Crops to farm in a bacterial wilt-affected greenhouse

Tomato farming is the most preferred crop for greenhouse farming. The return on investment in greenhouse farming is often after two to three crop seasons.

Tomato farming is not sustainable in a greenhouse due to bacterial wilt. Bacterial wilt finds its way into the greenhouse through seedlings raised infected with bacterial wilt. It can also be transmitted from an infected greenhouse through the dust on shoes.

Bacterial wilt is a soil-born disease without a cure. It may stay as deep as 1 ft below the surface.

Solarization, flooding the greenhouse with chemicals, potting or removal of the soil 2ft deep are some of the ways of controlling bacterial wilt. However, they are not effective and the tomato crop may be affected again.

Due to the high cost and ineffectiveness of the control measures, tomatoes may not be a good option anymore for greenhouses. This calls for other options with the same or even high returns than the tomatoes.

Strawberry Farming

The Chandra strawberry variety has fibrous roots that are shallow below the surface and thus not affected by bacterial wilt. It’s easy to manage in the greenhouse as it requires pruning, watering and topdressing.

It’s not easily affected by diseases such as blight and leaf spots which affects it when grown outdoors. Harvesting is done after 3-4 months after transplanting and it continues all around the year for a period of a minimum of two years.

Chandra planted in a greenhouse of 8m by 15m and a population of 800 plants one can harvest a minimum of 4kg per week and with a price of  Ksh 600 per kg, you make Ksh 2,400 per week which is equal to Ksh 9,600 per month.

This is only possible with the Chandra variety alone as it’s a high-yielder with big fruits.

Courgettes Farming

Courgettes are other good crops for the greenhouse affected by bacterial wilt as it has a fibrous root which does not go deep. They mature early at 45 days with an average yield of 100kgs per week.

With a minimum market price of Ksh 20, this gives you Ksh 2000 per week and Ksh 8000 per month. It has low management costs in greenhouses as its easy to control pests and diseases. Ensure you have a ready market before starting as they mature very fast.

Onions Farming

Onions do well in a greenhouse affected by bacterial wilt. A hybrid variety with a high yield after 3 months is a good option. In a greenhouse of 8m by 15m, one can harvest about 300-500kg from 250 gms of seeds.

Cabbages Farming

Cabbages do well in the greenhouse in bacterial wilt-affected greenhouses. Though it has a tap root, it’s tolerant to bacterial wilt plus within 3 months you are ready to harvest. Hybrid-big-sized varieties like Star 3315,3316 can give you up to 5kg per head under good management.

With a spacing of 60cm by 60cm, a greenhouse of 8m by 15m can hold up to 500 heads of which with an average weight of 5kg per head you have 2,500 kilos. At the lowest market price of sh 10 per kg, you have a return of Ksh 25,000 which is Ksh  8,300 per month.

Fish Farming

Fish grown in a greenhouse pond grow faster than those done in outdoor ponds. In a greenhouse of 8m by 15 m one can have small fish ponds which can hold a minimum of 800 fish. Read Also: Successful cabbage farming

After 8-9 months one can sell these for a minimum of Ksh 200 which is equal to Ksh 160,000. Even though it requires the construction of fish ponds which may cost up to Ksh 120,000; returns are quite good.

Good News

The returns of these 4 crops can be tripled with a little modification of your greenhouse to have two more layers above the surface which is vertical farming.

Where You Go Wrong

• Allowing visitors from anywhere into your greenhouse
• Lack of a foot dip with a disinfectant at the entry of your greenhouse
• Use of infected seeds and seedlings
• Crop rotation with crops in the same family as peppers.

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