct some search on the internet on fast maturing high value horticultural crops.
“I wanted to grow a crop which could be harvested before our teachers called of their strike. I discovered zucchinis, which are popularly known as courgettes. They mature just 47 days after transplanting,” Mutua said.
Unfortunately for him and many upcoming young farmers, Mutua only had enthusiasm and little knowledge.
He lacked the essential requirement of starting and running such an enterprise; land and capital.
Mutua toiled with the idea for days before sharing it with his friend Peter Kariuki, who had a greenhouse that was no longer in use.
“Kariuki let me use the structure and even lent me some money to start farming,” he said.
Mutua renovated the greenhouse and installed drip irrigation pipes and a tank.
LIME BOOSTS CALCIUM
“I bought courgette seeds, the calliadrica variety, from Syngenta, then planted them in a nursery where they remained for a week,” he said.
While the seedlings were in the nursery, Mutua prepared the planting plots, adding red soil, lime and manure.
The soil in Kamulu is predominantly black cotton, which Mutua says, lacks the nutrients the crop needs. Lime boosts the calcium level in the soil, which is necessary for growth and flowering.
“Courgette is like pumpkin so it requires considerable spacing. I have 550 plants,” he said.
Three weeks after transplantng, the vegetable begins flowering. Harvesting can take four months.
Mutua mainly uses farmyard manure. Because the crop needs lots of water, he put up a tank at the farm and buys water from a neighbour who has a borehole.
“I buy 1,000 litres of water at Sh150 and use 500 litres daily. I water the crops for three hours in the morning and evening,” he said.
While the crop is fast maturing and pricey, it is also very fragile.
This calls for a lot of care when courgettes are being handled and harvested.
Stepping on the fragile leaves and poor pruning usually leads to the rotting of the plant.
“You need secateurs to harvest the fruits. Cut the middle of the bud, leaving a little attached to the fruit and another bit to the leafy plant,” Mutua said.
He has visited Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the Export Processing Zone in Athi River, Zucchini at ABC Place in Westlands and Wakulima market to look for buyers.
PRACTICE MULCHING
“I sell the best grades of my courgettes to Zucchini and EPZ because they are my premium markets. What remains goes to the regular market,” Mutua said, adding that he sells a kilogramme for Sh80 to Sh150.
The correct size depends on variety, but as a rule, courgettes are harvested when they’re 10cm or four inches long.
Courgettes are best eaten fresh. They can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
“The premium market does not like big courgettes, so I harvest them when they are still young,” he adds.
Once the fruits are harvested, the older leaves are pruned.
“The pests to look out for are white and fruit flies. Wilting, powdery mildew and wet rot diseases usually attack the crops due to poor pruning,” Mutua said.
Mr Timothy Munywoki, a senior agronomist at Amiran-Kenya, advises courgette farmers to use traps to control the flies.
“There is a disease known as fusarium, which attacks roots and leads to wilting and death of the crop. There is no curative fungicide for this but we recommend Funguran 40g/Knapsack alternated with Goldazim 20mls/Knapsack They suppress it,” Mr Munywoki said.
He also advises farmers to practice mulching as this saves on water for irrigation, prevents fruit decay and weeds.
“During flowering, the farmer should tap at the trellising strings as this boosts pollination. It should be done during day time,” the expert said, adding that powdery mildew, which is common due to high humidity, can be controlled by spraying the right pesticides.
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