Category: Farming

Are you in need of in-depth knowledge on onion and garlic production? If yes, we are a call away. Our service chatter includes: Onion seedlings, Garlic seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack and Farm management. For free consultation, placing orders or booking a visit with an agronomist, please contact us via Call or what’s app +254703982228, Email: Info@oniondoctor.co.ke. Onion is a vegetable that belongs to the species of the genus Allium. Onions are 89% water but are also composed of sugar, protein, fiber, and low amounts of essential nutrients. Onion is mostly used as a flavor enhancer in day to day food without raising the calorie count. The global onion market has been categorized as part of the global agricultural products market. The global agricultural products market includes producers of agricultural products. The market also includes crop growers, owners of plantations and companies that produce and process foods but do not package and market them. The onion market in Kenya is highly competitive and you need to have a solid marketing strategy in place to ensure that your onions reach the right buyers at the right time. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to market onions in Kenya. 1: Understanding the market: Before you start marketing your onions, it is important to understand the market. This includes knowing your target customers, their preferences, and the prices they are willing to pay. For example, if you are targeting supermarkets, you need to ensure that your onions are of high quality and meet their specific requirements. 2:Networking: One of the most effective ways to market your onions is by networking. This includes building relationships with other farmers, traders, and buyers. By networking, you can learn more about the market and identify potential buyers for your onions. Also attending conferences, Agriculture expo’s, for more exposure and understanding the market. 3: Packaging and labeling: The packaging and labeling of your onions is also important. It is important to package your onions in a way that protects them from damage and ensures that they reach the buyer in good condition. Additionally, you should include a label on the packaging that provides information about the onions, such as their variety, size, and weight. 4: Advertising: Advertising is another important aspect of marketing your onions. This can include advertising in local newspapers and on radio and television. You can also consider advertising online on platforms such as social media, Google AdWords, or through targeted online ads. 5: Participating in trade fairs and exhibitions: Trade fairs and exhibitions are a great way to showcase your onions to potential buyers. By participating in these events, you can showcase your onions to a wide range of buyers and suppliers, and gain valuable feedback on your product. 4: Utilizing digital channels: In the digital age, it is important to make use of various digital channels to market your onions. This includes creating a website or social media account dedicated to your onions and regularly updating it with information about your product, as well as pictures and videos. Additionally, you can join online marketplaces and groups where you can connect with potential buyers and suppliers. 5: Joining a cooperative society: Joining a cooperative society can be an effective way to market your onions. Cooperative societies can provide you with access to a wider market and better prices for your onions. Additionally, society can provide you with support in terms of packaging and labeling, transportation, and other services. Onion Doctor supports small holder farmers across Africa with quality and affordable Onion and Garlic seedlings, Onion seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack, Farm management, E-extension and on-farm training for farmers to optimize on yields and get maximum profits.

Are you in need of in-depth knowledge on onion and garlic production? If yes, we are a call away. Our service chatter includes: Onion seedlings, Garlic seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack and Farm management. For free consultation, placing orders or booking a visit with an agronomist, please contact us via Call or what’s app +254703982228, Email: Info@oniondoctor.co.ke. Thinning onions refers to the process of removing excess onion seedlings to allow the remaining plants enough space to grow and develop properly. Thinning onion plant is an important part of the growing process in Kenya. it allows the plant to focus their energy on producing fewer but larger onions. Thinning also helps to prevent overcrowding and promotes air circulation, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases. To thin onion plants, use your fingers or small gardening tool to remove excess seedlings around each plants base carefully. Leave enough space between the plants to grow. Thinned seedlings can be transplanted. Wait for Seedlings to Develop: Once seedlings have sufficient leaf growth, thin them down to around 3 to4 inches (8-10 cm.) apart. Thin seedlings to 1 inch apart, and thin again in four weeks to 6 inches apart. For transplants or sets, use a dibble to make planting holes 2 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Use the closer spacing if you plan to harvest some young plants as green onions. Prepare Tools: You’ll need a small pair of gardening scissors or your fingers to gently lift and remove the unwanted seedlings. Gently Remove Seedlings: Carefully grasp the seedling you want to remove near its base. Using scissors or your fingers, gently lift the seedling out of the soil. Try to minimize disturbance to the neighboring seedlings and their roots. Water After Thinning: After thinning, water the onion bed gently to settle the soil around the remaining seedlings. This helps reduce stress and promotes recovery. Onion Doctor supports small holder farmers across Africa with quality and affordable Onion and Garlic seedlings, Onion seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack, Farm management, E-extension and on-farm training for farmers to optimize on yields and get maximum profits.

Are you in need of in-depth knowledge on onion and garlic production? If yes, we are a call away. Our service chatter includes: Onion seedlings, Garlic seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack and Farm management. For free consultation, placing orders or booking a visit with an agronomist, please contact us via Call or what’s app +254703982228, Email: Info@oniondoctor.co.ke. Onion farming is a lucrative business, providing income for millions of people, but there are some essential decisions you need to make before you venture into the onion farming business. You have to make a decision on how many acres you want to farm, which type of onions you will farm, which season you are going to plant your onions, and your target market. These choices will be affected by the amount of capital you have, the size & needs of your target market. If you do not have a lot of capital, you can always start small and grow your onion farming business overtime. You also need to carry out market research (Who are you going to sell the onions to? At what price?) and write a bulb onion business plan before you venture into the business. Onions are also known as bulb onions, due to their shape. BUSINESS MODEL Options To Choose From:  Broadly, you can sell your onions to wholesalers or retailers. You can also serve as the wholesaler and or retailer. You can sell them directly to consumers. You have considerable flexibility in how you can sell your onions. Your scale of onion production will determine which option is best. For example, if you are doing onion farming on a large scale, the direct to consumer business model can be too tasking. Meaning wholesale would be ideal. Find A Balance: The wholesale approach is the most hassle-free but might not fetch high enough prices. Other approaches such as retailer and direct to consumer can fetch higher prices. However, they are more demanding in terms of time, resources, and effort. You can always find a balance so that you enjoy the best of each approach. Incorporate selling online since it can be much more effective. LAND FOR ONION FARMING BUSINESS Good bulb onion production starts with good land selection. Onions can grow well on a wide range of soil types, including sand soil, fine textured clays, however good fertile sandy loam soil is usually the best soil type. This is because it has a low sulphur content and is well drained. It allows normal development of the onion bulb, and has a good capacity of holding water. Another important factor to consider is the pH of the soil, as it should be ideally in the range of 5.0-6.8 to enable the optimum growth of the bulb onions. The land for bulb onion farming should also have the right soil structure. The soil for onion farming must permit adequate root growth to support the plant and supply water, oxygen and mineral nutrients and must be free of toxic elements. It is important that before you start farming onions on your farm, you check whether the soil is suitable for onion farming. Your onion production business plan should take into account the cost of purchasing or renting the land. MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT FOR ONION FARMING Land preparation must be properly done to ensure the soil is ready for the onions. The range of machinery and equipment needed for your onion farming business depends on the scale of production. For small scale this can be done using hand-held equipment whereas for medium to large scale heavy machinery such as tractors and the like may be needed. Machinery and equipment needed include tractors, harvesters, boom sprayers, fertilizer spreader equipment, irrigation equipment, spray equipment, diggers, scales, ridgers, bins etc. Most farmers usually hire big machinery like tractors when they want to use them, rather than purchasing them as they are expensive. Adequate water supply is also important meaning that irrigation is necessary. Onions can thrive quite well by the use of drip irrigation thus making the required amount of water less. We the Onion Doctor, we offer drip irrigation and installation depending on your acreage as follows:  1 acre =170,000ksh. 1/2 acre=85,000ksh. 1/4 acre=43,000ksh. 1/8 acre=22,000ksh.  BULB ONION VARIETIES Onion varieties are classified into three categories as short-day, intermediate-day and long-day types and this reflects the hours of sunlight (day light) which will trigger bulb formation. Short day varieties need 10 – 12 hours of daylight , intermediate-day varieties need 12-14 hours of daylight while long day varieties need 14 – 16 hours of daylight. Examples of onion varieties include Texas Grano, Copra, Walla Walla, and Red Burgundy. ONION FARMING INPUTS:  You require various farming inputs when doing onion farming. The onion farming can be started using onion seeds or seedlings. It is important that you purchase your onion seeds from us Onion Doctor, we offer certified, high-quality seeds and seedlings that gives you full potential growth. Also Fertilizers and Herbicides are important in the growth of onions to prevent Pest and Diseases. Some of the low-cost measures to fight these issues can be spreading thin films of sand around onion plants, mulching, crop rotation and incorporating humus into the soil. Pests:  Some of the common onion pests are cut worms, maggots, flies, leaf miners, thrips, and mites. The composition of onions works to ward off several potential pests. Onions are rich in sulphur and that wards off pests. Regular inspection of your onion plants is imperative. When it comes to pest infestations, the signs will typically be on the leaves. It can be things like spots, larvae, or discolouration, amongst others. Diseases: Most diseases that affect onions occur due to more or less the same factors. If the weather or the general state of the environment is characterised by moisture and heat, diseases tend to occur. The most common onion diseases are fungal and bacterial ones; fungal ones being the most

Are you in need of in-depth knowledge on onion and garlic production? If yes, we are a call away. Our service chatter includes: Onion seedlings, Garlic seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack and Farm management. For free consultation, placing orders or booking a visit with an agronomist, please contact us via Call or what’s app +254703982228, Email: Info@oniondoctor.co.ke. Proper onion spacing is essential to promote healthy plant growth and high yields in a vegetable garden. Plant and row spacing depends on the type of onions you’re growing (green onions, small bulbs, or full-sized bulbs), as well as the planting technique (direct seeding, transplanting seedlings, or planting sets) Are you in a position you don’t know the right measure to put in spacing your onion plants? We the Onion Doctor are here to guide you on how to plant, transplant, harvest and store then link you to markets. For a very competitive price. Reach to us for a quotation. Why is onion spacing important?  Proper plant spacing is essential when growing vegetables. Those planted too closely compete for water, sun, and nutrients, but planting too far apart wastes garden space and reduces yield. Tightly packed plants also limits air circulation which increases the risk of plant diseases. Plant seeds in rows 12 to 15 inches apart. Cover the seeds with 1/2 to 3/4 inch of soil. When the seedlings are 2 to 4 inches tall, thin the planting. For large, dry onions, plants should be spaced 2 to 3 inches apart after thinning. 3 ways to plant onions:  Onions grow best in a site with full sun and fertile, well-draining soil. Amend the bed with an inch of compost or rotted manure before planting. If your soil isn’t particularly fertile, you may wish to add a slow-release organic fertilizer when you prepare the garden bed. If planting onions in pots, choose a container or fabric planter that holds 7 to 10 gallons of potting mix and offers good drainage.  Onion spacing when direct seeding: Sow the seeds a quarter of an inch deep and a half inch apart. When the young plants are several inches tall, thin them to 1 inch apart for green onions, 2 inches apart for small to medium-sized bulbs, or 4 to 6 inches apart for large bulb onions. Plant in a grid pattern or space rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Onion spacing when planting seedings:  Set seedlings 1 inch apart for green onions, 2 inches apart for small to medium-sized bulbs, or 4 to 6 inches apart for large bulbs. Plant in a grid pattern or space rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Onion Doctor supports small holder farmers across Africa with quality and affordable Onion and Garlic seedlings, Onion seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack, Farm management, E-extension and on-farm training for farmers to optimize on yields and get maximum profits.

Are you in need of in-depth knowledge on onion and garlic production? If yes, we are a call away. Our service chatter includes: Onion seedlings, Garlic seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack and Farm management. For free consultation, placing orders or booking a visit with an agronomist, please contact us via Call or what’s app +254703982228, Email: Info@oniondoctor.co.ke. Onion farming, like any agricultural endeavor, is associated with various risks that can impact production, profitability, and overall success. These risks can arise from both external and internal factors. Here’s an overview of the key risks in onion farming: Climate and Weather Risks: Onions are sensitive to temperature and moisture conditions. Extreme weather events such as droughts, heavy rains, can damage the crop, affect bulb formation, and lead to yield losses. Unpredictable changes in weather patterns can pose a significant risk to onion farmers. The ideal temperatures onions need to grow are between 13 – 35 degrees centigrade. This means that onions can grow in most parts of Kenya. Pests and Diseases: Onions are susceptible to a range of pests and diseases that can decimate crops. Pests like thrips, aphids, onion maggots, and diseases like onion white rot can lead to reduced yields, poor bulb quality, and even complete crop failure. Onion farming can be significantly affected by diseases and pests, leading to reduced yields and lower-quality produce. However, with knowledge about the common diseases and pests that affect onions, along with effective management strategies, farmers can mitigate the risks and ensure a healthier onion crop. Implementing good agricultural practices such as crop rotation, maintaining proper plant spacing, practicing good hygiene, and using disease-resistant varieties can go a long way in preventing and managing diseases. Additionally, monitoring for pests, implementing cultural controls, and utilizing targeted insecticides when necessary can help minimize pest damage. Market Fluctuations: The market for onions can be volatile due to factors like changes in demand, supply, imports, and export restrictions. Price fluctuations can impact the profitability of onion farming, as farmers might not receive the expected returns on their investment. Input Costs: Rising costs of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs can erode profit margins for onion farmers. Fluctuations in input prices can make it challenging to budget and plan effectively. Labor Shortages: Onion farming often requires intensive labor during planting, weeding, and harvesting. Shortages of skilled labor can lead to delayed operations and increased costs, affecting both yield and quality. Farmer must prepare the workers earlier before starting planting for skills guide by the agronomist. Post-Harvest Losses: Improper handling, storage, and transportation practices can result in post-harvest losses due to bruising, rot, and sprouting. Inadequate infrastructure and lack of proper storage facilities can exacerbate these risks. The quality of the planting materials can play a part in post-harvest losses. Poor-quality seeds produce onions that are vulnerable to damage and disease. In addition, bacterial and fungi infections can develop while food is being grown and stored. Infections may be the cause of rotting and discoloration in onions. Onion Doctor supports small holder farmers across Africa with quality and affordable Onion and Garlic seedlings, Onion seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack, Farm management, E-extension and on-farm training for farmers to optimize on yields and get maximum profits.

Are you in need of in-depth knowledge on onion and garlic production? If yes, we are a call away. Our service chatter includes: Onion seedlings, Garlic seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack and Farm management. For free consultation, placing orders or booking a visit with an agronomist, please contact us via Call or What’s app +254703982228, Email: Info@oniondoctor.co.ke. Garlic farming in Kenya may be successful if done right. Garlic famously known as “kitungu saumu” in Kenya is a valuable horticulture plant due to its excellent yields and great demands in the Kenyan market. Despite of its odor, its applicable in the production of specific cuisines, not just in Kenya but also in a wide range, therefore giving It high demand both locally and internationally. It’s also medicinal. Importance of Garlic in Kenya. Boosts immune system, assist the body in fighting various bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Considered as a significant anti-oxidant. It is mostly used as a spice while making dishes such as Pilau, beef stew, dawa etc. Garlic Varieties grown in Kenya. Soft-neck garlic Mostly grown in Kenya, it’s a paper like skin and its white, fairly strong taste. We supply seedlings for soft-neck varieties such as Rhino, Arusha and Moyale. Hard-neck garlic Characterizes with tan and purple markings, produces bigger and fewer cloves on each head. Does not store well long durations like soft-neck garlic. We supply seedlings for hard-neck varieties such as Rwandan Giant variety. How to grow garlic The farmer needs to know local seeds kind, soil appropriateness, and suitable climate conditions for the crop. Seeds A farmer should purchase quality sprouted garlic cloves from a certified propagator. An acre of garlic requires 250-300 kgs of seed depending on variety and irrigation method, which in turn yields 3-6 tonnes. We supply these cloves at competitive prices. Climatic conditions Garlic farming performs well in medium to high attitudes of 500- 2000 Meters above sea level. Additionally, garlic requires high temperatures of 30ºC to aid in proper bulb development. However, during the preliminary stages, cooler temperatures are preferred as they assist in vegetative growth needed for plant establishment. For this reason, ideal temperatures for growing garlic range between 12- 24ºC. thus, it can be grown in most areas in Kenya.It is worth noting that excess rains and humidity is bad for garlic’s vegetative growth as well as bulb formation and as such the crop will perform well in areas with low rainfall possibly substituted with irrigation during the initial phase when water requirement is utmost. Soils Garlic planting needs a ground with a pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.8. For this reason, garlic growing is suitable in most Kenyan soils provided that they are well drained this is because the crop performs poorly in water-logged soils. Furthermore, you need to ensure that the soil is well prepared with loose and airy depths of up to 6 – 8 inches and needs to be dry and without any rocks and plants debris. To ensure optimum yield, mix the soil with organic manure before plowing as this will facilitate improved bulb formation. Actual planting and spacing Ideal spacing for growing garlic is 8cm between plants and 30cm between rows. When using drip irrigation, the drips should be 30cm apart with a15cm emitter spacing, while using basin irrigation, the cloves should be planted inside the basin with a spacing of 8cm between plants and 30cm between rows. Ensure that you have planted the roots facing inside the soil and the shot should be slightly above the ground. Watering When irrigating, 1 inch of water is adequate Common pest and diseases Harvesting and storing Garlic should never be harvested too early or late as it will interfere with the quality of the produce. To know the right time to harvest, one must monitor the growing months for roughly around 4 to 6 months. Knowing the exact harvesting time is somewhat tricky since the heads of the garlic submerge in the soil, and also different varieties have varying maturity period. As such, you should inspect the foliage and observe whether it has turned brown and died back as a guide for harvesting. After digging out the crops, bundle them in tens or fifteens and leave them to dry in a well-ventilated room. Keep them there for three to four weeks after which its shoots and roots will have dried down. Cut down the tops about one inch above the main bulb and roots followed by removal of outer skin without removing exposing the cloves. Clean off any remaining soil, and your bulbs are ready for sale. Onion Doctor supports small holder farmers across Africa with quality and affordable Onion and Garlic seedlings, Onion seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack, Farm management, E-extension and on-farm training for farmers to optimize on yields and get maximum profits.