Growing Cucumber in Machakos

Soil suitability analysis based on Machakos's nutrient profile

Machakos County is well suited to Cucumber, scoring 80/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. At an average pH of 7.03 the soil sits above Cucumber's preferred 5.8–7 range, which can limit uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients. The main gap is nitrogen — measured at N 0.82 g/kg, P 31.4 mg/kg, K 338 mg/kg against this crop's high/medium/high demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing that deficit. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Cucumber, which favours loam. At current prices (about KES 40/kg) and a typical 12,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Cucumber crop here can gross roughly KES 480,000 per acre.