Growing Garden Peas in Makueni

Soil suitability analysis based on Makueni's nutrient profile

Makueni County is a challenging environment for Garden Peas (soil-match score 18/100) and will need significant amendment before planting. At an average pH of 7.5 the soil sits above Garden Peas's preferred 5.5–7 range, which can limit uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients. Nitrogen (0.86 g/kg), phosphorus (29.6 mg/kg) and potassium (351 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. At 1000 m, the county sits below Garden Peas's preferred altitude range (1500–2600 m), which limits yield potential due to heat stress. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Garden Peas is the #94 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Makueni County. Garden Peas's full potential is about 2,500 kg/acre (~KES 362,500/acre at KES 145/kg), but at Makueni's 18/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 563 kg/acre (~KES 81,635/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.

Better matched to Makueni's soil: Lucerne, Mango, and Sisal — each scores higher on the same soil.