Your Guide On How To Grow Watermelons In Uganda

Watermelon farming is a venture a farmer who wants quick money should invest in. watermelon growing is a bit tricky but once you get used to the dynamics, it is becomes well-paying for you.

To get the best results from watermelons, you need to prepare the land a few weeks to the planting. Upon planting the seeds after good rain, you will need to pour organic manure with a mixture of cow dung. This should be applied in a 4 inch hole, before covering the seed with a thin film of soil.

You should make a spacing is 4 – 5 feet from hole to hole and 4 – 5 feet between the lines. Germination of the seed will take four to six days after planting.

Spaying should start three (3) days after germination using pesticides such as duduferos, indofill and rocket. When the vines start spreading, Igmax, duduferos, striker indofill or Sypransa are used to boost the growth of the watermelon.

Click here to buy or inquire about watermelons in Uganda

You are to spray in the morning before 10:30 am. This is so because when it’s hot, the spray evaporates, which makes a waste of resources for you in the long run.

When the watermelon flowers and the fruits start to forming, you then use Striker, duduferos, duduccatrine, rocket or indofill. These pesticides waive off caterpillars, wasps (enumba), aphids and other tiny insects which may attack the fruits.

When it gets to climate, watermelon is a sunshine friendly crop which does not require much rain at the fruiting stage, but it will require moderate sunshine until ripening.

Challenges in growing watermelon you should know about

Among the challenges in watermelon growing are pests like the caterpillars, wasps and drought, especially when the vines are still soft and yet to flower. At this point you may need to irrigate your watermelons.

Watermelons are also prone to heavy rains. This is so because heavy rains fasten the crop’s growth, thus accumulating many leaves while reducing flowering and hence producing poor yields in the long run for you.

Click here to buy or inquire about watermelons in Uganda

Types of watermelons found in Uganda

There are basically four types of watermelons grown in Uganda or locally. These are:
Sukaali F1-Africa, Sukaali F1 Kenya – Nairobi (locally nicknamed as “Zebra”), Raha Uganda and Chairman-Uganda. The most popular and paying type is Zebra.

Our Conclusion

Well, there you are. With watermelon, even without distant buyers, there is ready market. Fruits usually cost sh 1,000 and sh 2,500 to local traders, who then sell them in towns, open markets and growing centers. Still on the local market, watermelons are sold sh 1,500 and sh 3,000 per fruit, depending on the quality.

Click here to buy or inquire about watermelons in Uganda