Carmen cucumber is goldmine

Carmen F1 is becoming popular among horticultural farmers for its tolerance to effects of the powdery mildew

What you need to know:

Supermarkets and major hotels and other high-end eateries are big consumers of cucumbers, writes Lominda Afedraru.

Growing a high-yielding variety of Carmen F1 cucumber coupled with identifying the target market can earn a farmer up to Shs7m from greenhouse in four months.
Carmen F1 is becoming popular among horticultural farmers for its tolerance to effects of the powdery mildew.
It performs well in greenhouse set ups, giving uniform fruits in size, shape and weight. Wycliffe Obwoge, an agronomist running a greenhouse, says one plant can yield up to 25 kilogrammmes by the end of the growing season of four months.
He is, however, quick to caution that before engaging in this type of production, it is prudent for a farmer to first identify the market.
“A 15m by 8m greenhouse accommodates 300 seedlings. Because of the constant conditions, the production is steady and can be overwhelming. If a farmer does not have ready market it can be challenging,” he says.
Supermarkets and major hotels and other high-end eateries are big consumers of cucumbers.