French Beans farming guide — Kenya

Soil requirements, top counties, seed varieties, fertilizer plan & economics

Interested in starting or scaling french beans farming in Kenya? This comprehensive guide maps out the optimal soil requirements (such as target pH ranges), the most suitable counties for growing french beans, certified seed varieties, seasonal fertilizer guidelines, and a detailed per-acre production budget to set you up for a successful harvest.

Soil requirements

pH range
5.8–7
Nitrogen
low
Phosphorus
high
Potassium
medium
Preferred texture: Loam

Optimizing soil and fertilizers for French Beans in Kenya

To achieve maximum yields when farming french beans in Kenya, managing soil suitability is crucial. This crop performs best within a soil pH range of 5.8 to 7. Soils that fall outside this range can lock out essential macro and micro-nutrients, leading to stunted growth or crop failure. For acidic soils, applying dolomitic or calcitic agricultural lime is recommended at least 30 days before planting to normalize acidity.

Fertilizer application should be calibrated based on the crop’s nutrient demands. French Beans has a low nitrogen requirement, high phosphorus requirement, and medium potassium demand. Using certified seed varieties suited for your specific altitude and rainfall pattern, combined with a precise basal and top-dressing program (such as applying CAN at Week 2-3 after emergence), ensures high crop quality and protects your overall farm investment.

Best counties for French Beans

Challenging counties for French Beans

These counties may need soil amendments for French Beans

Certified seed varieties

JuliaMedium/Highland
Seminis · 50-60 days · 2500–3250 kg/acre
Fine bean (extra-fine) for EU export; uniform straight pods; resistant to rust and anthracnose.
SamanthaMedium/Highland
Syngenta · 55-65 days · 2750–3500 kg/acre
Fine bean; long dark-green pods; tolerant to halo blight; leading export variety.
AmyMedium/Highland
Pop Vriend Seeds · 50-60 days · 2500–3250 kg/acre
Extra-fine bean; high yielding; good shelf life for air-freight to Europe.
SerengetiMedium/Highland
Syngenta · 55-65 days · 2750–3600 kg/acre
Bobby/whole-bean type; vigorous; rust and BCMV tolerant.
TeresaMedium/Highland
Seminis · 50-60 days · 2400–3100 kg/acre
Fine bean; smooth pods; suited to prepared and processed export.

Planting calendar

Long Rains

Month 1
Sowing & DAP Basal Fertilizer (at planting)
Month 2
Weeding & Pest Scouting (bean fly)
Month 3
Pod Fill & Harvesting starts

Short Rains

Month 1
Sowing & Basal Fertilizer
Month 2
Weeding & Bean Fly Control
Month 3
Harvesting & Grading for export

Dry Season

Month 1
Harvesting remaining pods & Land Preparation
Month 2
Soil pH testing & lime if needed
Month 3
Seed multiplication & storage

Economics

Market priceKES 80/kg
Expected yield3,000 kg/acre

Est. revenueKES 240,000/acre

Top dressing

Product: CAN
Timing: Week 2-3 after emergence
Bags/acre: 1

Apply CAN when seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, then a second light dose at flowering for pod fill

Fertilizer prices

DAPKES 2,500
CANKES 2,500
NPK 17:17:17KES 2,500
UreaKES 2,500
LimeKES 1,500

Subsidized price / 50kg bag

Check your county for French Beans