A village in Nghe An earns billions from cucumbers thanks to creative growing methods.

Cucumber is currently the main crop in the winter crop production of Phan villagers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Winter cropThis year, Mrs. Phan Thi Thu's family (Phan village, Hung Tan commune) planted 2.5 sao of cucumbers. Since the beginning of the season, her family has harvested 4-5 crops with a yield of 600 kg of fruit. With the field price of 20,000 VND/kg, her family earned about 12 million VND. If they harvested until the end of the season, it is estimated to reach about 13-14 million VND. After deducting expenses, 2.5 sao of cucumbers still earn a profit of about 10 million VND, which is a remarkable income compared to other crops.

Urgently harvesting to be able to supply to traders who are waiting to buy in the field, Mr. Nguyen Trong Thinh said that this crop, he only worked on 1.5 sao, the estimated yield was about 2.5 - 3 quintals/sao. As soon as the harvest was finished, traders and people bought it all, the price of cucumbers fluctuated from 17,000 - 20,000 VND/kg.

People have a very creative way of growing melons without trellis, using stubble to keep the plants moist. Photo: Thanh Phuc

“In 4 years of growing cucumbers, I have never had to worry about output. I harvest as much as I can and sell it right in the field, without having to go to retail markets, and the price is stable,” said Mr. Thinh.

Previously, onPhan village areaAfter the summer-autumn harvest, people switch to winter production with the main crop being squash. However, this crop requires a lot of care, and the consumption market is unstable. There are years when sales are slow, so people switch to experimental cucumber cultivation.

Catching worms on melons early in the morning. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In addition to the advantages of being easy to grow, not picky about soil, having few pests and diseases and growing in a short period, the people of Phan village have been very creative in growing cucumbers without a trellis, saving effort, saving costs and making use of the land, so the economic efficiency is much higher.

Accordingly, after harvesting the summer-autumn rice, people only need to plow, turn the soil into ridges and then plant seeds. On the ridges, the soil is still intact, the stubble keeps the melon plants moist, limits weeds, and helps the melons avoid direct contact with the soil, preventing them from rotting or waterlogging.

Planting melons in rows and rows also helps retain water for irrigation and drain water more easily. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Ms. Hung Hung, a melon grower in Phan village, said: “If we build a trellis for the melons, it will cost an additional 1.5 - 2 million VND per sao for bamboo, and building the trellis is also elaborate; it takes work to prepare the soil, make beds, and mound the roots. On the other hand, building a trellis and making a vine for the melons to climb on will take up land area, so productivity will decrease.”

Initially, only a few households did the pilot, but now, after seeing the outstanding results, the people of Phan village have applied it widely. In the fields of Phan village, for the past 3 years, people have been growing cucumbers without trellises and the area is increasingly expanding.

Thanks to good care and proper techniques, the melons give high yields. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Phan Dang Minh - Vice Chairman of Hung Tan Commune People's Committee said: "The whole commune has 12 hectares of winter cucumbers, mainly concentrated in Phan village; the economic value is more than 2 billion VND/crop.

During the recent flood, the entire cucumber field in Phan village was submerged in water, but the people actively mobilized 2 pumps to pump water for 7 days and nights to save the cucumbers; many households even painstakingly "carried" the cucumbers from low places to high places to avoid flooding by digging up the whole gourd and moving it from the field to the bank, waiting for the water to recede and the soil to dry before replanting it in the old location. Therefore, despite the unfavorable conditions of extreme weather, the productivity, output and economic value of cucumbers did not decrease.

Field workshop on winter cucumber crop 2022 in Phan village field. Photo: CSCC

In particular, the “secret” to Phan village cucumbers being harvested and consumed, without worrying about unsold products or output issues, is that the villagers work together towards clean production. “We follow the recommendations of the commune agricultural officers when spraying pesticides. When the cucumbers start to flower until harvest, we stop spraying pesticides, only catch worms manually and limit harmful insects with herbal traps. Therefore, ensuring the safety of the cucumbers, for the growers themselves, and being well received by the market. The village cucumbers are mainly sold to acquaintances, "ordered" by the children of the village in other places,” said Ms. Phan Thi Thu./.