Greenhouse farming

Willy    Jun 2, 2015

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my dear lenders for granting me this chance to boost my agricultural business. I am writing this to try and kindly request for a change of my Installment due to some of the challenges am facing at the moment. My business has dropped down in the market demand and am kindly asking for Zidisha team to help change my repayment schedule. Zidisha has really boosted my business and in a months time I will be fine.

Sammy    Jun 1, 2015

Dear Lenders,
My names are Sammy Kanja,VM Rongai, Nakuru.Mr.Njau lived about 70km from my native,we have been communicating several times regarding this matter.Nderitu has been responding very well and he is willing to make his repayment as soon as he overcome his challenges.
Thanks in advance,
Sammy.

Willy    May 15, 2015

I am so thank you all for your support.

Willy    Mar 31, 2014

I have been facing some greenhouse challenges and am willing to propose grace period.Some of the challenges am facing is the cost of most of the things am applying in the greenhouse, management and pest and diseases. It is a challenge because need to increase securities in order to secure bank loans.This is because my small scale greenhouse is prone to the risk of overheating easily when the sun is too hot. It can also condense when the temperatures drop, but i am working hard to have the proper management of these conditions by planning to have large scale green housing to use technical equipment to control such conditions, right now i am working all i can to be the manger of such conditions.

Willy    Dec 4, 2013

The green house business is a very profitable business considering that Nakuru is a dry area and green vegetables are at times hard to get.mostly l pant all types of greens and tomatoes that l sell to the wholesalers in town and my neighbors in the Estate.on a good month l am able to make ks 20,000 as net profit.l buy the seedlings from the company that l plant and later transplant to my greenhouse.though the business has many challenges such as weather condition that is at times to the extreme l try to plant the resistant seedlings to avoid losses.also at times the prices changes due to the demand in the market and l do plant many varieties so as to capitalize on the sales and avoid poor prices.if my application is successful l will use the money to expand the green house which will enable me to have more produce that will result to increased income.

Willy    Dec 4, 2013

The green house business is a very profitable business considering that Nakuru is a dry area and green vegetables are at times hard to get.mostly l pant all types of greens and tomatoes that l sell to the wholesalers in town and my neighbors in the Estate.on a good month l am able to make ks 20,000 as net profit.l buy the seedlings from the company that l plant and later transplant to my greenhouse.though the business has many challenges such as weather condition that is at times to the extreme l try to plant the resistant seedlings to avoid losses.also at times the prices changes due to the demand in the market and l do plant many varieties so as to capitalize on the sales and avoid poor prices.if my application is successful l will use the money to expand the green house which will enable me to have more produce that will result to increased income.

Willy    Nov 18, 2013

In my greenhouse here in Nakuru, tomato plants are out of the rain, also temperatures won’t drop so low at night. The combination of wet leaves and cold temperatures for more than a day or two, will have a serious effect on a tomato plant’s health. This is owing to blight and the many other fungal diseases waiting to strike plants that are both wet and cold. Thats the reason i prefer adding another greenhouse with the profits and support i get from this loans.
When a tomato plant growing outside has wet leaves, it is unable to absorb water through its roots, therefore, the nutrients that the water carries, is not taken up by the plant. It then goes hungry and is more vulnerable to diseases. In contrast, a plant grown in a greenhouse with dry leaves, will be able to absorb nutrients whenever it wishes and will grow at a more consistent rate.
Temperatures fluctuate less widely inside than those outside in the garden, so this will also aid steady growth and encourage pollination and flower set. Getting flowers to set fruit can be a real problem if it gets too cold at night.
A greenhouse also has the benefit of being able to shade tomatoes from direct sunlight. This may seem rather strange – shielding plants from the sun! However, some tomato varieties, especially those that originate from cooler climates, such as many of the black varieties, prefer diffused sunlight on a hot summer’s day. So setting up a sheet of garden fleece, or using some other means of shading between the hot sun and seedlings, is easy. The ability to control temperatures in a greenhouse enables optimum plant growth. We all know that tomato plants like warm conditions, but warm conditions enable plants to feed regularly. When temperatures are too low, nutrients are unable to be absorbed, so cold plants are also hungry plants – just like wet plants are hungry plants!
Of course, good ventilation is necessary to avoid high humidity and condensation. Tomato plants need good air circulation and if doors are closed on a greenhouse full of tomato plants, they will soon use up the carbon dioxide in the air and their growth will slow down.I am so much thankful to have this new hope from your team.

Willy    Nov 18, 2013

I have been facing some greenhouse challenges and am willing to propose grace period.Some of the challenges am facing is the cost of most of the things am applying in the greenhouse, management and pest and diseases. It is a challenge because need to increase securities in order to secure bank loans.This is because my small scale greenhouse is prone to the risk of overheating easily when the sun is too hot. It can also condense when the temperatures drop, but i am working hard to have the proper management of these conditions by planning to have large scale green housing to use technical equipment to control such conditions, right now i am working all i can to be the manger of such conditions.

Willy    Oct 22, 2013

I have been facing some greenhouse challenges and am willing to propose grace period.Some of the challenges am facing is the cost of most of the things am applying in the greenhouse, management and pest and diseases. It is a challenge because need to increase securities in order to secure bank loans.This is because my small scale greenhouse is prone to the risk of overheating easily when the sun is too hot. It can also condense when the temperatures drop, but i am working hard to have the proper management of these conditions by planning to have large scale green housing to use technical equipment to control such conditions, right now i am working all i can to be the manger of such conditions.

Willy    Sep 6, 2013

In my greenhouse here in Nakuru, tomato plants are out of the rain, also temperatures won’t drop so low at night. The combination of wet leaves and cold temperatures for more than a day or two, will have a serious effect on a tomato plant’s health. This is owing to blight and the many other fungal diseases waiting to strike plants that are both wet and cold. Thats the reason i prefer adding another greenhouse with the profits and support i get from this loans.
When a tomato plant growing outside has wet leaves, it is unable to absorb water through its roots, therefore, the nutrients that the water carries, is not taken up by the plant. It then goes hungry and is more vulnerable to diseases. In contrast, a plant grown in a greenhouse with dry leaves, will be able to absorb nutrients whenever it wishes and will grow at a more consistent rate.
Temperatures fluctuate less widely inside than those outside in the garden, so this will also aid steady growth and encourage pollination and flower set. Getting flowers to set fruit can be a real problem if it gets too cold at night.
A greenhouse also has the benefit of being able to shade tomatoes from direct sunlight. This may seem rather strange – shielding plants from the sun! However, some tomato varieties, especially those that originate from cooler climates, such as many of the black varieties, prefer diffused sunlight on a hot summer’s day. So setting up a sheet of garden fleece, or using some other means of shading between the hot sun and seedlings, is easy. The ability to control temperatures in a greenhouse enables optimum plant growth. We all know that tomato plants like warm conditions, but warm conditions enable plants to feed regularly. When temperatures are too low, nutrients are unable to be absorbed, so cold plants are also hungry plants – just like wet plants are hungry plants!
Of course, good ventilation is necessary to avoid high humidity and condensation. Tomato plants need good air circulation and if doors are closed on a greenhouse full of tomato plants, they will soon use up the carbon dioxide in the air and their growth will slow down.I am so much thankful to have this new hope from your team.

Willy    Sep 6, 2013

I Pollinate the flowers everyday while it is warm and humid. Ideally, the humidity will be 65 to 70 percent. I usually do this between 11:30am and 12:30pm (basically noon) when these conditions occur naturally. For me, early and late day pollination often will not produce proper crops. The tomato flower consist of two parts. The male anthers will drop the pollen. The female carpels will catch the pollen. Most male anthers produce their pollen on the outsides of the anthers, making it easy to release pollen into the wind for pollination. In the tomato plant, however, pollen is produced internally, as if trapped in a straw. This is the biggest problem for tomato pollination. The plant needs vibration at the right frequency, such as the buzzing of a bees wings, to dislodge and release the pollen. I am intending now to buy and take an electric toothbrush to each support truss and main branch with the next loan from zidisha team. The more pollen to successfully fertilize the plant, the more seeds will be produced in the fruit (and therefore the meatier the tomato will be). Larger tomato growing operations should consider bees for pollination.
Flowering plants need stronger light to grow properly developed fruit.I have Learnt about high pressure sodium lighting if any have any doubts. Also, i always use a little lime in the transplant soil to prevent blossom end rot. A dose of Cal-Mag once my tomatoes have fruit set would not be a bad idea. Finally, the vines that grow from leaf axials are called suckers, and should be pruned off throughout flowering. They suck up food that would normally be used to grow nice tomatoes, and in 60 to 80 days you should be enjoying some homemade spaghetti sauce yourself!

Willy    Jul 31, 2013

I am glad to have met the Zidisha team to help me increase my production through my extended greenhouse project as there are some advantages of this project like:-

Ability to control temperature
The greenhouse design lets light in, and when this light is absorbed by objects inside the greenhouse and turns to heat energy, it is not permitted to escape. The air temperature in the greenhouse will exceed the outside temperature. If it gets too hot, all you have to do is open up some of the ventilation panels (or just open the door, depending on the design) and the temperature will drop. Greenhouses are able to regulate temperatures; temperature fluctuations can stress plants and slow growth.

Ability to control pests
As most greenhouses have a pretty good covering over all the structure, pests can't get in as easily as they could if your plants were just out in the open. This also applies to seeds and even pollen from unwanted plants (such as weeds).

Ability to control humidity
The air-tight covering on a greenhouse causes it to become quite hot and humid inside during the day time. The moisture evaporating from the soil, and the moisture given off by photosynthesizing plants (transpiration) fills the air. Once the air is very humid, it becomes harder for plants to lose water through evaporation, and likewise with the soil. This helps to keep everything from drying out on a hot sunny day. Therefore, it is essential to have air circulation to exhaust excessive humidity and regulate air exchange.

Stealth
Nosey neighbors will have their view obstructed by your greenhouse if you choose to use slightly shaded glass/plastic, which still lets enough light through for strong plant growth, but is opaque enough as to obscure vision from the outside.

Protects your plants from adverse weather conditions
Storms can't blow your plants over and tear them to shreds when they're safely inside your greenhouse! Also helps protect plants in areas where frosts are common.

Excessive fall rain can cause powdery mildew and mold that can effect the final crop.

Willy    Jul 30, 2013

Zidisha has enabled me to grow plants in greenhouses and extend my growing season by starting seeds earlier in the season than i could start them outdoors. At the end of the season, plants will survive longer inside the greenhouse than those subject to frost outdoors.As a Gardener i will extend the season by controlling the light, temperature and moisture inside the greenhouse. I will choose the quality and quantity of natural light in the greenhouse with the placement of the greenhouse on the property, as well by choosing glazing material. As the gardeners of The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Extension Service note, "the primary concern is for the maximum quantity, duration and uniform availability of solar radiation for plant growth." I will be able now to control greenhouse temperatures with sensors that measure the temperature, heaters to raise the temperature and fans and vents to lower the temperature through the progress from Zidisha team. I want to provide the right amount of moisture for the plants by watering and raising and lowering the humidity levels; in much the same way as the temperature.I now can grow a wider variety of plants than i might otherwise be able to grow outside of the greenhouse environment.An enclosed greenhouse helps gardeners protect plants from predators and pests, including squirrels, moles and deer. While some smaller pests, in particular rodents, may be able to enter through vents, windows and open doors, the problem is much less severe within the confines of a greenhouse than on the outside. I am looking forward to take additional measures to try to guard against garden pests with screens and traps. Greenhouses without a solid floor may need greater protection to keep out burrowing pests.

Willy    Jul 26, 2013

I am growing various kinds of greenhouse plants such as tomatoes,cucumber,onion, at the greenhouse on my farm. This project has exposed me to the importance of offering Agricultural Education students opportunities that will get them involved and outside of the classroom. The demands of growing anything in a greenhouse are regimented, concise, and require responsible students. The Greenhouse project would be a valuable experience even to a novice. There is positive research in the effect of the use of greenhouse projects in secondary agricultural education. According to Agriculturalists Successful student performance requires the appropriate learning environment. In agricultural education, this environment may be a specialized laboratory such as an agricultural mechanics shop, school farm, biotechnology laboratory, computer technology center, or greenhouse laboratory facility.The use of a greenhouse project will help students feel a sense of accomplishment by their classmates, faculty, and staff especially if the project is profitable for the school and or Ag-Ed organization. The visible outcome of the greenhouse project will be a beautiful reminder of the students’ dedication and potential to want to participate in future agriculture projects. To learn how to grow plants and food enriches the students’ lives, and exposes then to economic sustainability. The conditions for working in a greenhouse are not ideal for everyone, and I would anticipate some students would not like this project. There are several factors that could drive the students away from a greenhouse such as, temperatures, daily/weekly watering, planting, presence and commitment.

Overall the students benefit highly from greenhouse projects because it gives them ownership and independence to be able to work in small groups or alone. The work involved in a student greenhouse project could be an excellent catalyst for exposing student to their own leadership potential.

Willy    Jul 11, 2013

Simple actions from the zidisha team moves the world everyday... I received the full support to my greenhouse project and now am moving on how to grow food, build shelter, and deal with the waste of the GreenHouse Project, which applies a holistic approach to the town's challenges, integrating green building and design, efficient and renewable energy, recycling and organic farming and nutrition.