Watermelon Farming Business

Early season planting is in May and late season planting is July. But with functional irrigation in the north, they are able to plant throughout the year .Lake chad basin in Bornu, Hadeja river basin in Kano are the major irrigation projects turning out watermelon all year round in Nigeria. I am aware that when the price goes so high watermelon is imported into Nigeria from Niger, Chad, Benin and Togo republics.

 LAND PREPARATION
Watermelon requires loamy soil or silt loam soil it also perform well on heavy soil if it is well-drained. It does not tolerate waterlogging at all. So if planting on heavy soil, ridging will be helpful to improve drainage. On loamy soil, we normally plant on the flat land. Plowing starts immediately on the first rain. Even if the first rain comes in January, plow the land ready for the second operation.
If the second rain comes any time after February 15th, we can plant in Lagos and southern parts of Ogun state. In other parts, Igbogila, Ayetoro, Abeokuta, Odeda and all parts of Oyo state should plant in March. Planting should stop by the end of March. If you risk planting in very early April, you may succeed but if the June rain should start before 15th of June forget it. The tendency is that either the melon will not ripe or you loose a lot to blossom and it rots. Maturity takes a minimum of 75 days. On the second rain or within the stipulated time, harrow or replow and plant immediately. Experience has shown that portions planted immediately after plowing records higher germination percentage than portions planted the following day unless there is overnight rain.



 Starting a watermelon farm on a commercial scale in Nigeria doesn’t require much stress. The three basic things you need are:

1. Suitable Land
2. Sun: Watermelons need a lot of sun to grow well. When there’s sufficient sunlight, your watermelons would grow to be ones with juicy red flesh with lots of sugar. Boy! Would you be getting lots of customers.
3. Good seedling: The type of seedling you decide to use will determine the quality or harvest you will get. There are various watermelon species. The most popular ones are:

• Black Diamond: This specie is almost black with bruise resistant rind with sweet and luscious flesh.
• Congo:  This watermelon species have juicy red flesh with high sugar content. Its oblong, medium-green melon with dark-green stripes. This specie is common in Nigeria.
• Crimson Sweet: This variety is exceptionally sweet with deep red flesh and a distinguishing dark-green striped rind. This variety can also be used when starting a watermelon farm in Nigeria.
• Moon& Stars: This variety is a very sweet heirloom watermelon type characterized by red flesh.

  How To Start Watermelon Farming In Nigeria

   Step 1: Select a Suitable Land
  If you intend to start watermelon farming in Nigeria on a commercial scale, it is imperative that you look for a good piece of land; say about 1-2 plots of land for starters.
  As mentioned earlier, your boys need lots of sun, hence, the selected farm should be located where they can get at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. After getting the desired land, ensure you clear the land before introducing the seedlings.
   Step 2: Get Seedlings
  The next step to take is to get good watermelon seedlings. You can get them from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) or visit farmers who run their own watermelon farms.
  Step 3: Start Planting
  Sow watermelons in rows. If you are planting the Congo or Crimson Sweet variety, plant three to four seed per row, making sure that the rows are ten feet apart or more from each other. When planting, make sure that the space between the seeds is six inches apart.
  Since watermelons are heavy feeders, ensure you add a moderate amount of manure, compost and leaves when planting. Apart from feeding the seedlings, the manure and other components also make sure the soil drains well. Also, provide adequate protection for your tender seedlings.
  Watermelons thrive in hot weathers and grow slowly during cold days. Hence, use hot caps or cold frames during cold days or nights
  Note: When collecting the seedlings from your sources, it is important to ask to know how many days you need for the variety you buy to mature.  Most times, it takes 90 to 100 days for your watermelon seedlings to attain maturity.
  Step 4: Apply Fertilizer Regularly
  Apply fertilizers high in nitrogen until flowers begin to form. Then, switch to fertilizers high in phosphorus and potassium.
  Step 5: Watering
  Watermelons are water-thirsty plants. Ensure that you water them regularly especially when the weather is hot. This will help to keep the soil moist.
  However, after the vines begin to sprout, reduce the watering to 3-5 times every two weeks. This is to help increase the sugar content the watermelon is notable for.
  Note: Once the vines begin to sprout, ensure you cover them with garden soil. This will aid secondary root growth where leaf stems meet the vine. Also, it can add a lot of weight to the watermelons.
  Step 6: Weeding
  Weeds are unwanted plants that compete for moisture and nutrients. Hence, you need to clear the farm of weeds in other to ensure your watermelons grow very well.
  Step 7: Other Proper Care Techniques
  Although it is claimed that watermelons are not susceptible to pests and diseases in Nigeria, it’s been reported that watermelons are susceptible to a variety of pests; the dreaded of which is cucumber beetles.
  Hence, maintaining a healthy plant is the key to successful watermelon farming in Nigeria. Apart from weeding you also need to include practices such as: pruning, proper spacing to aid air circulation and the use of insecticides to protect your plants from pests and diseases.
  Step 8: Harvesting
  So, how do you know when a watermelon is ripe and ready for harvesting? Most farmers claim that they tap on the fruit and then wait to listen for a dull thump. Since you will most likely grow your watermelons on large scale, you can’t go around tapping all the watermelons on the farm. God knows that apart from being tired, you’d end up with bruised knuckles.
  What are the other signs to look for?
  
• Yellowing of the underside
• The watermelon ceases to grow
• Drying or withering of the stem near the base of the fruit.
• The watermelon has a glossy look

Step 9: Sales
The last step to ensure successful watermelon farming in Nigeria is to transport these juicy big boys to the market for sale. Ensure you identify your target customers.
Your customers could include: fruit juice companies, fruit shops, local markets, grocery store owners, pharmaceutical companies that include watermelons in their medicines when creating nutritional supplements and resorts and restaurants.
With these tips in mind, I’m sure you are on your way to growing a successful watermelon farm.