Pumpkin growing earns him Shs3.2 m in a season

Low returns and regular losses on cabbage led him to an alternative crop with better prospects. Jimmy Kigongo told Fred Muzaale how he discovered pumpkins.

I am Jimmy Kigongo, a resident of Kiziika village, Nazigo Sub-county, Kayunga District. I am a commercial farmer whose business is growing of pumpkins.

My involvement with pumpkin started in 2006 after I stopped growing cabbages because I lost almost the entire crop to the cabbage rot disease. There was also the issue of low prices for the vegetable on the market and so I earned very little from them.

At that time, I had grown cabbages on an acre of land. I was expecting about Shs6m but because of the rot disease and low prices, I ended up getting only Shs450,000.
This frustrated me and I decided to switch to pumpkins after I was told by friends that the crop did not only have a ready market but that there were no major diseases that attack it.

First seeds
That same year, after visiting a pumpkin farmer in Kangulumira Sub-county and getting tips on how to grow the crop, I decided to give it a try and since then I have never regretted. I started with half an acre.

First, I got pumpkin seeds from another farmer, which I planted directly in the garden. I got the seeds from that farmer because I had been told that, in most cases, seeds sold by agro shops do not produce good quality pumpkins despite their big size.
After about three weeks when the seeds had germinated, I applied fertilisers like urea and Super Grow, which maintains the green colour of the leaves. This enable the plants to grow well even during a long drought since the plant can manufacture its own food.

I also used cow dung and chicken droppings in the garden as fertilisers to increase the soil fertility. But the pumpkins should be sprayed with Super Grow up to the stage when they are flowering.

Natural means
This is because if the fertiliser is applied when the crop has brought out the pumpkins, the fruits accumulate a lot of water and become watery inside, which makes them lose taste.
Animal urine can also be applied to the plant to keep pests away. Or one can mix tobacco leaves and pepper with water and apply this mixture to the leaves.

This would cut the cost of buying pesticides as well as the risk of using them. Within four months my pumpkins matured and I sold them to traders, who come all the way from Kenya, and from Kampala and other towns to buy different kinds of produce.

First earnings
I sold each big pumpkin at Shs800 and a small one at Shs500. At the end of the harvest I had got about Shs4.5m. After earning this kind of money, which I had never got while I was growing cabbages, I was pleased and decided to expand the area for pumpkins in my garden. This time I planted one acre of pumpkins using seeds I had saved from the previous harvest. But this time I had known what varieties were most preferred by traders and consumers.

Following season
So, I planted the green pumpkin variety, which has white spots. This variety is liked by consumers because they are not only tasty but its soft outer shell can also be eaten unlike the other varieties whose shell is thrown away because it is very hard.

From that one acre I earned about Shs8m in the following four months. I would have got more than this amount if the pumpkins had matured during a season when there was limited supply on the market.

Not labour intensive
I have built a house and also opened up a retail shop using the proceeds from selling pumpkins. I have also been able to pay school fees for my children from this pumpkin business.
Currently, I am preparing a two-acre piece of land where I am planning to grow pumpkins for the coming season.
Because pumpkin growing is not labour-intensive, I do not have to hire workers to work in my garden. I only use family labour during times of planting, weeding and harvesting.
When the pumpkins have fully grown, I do not have to weed them as the plant controls the growth of weeds by suppressing them.

Market
The market for pumpkin is ever there so I do not have to look for buyers though during high supply of the pumpkins on the market, traders tend to offer lower prices. But even during such seasons, the money I get is equally enough to cater for my needs, the home and what is required on the farm.
Pumpkins do not have many diseases but pests like wasps attack the fruit and pierce small holes in them. The fissures in most cases cause pumpkin to rot. But to control such pests, I spray them with insecticides.

Future plans
My future plan is to start a dairy project with three Friesian cows using money I will get from selling pumpkins this season. I also want to develop my retail shop into a wholesale business to diversify sources of income and to increase the total earnings.

I want also to go Kawanda Agricultural Research Station so that I can learn more about pumpkin growing to better my business because I have discovered that pumpkin growing is profitable if done properly.

Expert take :
Soil preparation
Pumpkins do well in fertile soils with good drainage. If the soil is not fertile, consider putting compost manure in the holes where you will plant the seeds.

Planting
Dig a hole 3ft deep then plant seeds (at least four) in the hole. The seeds will germinate between seven to 14 days.

Mulching the area around the stem of the plant will help it to retain water. Do not plant pumpkins on land with trees as this would create shadows in the garden, which are not good for pumpkin growth. These shadows, which come from shielding the sunlight, will make pumpkins become less tasty.

Avoid spraying fertilisers directly on pumpkin fruits as this would make them less tasty and very watery inside.

Weeding
Since the pumpkin vines suppress weed growth, the few weeds in the garden should just be uprooted by hand. Using a hoe might damage the vines. Weeding should be performed when the crop and weeds are young to reduce crop damage and allow the use of hoeing. Removal of large weeds with extensive root systems may damage crop roots or vines.

Harvesting
Pumpkins should be harvested at three to four months when they are mature. Fruit colour can aid in harvest decisions. Many pumpkins have different characteristic colours at maturity. Know the species and/or variety you are growing to know what colour it should have at maturity. For example, many pumpkin varieties will have a bright orange colour at maturity, but, depending on the variety, colour can be green, white, red or brown.

Mr James Rwebikire
Naads Coordinator
Kayunga District