A village in Nyeri, thriving on beetroot farming

A village in Nyeri, thriving on beetroot farming

For  a long time, Kenyans have been consuming blended juices, consciously or unconsciously of the ingredients used in the drink. Some take it to quench their thirst, others take it for nutritional value, while others take it for leisure. Furthermore, fruit vendors have gone a notch higher not only in selling the fruits to the people, but preparing fruits salad which is a combination of various types of fruits.

 

A walk in the streets of Nairobi, one wonders in seeing groups of individuals flocking at grocers or a fruit vendors either seated or standing holding disposable plates or glasses just to have a taste.

 

One such fruit on the menu of the blended juice or fruit salad is beetroot, this is usually the red pigment in the juice or a few succulent slices of grated red fruit in the salad which serve as coloring appetizer.

 

In search of this sensationally vegetable, our journey of inquisitiveness was essentially fulfilled when we stepped our feet in, Kimahuri Sub-location, Kieni East Sub County, Nyeri County. This is the place that the fruit is grown in plenty.

 

The climatic conditions around this place is conducive as the weather is cold, coupled with plenty supply of piped water, whose source is the nearby Mt Kenya forest. These vegetables are known to thrive best in such surroundings.

 

Across the villages, we meet Mary Nyaguthie and Esther Njoki attending to their farms where they are growing beetroots. The fields are cutting across to other neighboring plots. The magnificent of the vegetables are so attractive that one can’t resist to know more about them; how they are cultivated and why they thrive predominantly here.

 

During their cultivation cycle, the seeds are first sown in the nursery beds before they are transplanted to the main fields for their actual growth. The seeds are very tiny thus making nurseries the best place for them to be taken good care of; though some people, though few sow the seeds directly.

 

The seeds are packaged in grams, 250grams tin retails at 500 shillings. Ones in the beds, the seedlings take one and half months before they are considered best for transplanting.

 

Read the full article in Hortfresh Journal July-August edition
Email:info@hortfreshjournal.com or call 0723308725 to get a copy

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