A series on creating extra income streams cannot be complete without a post about my favourite side hustle; farming. I don’t really need to make a case for farming on here, I believe it’s quite obvious. Food doesn’t go out of fashion, everyone eats from the rich to the poor, and as a country, we are a net importer of food.

Before you run to the nearest hardware shop for a hoe though, spare a few minutes and read this. It’s not everything you need to know about farming, but it might help you some. This post is in form of answers to the questions I’ve been asked over the 11 of so years I’ve been farming on and off.

1. Is there money in farming? This question I get mostly from gentlemen. They want me to cut to the chase, and tell them whether they will double their money after a season or two if they decide to take the plunge. If you’ve ever considered farming, I’m sure you have some projections. If it’s greenhouse, you know it will cost you Kshs 250,000 to construct and within the first 6 months you will have reaped Kshs 450,000 or thereabouts depending on tomato prices right? Well, wrong. Do me a favour, double the costs, halve the revenues, and make that 1 or 2 years, not 6 months. Farming is profitable, very profitable, but like any other business, you have to be patient.

In addition to patience, you must have a passion for it. How do you establish whether you have enough passion to take it on? Imagine one morning you get to the farm, your tomatoes need spraying, pruning or weeding urgently, and your farm worker has absconded work (workers do this all the time!). Will you pick that sprayer and do it yourself? If not, stop reading this post, try another hustle.

I’m not sure it’s Bibilical (Genesis 3:19), but from experience, farming is the hardest business venture to get into, but if you have passion for it, then there’s money for you.

2. Are greenhouses as profitable? What crops are grown in greenhouses? In Kenya, we love hot things. Greenhouses are hot at the moment, everyone’s constructing or planning to construct a greenhouse. Even I have a greenhouse (or a semblance of one). Well, the reason greenhouses are considered better than open farming is they keep out disease causing organisms and pests, protect your crops, and the polythene holds in heat which means your crops mature faster. When harvesting, the fruits are protected from birds and insects. Overall, greenhouses produce healthier vegetables, because you use less chemicals, and you’re able to harvest for longer.

Yes. Greenhouses are quite profitable. From experience, the best crops to grow in a greenhouse are tomatoes, yellow and red capsicum and English cucumbers. For the coloured capsicum, the greenhouse is the only option if you want a flawless harvest actually, as the fruits are quite attractive to birds and pests.

However, before investing in a greenhouse, you need to do several things:

First, ensure you have a steady all year water supply. One way to optimise on greenhouse production is to have various crops all year round.

Secondly, conduct a soil test to ensure that the soil is condusive for the crops you plan to grow. The reason this is particularly important if you’re using a greenhouse is if you make a mistake and construct on unsuitable soil, you can’t move it around. I learnt this the hard way. Soil tests are done at KARI and Cooper Kenya in Nairobi. Local agricultural extension officers can advise on this. A cheap ‘soil test’ is to visit neighbouring farms, and assess what they’re growing, and how well the crops are doing.

Visiting other farmers is very important, as farming is a collaborative, not a competitive sport. You need others who have been there to advise, and in turn, you will advise the next generation of farmers.

Thirdly, conduct a water test. Some bacterium that affect crops is water borne I have learnt. For example the deadly bacteria wilt can be transmitted through the water you use. This will help you evaluate whether you need to treat the water, or which strain of vegetables to grow. Some diseases like the wilt are incurable and could ruin your entire crop. Again, a lesson I learnt the hard way.

Next post we answer more farming questions, but in the meantime if you have a question please leave a comment and I will attempt to give an experiential answer.

Have you ever tried farming? What was your experience?