Growing Butternut Squash in West Pokot

Soil suitability analysis based on West Pokot's nutrient profile

West Pokot County is well suited to Butternut Squash, scoring 90/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.04 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7.5 band Butternut Squash prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.67 g/kg), phosphorus (24.8 mg/kg) and potassium (211 mg/kg) all meet Butternut Squash's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Butternut Squash, which favours sandy loam. At current prices (about KES 40/kg) and a typical 8,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Butternut Squash crop here can gross roughly KES 320,000 per acre.