Growing Butternut Squash in Kilifi

Soil suitability analysis based on Kilifi's nutrient profile

Kilifi County is well suited to Butternut Squash, scoring 83/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.24 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7.5 band Butternut Squash prefers, so no lime is usually required. The main gap is phosphorus and potassium — measured at N 0.8 g/kg, P 11 mg/kg, K 109 mg/kg against this crop's medium/medium/high demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing those deficits. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Butternut Squash, which favours sandy loam. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Butternut Squash is the #20 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Kilifi County. At current prices (about KES 40/kg) and a typical 10,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Butternut Squash crop here can gross roughly KES 400,000 per acre.