Cucumber business: profitability and production technology. Cucumber Growing Business Plan

Own business can be based not only on the rental of premises, the sale of goods, but also on their own production. In this regard, the most attractive business for cucumbers, as food always finds a buyer. To understand all the nuances, you should get acquainted with the agricultural technology of growing vegetables, with the conditions necessary for them and calculate the return on production. It is also very important to study the market and the demand for the products you are planning to produce.

Financial expenses

Undoubtedly, any business begins with consideration of those costs which its implementation will require. In the case of entrepreneurial activities related to the cultivation of vegetables, there may be different options.

For example, if this is a single greenhouse on a personal garden plot, and you are acting without a legal entity, this is one option. Another, if you are planning a large and profitable production, in which additional personnel will be involved, several capital greenhouses are built and land is rented. The second option, of course, will require more expenses, but the result will be more tangible.

When compiling a business plan for growing cucumbers, one must take into account tax deductions and payment of bank loans. In order to organize just one greenhouse with an area of ​​three hundred and fifty square meters, approximately nine hundred thousand rubles will be required.

When planning your own business, it is necessary to lay the minimum costs in it and take into account the income so that it covers all expenses and makes a profit. But it should always be borne in mind that the overproduction of goods should not be allowed. In this case, you cannot successfully implement it and incur losses. Since vegetables quickly lose their presentation and deteriorate.

Land and conditions for growing vegetables

First of all, take care of the land. It can be rented or acquired in personal ownership. The second option is preferable. Before buying, you need to consider the availability of communications (water, electricity, gas), access roads. Only after that you can think about ways to grow vegetables indoors.

Cucumbers are considered unpretentious plants. But in fact, this is not entirely true. Yes, they will bear fruit beautifully and plentifully if all the necessary conditions are created for them. And this is a well-fertilized soil, permissible moisture level, temperature.

If any of these requirements are not met, then you can lose a significant part of the crop. Therefore, vegetables of the closed ground are most suitable for organizing a private farm. The construction of the greenhouse will require additional costs, but it will provide optimal development conditions for plants. It can maintain a constant temperature. Cucumbers are very thermophilic. At the same time, the degree of illumination is not important for them. Therefore, specially constructed greenhouses are fully suitable for their breeding.

Plants are planted in pre-made holes or grooves. Close the seeds into the ground three to four centimeters deep. Between plants, the distance should be from twelve to fifteen centimeters. Since this vegetable crop forms long lashes, they are recommended to be placed on wooden trellises with twine stretched over them. After the fourth leaf is formed on the bushes, they must be pinched. Then the side shoots will begin to develop.

A well-designed business plan for growing cucumbers should take into account all possible risks associated with the cultivation of vegetables. These include weather conditions. To protect plants from diseases and pests, the cost of preventive measures to prevent these phenomena should be included in the estimate. For example, apply treatment with herbicides and fungicides.

The best option for growing cucumbers is to purchase coconut mats for greenhouses that allow you to create the best conditions for growing vegetables. Floors made of natural materials are laid on boards made of polystyrene. Plant seeds are planted in mats and a nutrient solution is supplied. Subsequently, the root system of cucumber bushes develops inside them.

Greenhouse construction

Experts and farmers-practitioners, those who have already managed this very effective business, will tell how to make a cucumber business. But in order to ensure its prosperity, one must take care of the construction of the greenhouse. The best option is to purchase ready-made designs.

In capital greenhouses made of polycarbonate, everything has already been taken into account: size, ease of installation, lighting. They need to lay all engineering systems: watering, fertilizers. Install heating to maintain a constant temperature in the greenhouse and electric lighting. When erecting a structure, it is necessary to take into account all the most advanced ideas of crop production. Apply energy-saving technology.

Acquisition of planting material

Vegetable seeds must be purchased from trusted suppliers, in breeding companies. Do not get involved in products of foreign manufacturers. Seeds bred in other climates may show insufficient germination, which will damage your business. Therefore, we must give preference to the planting material, which is developed and developed by local specialists.

For breeding in the greenhouse, both pure cucumber varieties and F1 hybrids are suitable. The latter varieties have proven themselves very well. The farm will require the purchase of large quantities of seeds. For their purchase, you can lay the amount of 1600 rubles.

Fertilizers

Like all plants, cucumbers require top dressing. This is especially important during their landing. Compost and humus will be required. Superphosphate, potassium sulfate are also used. When preparing a business plan for growing cucumbers, one must take into account the cost of purchasing fertilizers. Their volume should be calculated depending on the cultivated area of ​​landings.

Add top dressing to the ground, cleared of weeds, well loosened. What good cucumbers are - they give a quick result (increase in growth, fruiting) after the bed is fertilized. Even chicken manure previously diluted with water will do. If the area where the plants are located is large enough, then automation will be required to process it. This also applies to the supply of fertilizers to each bush.

Watering

Plants are very demanding on moisture, so cucumbers should be regularly watered. However, do not be too zealous. Excess moisture is fraught with the occurrence of diseases. In the same fatal way, a sharp drop in temperature in the greenhouse can affect. Lack of watering will affect the taste of cucumbers. They will have bitterness.

In a fully constructed greenhouse, you can equip a special automatic irrigation installation. It is controlled by remote control. At the same time, a microdropper is supplied to each plant so that the moisture is uniform. One hectare will require three hundred cubic liters of water. In addition, a fogging system will be required in a construction where vegetables grow. There should be water tanks in the greenhouse.

Acquainted with the proposed plan, you can conclude that the cultivation of cucumbers as a business is quite suitable even for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Varieties of cucumbers

The variety of vegetable crops is amazing. For breeding in open ground, it is better to choose self-pollinated varieties or to put a beehive in a greenhouse.Since the plants can have female and male flowers. Four to five bee colonies are enough per hectare of planting.

The cultivation of Chinese cucumbers is suitable for cultivation on an industrial scale, since this variety has a number of undeniable advantages. First of all, the fruits grow very quickly, and their size is impressive. One cucumber is enough to feed the whole family. The fruits of this variety are good for fresh consumption and for canning. After harvesting, the number of fruits in the bushes increases, which also attracts farmers.

Among the features of caring for plants of this variety, mention may be made of dressing with fresh manure, pouring with warm water, and removing yellowed leaves. Recommended growing Chinese cucumbers on a trellis. After harvesting, you need to sell products as soon as possible, since on the second day Zelentsy lose their presentation and their taste is worsened.

On the farm, plant varieties are welcomed whose fruits are well stored and tolerate transportation. These are the cucumber Gunnar. The technology for growing it does not differ from the method described above. It is suitable for early planting in greenhouses. The hybrid variety. The bush is open, compact. Fruits are cylindrical in length, can reach from twelve to fourteen centimeters.

Harvesting

Greenhouse cultivation of vegetables allows you to harvest throughout the year, as the necessary microclimate is created for plants, they do not suffer from external weather conditions. Therefore, it is quite possible for a farmer to shoot a large number of cucumbers. Moreover, the collection of vegetables in the winter provides more profit than the summer harvest.

Begin to collect fruits fifty days after the end of their flowering with an interval of two days. Harvesting can take place either manually or using special equipment. For example, they use the POU-2, PNSSh-12, UPNS-10, TNA-40 platforms. Products must comply with GOST, depending on the purpose. Fruits that are intended for canning should have a length of up to 11 cm, and for direct fresh consumption - from 14 to 25 cm.

Staff recruitment

A novice entrepreneur, having built one greenhouse, can cope with it independently or with one assistant. If you plan to expand the business, then four to six people will be required (depending on the cultivated area with plantings).

So, for example, if the area of ​​a greenhouse is one hectare, then a manager, one technologist and three or four workers will be required to work in it.

The business plan for growing cucumbers necessarily includes such an item as the working hours of employees and their salary. Of course, your workers must have an agricultural education and be well versed in the agricultural technology of vegetables.

Product sales

After harvesting, it is necessary to ensure the sale of vegetables. To do this, you must conclude an agreement with retail outlets or food industry enterprises. You can also sell products in bulk at agro-exchanges. Vegetable prices must vary depending on the crop and season.

Business profitability

The choice of products for growing is the main aspect of developing a business plan. Cucumbers fit perfectly. After all, this vegetable crop does not require large expenditures, it develops very effectively in closed ground and allows you to get a plentiful harvest. Therefore, the profitability of growing cucumbers in a greenhouse is very high. Your vegetable production will start to generate income very quickly.