Guide on how to grow profitable onion farming in Kenya.
Welcome to our blog dedicated to the world of onion farming! As Onion Doctor we are here to guide you on how to grow profitable onion farming in Kenya. Join us as we explore everything from choosing the right variety to harvesting a successful crop.
Here, we’ll walk you through everything from choosing the right seed varieties to mastering irrigation, pest control, and harvesting techniques. Whether you’re a beginner eager to learn or an experienced farmer looking to boost yields, this space is your go-to hub for practical tips, success stories, and market insights.
Choosing the right onion variety for profitable farming in Kenya.
To choose the right onion variety in Kenya, onion farmer should consider the following factors;
- Market; One should consider the market demand of the variety before planting to prevent losses.
- Climate and soil; Well drained soil is good for onion farming.
- Maturity; Choose early, mid or late maturity rate depending on the season and market of the area.
- Disease resistance; Hybrid variety is mostly resistant to diseases.
- Yield and Cost; Hybrid varieties produces high yield and are of high cost in market.
Land preparation for onion farming in Kenya.
Steps for onion land cultivation in Kenya;
To ensure successful onion farming in Kenya, proper land preparation is essential. Here are the key steps involved in preparing the land for onion cultivation:
- Ploughing- Start by ploughing the field to a fine tilth and remove weeds in the field where necessary.
- Soil preparation- Harrow the soil to improve soil aeration.
- Raised beds– Create raised beds about one meter , rake the bed to level the uniformly and apply organic manure.
- Sowing seeds– Sow seeds in shallow drills covering slightly with the soil and mulch to conserve moisture.
- Transplanting– Water the nursery bed thoroughly before uprooting to minimize root damage. Transplant using a spacing of 30cm row and 8-10cm from onion to onion.
In onion farming one starts with land preparation by clearing the land, tilling the land, deep ploughing, leveling the soil, mixing the soil with manure and the making the beds for planting onions. After land preparation, choose a site for nursery establishment for growing seedlings.
Nursery establishment for onion farming in the Kenya.
There are steps taken when creating a suitable nursery for growing seedlings for onion farming in Kenya, it starts with site selection and when selecting a site, one should consider the following factors which is: Topography of the land, security of the area, type of soil, source of water and the direction of prevailing wind.
Procedure of making a nursery bed.
- Till the land into a fine tilth.
- Mix soil and manure thoroughly to mix well.
- Make raised beds and level the soil.
- Water the soil to wet the ground.
- Drench the soil with pesticide and fungicide.
Propagation of onions in a nursery in Kenya.
There are steps taken in planting seeds in a nursery.
Water the ground when wet, plant the seeds in a broadcasting method or use of lines, cover the seeds with a layer of mulch, water the nursery twice a day early in the morning and late in the evening and uncover the mulch after the seeds have germinated. The seedlings should stay in the nursery bed after it has attained a thick pencil size for transplanting.
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Image of seedlings in a nursery bed
Transplanting onion seedlings in the main seedbed.
Prepare the main seedbed, water the ground before transplanting, uproot the seedlings with soil intact, burying only the roots, deep planting courses bulb deformation. Water the plants daily or twice a day depending on climate of the area. After 7-14 days of transplanting weed using hands and apply nitrogen based fertilizer.
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Seedlings after transplanted in the main seedbed
Seedlings mature after 90-120 days after transplanting depending on the variety of the seedlings. After the bulb are formed, curing is done and leaves are left to dry before harvesting. The onion is harvested and ready for storage.
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Image of stored onions
At Onion Doctor we have ready seedlings , onion value pack, onion oasis, garlic value pack, garlic oasis , agronomic support package, we offer land planning, soil testing , drip irrigation and installation, transplanting supervision, agronomic support and training on growing onion and garlic. Call or WhatsApp on 0706252490/0703982228 , Dial that number, lets grow together!
