Growing Cowpeas in Machakos
Soil suitability analysis based on Machakos's nutrient profile
Yes — Machakos is well suited to Cowpeas. Machakos's soil (pH 7.03, near-neutral) gives Cowpeas a suitability score of 87/100. Match fertilizer to Machakos's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.
Machakos County is well suited to Cowpeas, scoring 87/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 7.03 — neutral and inside the 5–8 band Cowpeas prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (0.82 g/kg), phosphorus (31.4 mg/kg) and potassium (338 mg/kg) all meet Cowpeas's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Cowpeas, which favours sandy. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Cowpeas is the #21 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Machakos County. At current prices (about KES 65/kg) and a typical 450 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Cowpeas crop here can gross roughly KES 29,250 per acre.
Soil & climate match
| Factor | Machakos soil | Cowpeas needs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.03 | 5–8 | OK |
| Nitrogen | 0.82 g/kg | min 0.5 g/kg | OK |
| Phosphorus | 31.4 mg/kg | min 6 mg/kg | OK |
| Potassium | 338 mg/kg | min 100 mg/kg | OK |
| Rainfall | 700 mm | 250–700 mm | OK |
| Altitude | 1,100 m | 0–1,800 m | OK |
Top dressing guide
Recommended seed varieties
Economics
Fertilizer prices
Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag