Growing Butternut Squash in Kisumu

Soil suitability analysis based on Kisumu's nutrient profile

Kisumu County is well suited to Butternut Squash, scoring 77/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 5.54 — 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 potassium — measured at N 0.91 g/kg, P 12.5 mg/kg, K 166 mg/kg against this crop's medium/medium/high demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing that deficit. Butternut Squash prefers sandy loam soils, while Kisumu is largely clay, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Butternut Squash is the #25 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Kisumu 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.