Top 100 Plants for Selling and Food in Kenya

From Fast-Growing Crops to Long-Term Tree Investments

Harvest timelines, top uses, and commercial potential—from days to years

Kenya’s diverse climate and soil types allow farmers to grow a wide range of crops and trees for food, medicine, fuel, and commercial sale. Whether you’re looking for rapid cash crops or long-term investments like timber and fruit trees, this guide lists 100 plants categorized by harvest time—from days to weeks, months, and years. Each entry includes estimated time to harvest and top 3 uses to help you plan your farm or agribusiness venture.

🌱 Plants Ready in Days to Weeks (7–30 Days)

  1. Radishes
    • Time to harvest: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Fresh consumption, quick cash crop, pest deterrent
  2. Microgreens (e.g. sunflower, mustard)
    • Time: 7–14 days
    • Uses: Gourmet salads, nutrition supplements, urban farming
  3. Spinach (baby leaves)
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Cooking, juicing, fast turnover
  4. Lettuce (leaf varieties)
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Salads, sandwiches, hydroponics
  5. Coriander (Dhania)
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Culinary herb, garnish, market greens
  6. Amaranth (Terere)
    • Time: 2–3 weeks (leaves)
    • Uses: Leafy vegetable, iron-rich food, animal feed
  7. Pak Choi (Chinese cabbage)
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Stir-fry, soups, urban farming
  8. Spring onions
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Culinary, salad topping, flavoring
  9. Fenugreek leaves (Methi)
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Leafy greens, medicinal, spice base
  10. Kale (baby leaves)
    • Time: 3–4 weeks
    • Uses: Cooking, smoothies, fast harvest

🌿 Plants Ready in 1–3 Months

  1. Beans (green/fresh)
    • Time: 6–8 weeks
    • Uses: Food, nitrogen fixer, market crop
  2. French beans
    • Time: 6–8 weeks
    • Uses: Export crop, stir-fry, income generation
  3. Carrots
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Fresh consumption, juice, animal feed
  4. Beetroot
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Juice, salad, blood health
  5. Cabbage
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Cooking, coleslaw, market sale
  6. Tomatoes (open field)
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Sauce, fresh market, juice
  7. Capsicum (Bell peppers)
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Culinary, salad, export
  8. Okra (Lady’s fingers)
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Stews, thickener, nutrition
  9. Zucchini (Courgette)
    • Time: 2 months
    • Uses: Cooking, baking, fast turnover
  10. Strawberries
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Fresh fruit, jam, dessert topping
  11. Garlic
    • Time: 3 months
    • Uses: Culinary, medicinal, pest control
  12. Onions (bulb)
    • Time: 3 months
    • Uses: Cooking, storage, market sale
  13. Sweet corn
    • Time: 2–3 months
    • Uses: Fresh eating, roasting, animal feed
  14. Pumpkin leaves
    • Time: 1 month
    • Uses: Vegetable, iron source, soup base
  15. Turnips
    • Time: 2 months
    • Uses: Root vegetable, soup, animal feed

🌾 Plants Ready in 3–6 Months

  1. Maize
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Staple food, flour, animal feed
  2. Sorghum
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Porridge, brewing, drought resilience
  3. Millet
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Porridge, flour, bird feed
  4. Sweet potatoes
    • Time: 4–5 months
    • Uses: Root crop, chips, flour
  5. Irish potatoes
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Chips, stew, flour
  6. Watermelon
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Fresh fruit, juice, snack
  7. Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew)
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Fruit, juice, dessert
  8. Butternut squash
    • Time: 4–5 months
    • Uses: Soup, roasting, baby food
  9. Groundnuts (peanuts)
    • Time: 4–5 months
    • Uses: Snack, peanut butter, oil
  10. Sunflower
    • Time: 4–5 months
    • Uses: Oil, animal feed, ornamental
  11. Soybeans
    • Time: 4–5 months
    • Uses: Protein, tofu, animal feed
  12. Green grams (Ndengu)
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Stew, flour, protein source
  13. Cowpeas
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Leaves, pulses, drought crop
  14. Eggplant (Brinjal)
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Stew, grilling, export
  15. Chili peppers
    • Time: 3–4 months
    • Uses: Spice, drying, sauces

🌿 Plants Ready in 6–12 Months

  1. Sugarcane
    • Time: 9–12 months
    • Uses: Juice, sugar, molasses
  2. Bananas (short cycle)
    • Time: 9–12 months
    • Uses: Fruit, flour, animal feed
  3. Papaya (pawpaw)
    • Time: 6–9 months
    • Uses: Fruit, enzyme extraction, juice
  4. Moringa (leaves)
    • Time: 6–12 months
    • Uses: Herbal medicine, nutrition, animal feed
  5. Passion fruit
    • Time: 6–9 months
    • Uses: Juice, fresh fruit, export
  6. Hass avocado (first yield)
    • Time: 12 months
    • Uses: Fruit, oil, export
  7. Dragon fruit
    • Time: 9–12 months
    • Uses: Fruit, juice, export
  8. Pineapple
    • Time: 12 months
    • Uses: Fruit, juice, jam
  9. Guava
    • Time: 9–12 months
    • Uses: Fruit, juice, jam
  10. Tree tomato (Tamarillo)
    • Time: 9–12 months
    • Uses: Fruit, juice, chutney

🌳 Trees and Long-Term Crops (1–10+ Years)

  1. Bamboo
    • Time: 3–5 years
    • Uses: Construction, crafts, firewood
  2. Eucalyptus
    • Time: 6–8 years
    • Uses: Timber, poles, essential oils
  3. Grevillea
    • Time: 5–7 years
    • Uses: Timber, shade, fencing
  4. Melia volkensii (Mukau)
    • Time: 8–10 years
    • Uses: Timber, drought resilience, furniture
  5. Neem
    • Time: 3–5 years
    • Uses: Medicinal, pest control, oil
  6. Jacaranda
    • Time: 5–7 years
    • Uses: Ornamental, shade, landscaping
  7. Mango tree
    • Time: 3–5 years (fruiting)
    • Uses: Fruit, shade, timber
  8. Avocado (full yield)
    • Time: 3–5 years
    • Uses: Fruit, oil, export
  9. Macadamia
    • Time: 4–6 years
    • Uses: Nuts, oil, export
  10. Cashew
    • Time: 3–5 years
    • Uses: Nuts, fruit, oil
  1. Coffee
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Beverage production, export crop, compost mulch (from pulp waste)
  1. Tea (Camellia sinensis)
  • Time: 3–5 years
  • Uses: Beverage leaves, export income, erosion control in highlands
  1. Orange tree
  • Time: 3–5 years
  • Uses: Juice, marmalade, fresh fruit
  1. Lemon tree
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Culinary flavoring, juice, cleaning products (natural acids)
  1. Guava tree
  • Time: 2–3 years
  • Uses: Fresh fruit, jam, medicinal compounds
  1. Tamarind (Mkwaju)
  • Time: 4–6 years
  • Uses: Fruit pulp for juice and cooking, medicine, shade tree
  1. Soursop (Graviola)
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Juice, alternative medicine, fresh fruit
  1. Loquat
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Fruit, ornamental, jam
  1. Mulberry
  • Time: 2–3 years
  • Uses: Fruit, silkworm feed, medicinal use
  1. Pomegranate
  • Time: 2–3 years
  • Uses: Juice, fruit, antioxidants
  1. Clove tree
  • Time: 4–6 years
  • Uses: Spice, oil, medicinal extract
  1. Cinnamon (Cassia)
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Spice bark, essential oil, food flavoring
  1. Avocado (local varieties)
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Fruit, oil, shade
  1. Date palm
  • Time: 5–6 years
  • Uses: Dried fruit, syrup, ornamental landscaping
  1. Fig tree
  • Time: 3–4 years
  • Uses: Fruit, shade, jam production
  1. Almond tree
  • Time: 5–7 years
  • Uses: Nut, oil, export potential
  1. Sesbania (green manure)
  • Time: 1 year
  • Uses: Soil enrichment, fodder, fuel wood
  1. Jatropha
  • Time: 2–3 years
  • Uses: Biofuel production, fencing, pest repellent
  1. Baobab (Mbuyu)
  • Time: 6–8 years
  • Uses: Fruit pulp (vitamin-rich), medicinal bark, seed oil
  1. Acacia species
  • Time: 4–6 years
  • Uses: Timber, gum production, erosion control

🌱 Specialty Herbs and High-Value Plants (Various Timelines)

  1. Oregano
  • Time: 2–3 months
  • Uses: Culinary herb, essential oil, medicinal
  1. Rosemary
  • Time: 3–4 months
  • Uses: Spice, fragrance, ornamental hedge
  1. Thyme
  • Time: 2–3 months
  • Uses: Culinary, antiseptic, tea
  1. Basil
  • Time: 2–3 months
  • Uses: Pesto, salad herb, pest repellent
  1. Mint
  • Time: 1–2 months
  • Uses: Beverage flavoring, aromatherapy, insect repellent
  1. Lemongrass
  • Time: 3–4 months
  • Uses: Tea, oil extraction, soil conservation
  1. Chamomile
  • Time: 2–3 months
  • Uses: Herbal tea, relaxation, skin care
  1. Lavender
  • Time: 4–6 months
  • Uses: Essential oil, ornamental, insect repellent
  1. Sage
  • Time: 2–3 months
  • Uses: Medicinal tea, flavoring, dried herbs
  1. Aloe vera
  • Time: 6–8 months
  • Uses: Skin care, medicinal gel, drought-tolerant ornamental

🍠 Root, Tuber & Medicinal Crops (Seasonal to Multi-Year)

  1. Arrowroot (Nduma)
  • Time: 6–8 months
  • Uses: Porridge, flour, root starch
  1. Yam
  • Time: 6–9 months
  • Uses: Stew, flour, food security
  1. Cassava
  • Time: 8–12 months
  • Uses: Flour, chips, starch
  1. Turmeric
  • Time: 8–10 months
  • Uses: Spice, medicine, dye
  1. Ginger
  • Time: 6–8 months
  • Uses: Spice, tea, medicinal extract
  1. Sage root (Salvia spp.)
  • Time: 6–12 months
  • Uses: Anti-inflammatory herb, soil binder, tea
  1. Artemisia annua (for malaria)
  • Time: 3–4 months
  • Uses: Medicinal extract, herbal tea, natural pest control
  1. Mondia whitei (Mukombero)
  • Time: 6–12 months
  • Uses: Aphrodisiac root, adaptogen, herbal drink
  1. Baobab seedlings
  • Time: Grown over 5–10 years
  • Uses: Fruit pulp, bark medicine, shade tree
  1. Neem seedlings (organic pest control)
  • Time: 3–5 years
  • Uses: Medicinal oil, pest repellent, water conservation