Growing Butternut Squash in Elgeyo Marakwet

Soil suitability analysis based on Elgeyo Marakwet's nutrient profile

Elgeyo Marakwet County is well suited to Butternut Squash, scoring 92/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.27 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7.5 band Butternut Squash prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.39 g/kg), phosphorus (22.2 mg/kg) and potassium (213 mg/kg) all meet Butternut Squash's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly clay loam soils suit Butternut Squash, which favours sandy loam. At current prices (about KES 40/kg) and a typical 8,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Butternut Squash crop here can gross roughly KES 320,000 per acre.