Beans benefits
Beans is rated among the staple food in Kenya after Maize. Most farmers practice healthy beans farming in kenya. Beans are legumes with many importance ranging from economic value to health and nutrition value.
It would be cheaper if you would plant your own. Don’t know how? Don’t worry I will take you through on healthy beans farming in Kenya shortly.
Beans offers proteins to the body and also beans are the most in demand in schools and markets raising its economic value.
There are many varieties of beans grown in Kenya which include
Rose Coco,Wairimu, Canadian w and Mwitemania among others.
Beans is mostly grown in Highlands, Rift valley,Western nyanza and central are among the areas grown.
Beans also offers nitrogen to the soil and requires minimum care during farming.
Planting process
Healthy beans farming in kenya is quite easy. It is important to note that beans can be Inter cropped with other plants like maize.
Land is cultivated and Harrowed to produce a fine texture of soil, the planting season of beans is also at the onset of rains.
Certified seeds which are disease-free are used. Wrinkled and damaged seeds should be avoided. Seeds are planted on 2seeds per hill at the depth of 1 to 2 inches.
Germination of the bean plant is at five to seven days according to the seed variety and environmental factors.
Caring for the bean plants is by spraying with favorable treatment, it is advisable to visit the various agricultural stores in your county for advice on the suitable treatment for the beans pests and diseases.
Also the bean plant should be added the DAP fertilizers during planting. Manure from the farm can also be applied to the soil and mixed before planting.
After the beans have stayed for 4 to 5 weeks after germination top-dressing should be done with CAN.
Basic care of the bean plant include:
Weeding: this ensures that the bean plants grow properly without competition for nutrients with weeds.
Harvesting process
Bean harvesting is done after 80 to 130 days after sowing depending on the seed variety.
To know if the bean plant is ready for harvesting the leaves should have turned brown and also the bean pods should have fully developed and dry, if not completely dry they can be harvested and dried under the sun to remove moisture.
Bean plants are completely uprooted if more pods are fully mature,afterwards the pods are split to expose the beans.
Beans harvested are properly stored to prevent storage pests actellic super insecticide is important to prevent storage pests.
Dried beans can be consumed or sold also note that beans should not be stored directly on the floor.
Also read:
- Healthy banana farming in Kenya
- Healthy potato planting in Kenya
- Maize farming in Kenya and it’s economic potential
- Cypress trees growing and it’s economic potential in Kenya
- Healthy tomato planting in Kenya
Important farm practices tips
weeding: This is getting rid of unwanted plants that grows alongside planted crops and compete with them for nutrients and water, they also harbour pest and diseases which might be harmful to plants and also reducing the yields.
Nutrition: nutrients helps plants in good growth and high yields there are various fertilizers types that can be added to plants, they include the basal,foliar through the macro and micro nutrient elements
Basal fertilizers; these are available in Argostores countrywide they include DAP,CAN,NPK and UREA.
Manure; these are nutrition added to soil to increase nutrients they include animal droppings and decomposed Waste from grass and plant waste.
sheep goats and cows waste can be dried to make manure then added to soil to add nutrition decomposed waste can also be added to the soil to provide maximum nutrition to plants.
manure is widely used and available in Kenya with cheap price.
Irrigation:this is a common practice by farmers especially in areas that receive minimum or no rainfall at all. It has proved to be an effective method in crop production especially in semi-arid areas like Perkerra irrigation scheme in Marigat area Kenya. High-yielding crops are produced in this area with irrigation practice.
Types of irrigation method include.
- Drip irrigation
- Canal irrigation
- Overhead irrigation
Mulching: this is a practice of adding materials like grass Waste or husks on nursery beds or on top of root seedlings covered by soil after planting.
Mulching helps to conserve moisture in the soil as it reduces evaporation of water from the soil, mulching helps to suppress weeds also. When mulching is done soil gets exposed to minimal sunlight hence discourages the growth of unwanted plants called weeds.
This practice is effective on nursery beds and newly transplanted crops.
Pruning: some plants develop Overgrown branches, buds and also yellow or withered leaves, it is important to pluck off these leaves and branches to make a clean plantation and also to reduce infection to other leaves which may occur with infected or withered leaves.
