Growing Cowpeas in Makueni
Soil suitability analysis based on Makueni's nutrient profile
Yes — Makueni is well suited to Cowpeas. Makueni's soil (pH 7.5, alkaline) gives Cowpeas a suitability score of 76/100. Match fertilizer to Makueni's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.
Makueni County is well suited to Cowpeas, scoring 76/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 7.5 — alkaline and inside the 5–8 band Cowpeas prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (0.86 g/kg), phosphorus (29.6 mg/kg) and potassium (351 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 #31 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Makueni 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 | Makueni soil | Cowpeas needs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.5 | 5–8 | OK |
| Nitrogen | 0.86 g/kg | min 0.5 g/kg | OK |
| Phosphorus | 29.6 mg/kg | min 6 mg/kg | OK |
| Potassium | 351 mg/kg | min 100 mg/kg | OK |
| Rainfall | 600 mm | 250–700 mm | OK |
| Altitude | 1,000 m | 0–1,800 m | OK |
Top dressing guide
Makueni's nitrogen reads 0.86 g/kg, but the rate stays at zero: Cowpeas is not top-dressed, for the crop-specific reason above.
Seed varieties for Makueni
Varieties suited to Makueni's 1,000 m altitude and 600 mm annual rainfall — 2 of 2 cowpeas varieties we list.
Economics
Fertilizer prices
Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag