When to plant African eggplant in Boa Vista

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African eggplant

Cabo Verde

African eggplant (garden egg, bitter tomato, ngogwe, nakati) is a tough, home-grown cousin of tomato and eggplant, grown two ways at once — for its round fruit, which is often pleasantly bitter, and for its soft, tasty leaves.

African eggplant in Boa Vista, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now
Expected harvest about 32.4 t/ha
Harvest From 21 Apr 2026 to 6 May 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–125 days after planting
Work it takes 108–233 days per hectare, by hand

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Boa Vista is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Boa Vista

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 96%

For african eggplant in Boa Vista, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.

The season in Boa Vista

Rain in a typical yearAbout 91 mm in a typical farming district
Across its districtsFrom about 82 mm in the driest of 2 districts to about 91 mm in the wettest
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 91 mm falling roughly when it always does
What that supportstoo dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
78% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 90 mm
22% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 80 mm

last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 2 areas within it

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What african eggplant needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8
Spacing 90 cm between rows, 90 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen and potassium

What it takes to grow african eggplant in Boa Vista

Planting materialAbout 12,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 97 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 26 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 146 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established.
Hand work108–233 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a african eggplant crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.

What to watch for

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH outside the crop's rangeCorrect soil pH (acidifier)

Grow African eggplant with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Boa Vista as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

African eggplant in nearby districts

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Frequently asked questions

Will african eggplant grow well in Boa Vista?

Boa Vista rates as favourable for african eggplant.

When should I plant african eggplant in Boa Vista?

Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Boa Vista, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.