Growing Butternut Squash in Nakuru

Soil suitability analysis based on Nakuru's nutrient profile

Nakuru County is well suited to Butternut Squash, scoring 93/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.28 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7.5 band Butternut Squash prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.59 g/kg), phosphorus (25.2 mg/kg) and potassium (239 mg/kg) all meet Butternut Squash's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. Butternut Squash prefers sandy loam soils, while Nakuru is largely clay loam, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Butternut Squash is the #17 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Nakuru County. At current prices (about KES 40/kg) and a typical 10,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Butternut Squash crop here can gross roughly KES 400,000 per acre.