Growing Garden Peas in Machakos
Soil suitability analysis based on Machakos's nutrient profile
Generally not ideal — Machakos is poorly suited to Garden Peas. Machakos's soil (pH 7.03, near-neutral) gives Garden Peas a suitability score of 34/100. Match fertilizer to Machakos's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.
Machakos County is a challenging environment for Garden Peas (soil-match score 34/100) and will need significant amendment before planting. At an average pH of 7.03 the soil sits above Garden Peas's preferred 5.5–7 range, which can limit uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients. Nitrogen (0.82 g/kg), phosphorus (31.4 mg/kg) and potassium (338 mg/kg) all meet Garden Peas's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Garden Peas, which favours sandy loam. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Garden Peas is the #88 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Machakos County. Garden Peas's full potential is about 2,500 kg/acre (~KES 362,500/acre at KES 145/kg), but at Machakos's 34/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 1,063 kg/acre (~KES 154,135/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.
Better matched to Machakos's soil: Mango, Sisal, and Moringa — each scores higher on the same soil.
Soil & climate match
| Factor | Machakos soil | Garden Peas needs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.03 | 5.5–7 | Adjust |
| Nitrogen | 0.82 g/kg | min 0.5 g/kg | OK |
| Phosphorus | 31.4 mg/kg | min 12 mg/kg | OK |
| Potassium | 338 mg/kg | min 150 mg/kg | OK |
| Rainfall | 700 mm | 800–2,100 mm | Low |
| Altitude | 1,100 m | 1,500–2,600 m | Low |
Recommended seed varieties
Economics
Fertilizer prices
Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag