Broccoli is a member of Cruciferae, the cabbage family. Its botanical name is Brassica oleracea cv.italica, the same as cauliflower. Broccoli is similar to cauliflower in its upright structure, leaf habit and head formation. Consumption and production has increased significantly over recent years and has gone from 7 700 tonnes in 1989/90 to 16 600 tonnes in 1992/93.

Broccoli is easer to grow and can withstand a wider range of conditions than cauliflower. It is cultivated in a similar way to cabbages. Broccoli is grown year round in Victoria but the period of highest quality varies depending on the production area.

Marketing trends
World wide, broccoli has created new interest as a vegetable. For example, in Australia product quality has improved out of sight and the result is a growing demand for broccoli on the domestic and export markets. There are three main reasons for this; new large central-heading varieties, modern marketing methods and consumer acceptance.

Initial investment in a broccoli production operation is relatively low, and many field operations - such as land preparation, planting, and harvesting - can be custom hired. Equipment needs on a small-acreage farm are not very great, and most of the equipment can be used for other purposes.

"Broccoli" can mean different things to different people. When most people think of broccoli, they are thinking of sprouting broccoli (often referred to as "Italian" or "Calabrese" broccoli). "Heading" broccoli is not a broccoli at all—it is a late season or overwintering cauliflower. Another broccoli, broccoli rabe, does not produce a head and is used as a greens crop. This publication will cover the production and marketing of sprouting broccoli.

You’ll have to look for a location with good air circulation and soil drainage as well plenty of direct sunlight when growing broccoli.
Broccoli will grow much better in rich soil with added compost, humus, or aged manure worked into the soil.
Also, it is important that no other cabbage family plants like Brussels sprouts have been planted in the same spot for 3-4 years prior to planting broccoli.

Planting Broccoli Seeds
If you plan to apply the direct-sowing method to growing broccoli, which will work for fall plantings, you must plant the seeds directly into the soil about 90 days prior to the first frost at depths of ¼-½ inches.
Transplanting Broccoli Seedlings
If you use the transplanting method, you will want to plant the seeds in indoor trays about 5-6 weeks prior to the last frost.
You can then transplant the young plants in the early spring with 18-24 inches clearance between plants.

Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide
• Broccoli is a cool season plant like cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.
• Broccoli plants will not tolerate hot weather, but will immediately "go to flower" (which means you won't enjoy eating it!)
• It prefers daytime high temperatures of 50-70 degrees F.
• If your winter temperature doesn't go below 20 degrees F., it can be planted in the fall and will be ready to mature in the cooler weather of spring and early summer.
• Download our vegetable planting guide and zone chart for more information on planting and growing times for broccoli.

Recommended Broccoli Varieties
For beginners, the following varieties are recommended for ease of cultivation:
• Green Goliath – bred for the home gardener, it yields side shoots to harvest even after the center flower has been picked.
• Cruiser – this thrives even in dry conditions with high-yield harvests after 58 days.

Introduction
Broccoli has been grown in Europe for centuries, but has only been grown in the United States since 1925. Although California is the major producing state, broccoli it is grown in nearly every state. Over the last 35 years, per person consumption of fresh broccoli has increased from 1.4 pounds in 1980 to 6.7 pounds in 2014. It is now the 11th most consumed fresh vegetable. Consumption of frozen broccoli also increased, but at a slower rate from 1.5 pounds to 2.6 pounds within the same period. (ERS, Yearbook 2014). Its popularity may be due to its health-related issues and convenience. It ranks among the top 20 foods in regards to ANDI score (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index), which measures vitamin, mineral and phytonutrient content in relation to caloric content. One cup of broccoli provides over 100% of our daily requirement for vitamins C and K and is also a good source of fiber, vitamin A, folate and potassium.
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Table of Contents
1. Production Requirements
2. Seeding and Spacing
3. Transplants
4. Pollination
5. Soil Applied Fertilizer Recommendations
6. Fertigation Recommentations
• Nitrogen and Potash Injection Schedules (per week)
7. Integrated Pest Management
• Major Pests of Cucurbit Crops
8. Related Links
Production Requirements
Cucumbers are warm season vegetables. They do not tolerate frost. Temperatures below 10° C (50° F) may impact crop growth and negatively affect fruit quality. They require well drained, compaction-free locations with ample fertility. Freshmarket cucumbers respond well to plasticulture and fertigation. High levels of nitrogen may result in excess leaf growth and poor fruit development. Most vine crops benefit from supplemental beehives to promote pollination.
Average Time from Flower Set to Harvest: Average Yields:
Cucumber (pickling) 4-5 days Pickling - machine harvest: 4 tons per acre
Pickling - hand harvest: 8-12 tons per acre

Cucumbers lend themselves well to small-scale and part-time farming operations. Multiple markets exist for growers with fewer than 5 acres, and many field operations, such as land preparation, planting, and harvesting, can be custom hired.
Contents
1. Marketing
2. Site Selection
3. Pollination
4. Pest Management
5. Harvest and Storage
6. Environmental Regulations
7. Risk Management
8. Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices
9. Sample Budget
 Sample Budget Worksheet
 Initial resource requirements
10. For More Information
 Publications
11. Authors
12. Contact Information

Growing cucumbers is among the most popular activities in backyard vegetable gardens across the country. In fact, almost half of the nation’s home vegetable growers – 47 percent according to Susan Littlefield, horticultural editor at theNational Gardening Association – plant cucumbers. That makes cukes America’s No. 2 most popular homegrown vegetable. (Tomatoes, which should surprise no one, are the runaway favorite at 86 percent.)

There are two forms of cucumber plants, bush and vining. Bush selections form compact plants and are ideally suited for small gardens and containers. Vining plants, however, may be the better choice. They clamber up trellises and produce fruit that is straighter with less disease and insect problems than cukes grown on bushing plants.

Cucumber plants make two basic types of fruit, those for slicing and those for pickling. There are many varieties of each. Pickling varieties seem to reach their peak faster than slicing varieties.

Many Kenyans in urban areas appreciate meals with cucumber. This is a vegetable crop that belongs to the cucumbitaceae family and is a popular vegetable crop cultivated all around the world. Cucumber plant has a climbing or trailing habit. The tender cucumber can be eaten raw or with salt in salad. It can also be used in daily cooking. Cucumber seeds can be used in oil extraction.

There are three commercial varieties that are available. These are:
 Japanese long green.
 Poinsettee
 Straight eight.
CLIMATE CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR CUCUMBER FARMING.
The cucumber crop requires a moderate warm temperature and grows best at a temperature between 20c and 24c. It is not suitable for adverse weather conditions.
SUITABLE SOIL FOR CUCUMBER FARMING.

This is a vegetable that is mostly used in salads and apparently said to be good for the Nails, Skin And even Hair
Now let’s talk about how easy it is to grow cucumbers. They are easy to plant, easy to care for as well as harvest. Additionally, they do very well during hot weather. Cucumbers can easily be grown in open fields, in containers or small buckets. As long as you keep them watered and picked, a typical cucumber plant will continue to produce fruit for a number of weeks.

Naturally the cucumber takes between 50 – 60 days from planting to harvest and if taken care of well, you will continue having a good harvest for lots of weeks. Be sure to harvest your cucumbers very early in the morning and at the right time to avoid loss of flavor. Pick at least once after every two days.

In many nations of the world, the agric sector has been proven to be one of the major income generators. As a matter of fact, no nation can survive without a vibrant agric sector or putting in place a provision for the importation of food for its citizens. So as an entrepreneur if you are looking for a business to start, you can consider starting your own agriculture related business and one of the business you can successfully start is a cucumber farm.

With the government encouraging farmers to diversify in agricultural farming, one farmer in Uasin Gishu County has ventured into horticultural farming.
Thomas Kiptum is taking home close to Sh3 milllion from cucumber and red capsicum farming.

"Horticulture farming is paying well and that is why I decided to venture into it. Our region is well known for maize farming but it has good climate for the kind of farming which few of the farmers have tried to practice,"Kiptum said.
His farm is located at Kuinet in Moiben sub-county where he produces cucumbers and capsicum through greenhouse technology in an acre-piece of land.
The farm has six green houses for the two types of cucumbers: Sariq and local.
Sariq is only grown in a greenhouse while local ones can either do in the greenhouse or in an open field.

"My intention for planting these two types was to establish which variety yields more," Kiptum said.

Enormous business opportunities abound in the horticulture area of the Agriculture value chain in Nigeria, enough to generate income and employment for several youths. However, most of these opportunities are not fully tapped. Hence, the widespread of youth unemployment and underemployment.

Against this background, Agritechnovate Solutions Entreprises – a duly registered Agricultural company with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria with registration number: BN 2315112 and champion for Agribusiness among Youths designed the first ever human-centered Agribusiness Master Class on Cucumber Farming for Youths and everyone interested in Agriculture(whether they have ever been to a farm or not) to create on-farm and off-farm employment opportunities presenting a viable and formidable option to reduce unemployment in Nigeria.

SHARES10
Cucumber farming is one venture that can actually surprise anyone who cares to go into it. While thousands of young men and women are busy pursuing higher degrees in education and hoping to get employed by one big firm or the other, those who saw the goldmine in cucumber farming are not giving any damn to that as their ventures are adequately taking good cares of them financially.

If you still care to have things done differently instead of investing your hard earned money in some businesses that you don’t even know much about and which the profit potentials may look somehow obscured, then it would make a serious economic sense to consider venturing into cucumber farming.

How Big Is Cucumber Farming In Nigeria

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) originates in southern Asia, but a large number of cultivars have been developed and are grown worldwide. It is a widely cultivated plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. It is a creeping vine that bears cylindrical fruits that are used as culinary vegetables.
There are three main varieties of cucumber:
• Slicing,
• Pickling, and
• Burpless.
Within these varieties, several different cultivars have emerged.
The cucumber is a herbaceous trailing annual capable of spreading in all directions. The root system is in the form of a tap root that penetrates de

Importance of Cucumber[i]
Rehydrates body and replenishes daily vitamins - Cucumbers are 95 % water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminates toxins. Cucumbers have most of the vitamins the body needs in a single day. The skin contains a good amount of vitamin C, about 10 % of the daily-recommended allowance.