Divisi
When to plant African nightshade in Ludzeludze
Manzini, Eswatini
African nightshade (Solanum scabrum — mnavu, managu, osuga, nsugga, umsobo) is one of Africa's most-loved traditional leafy vegetables: soft, dark, iron- and vitamin-rich leaves that cook down fast and sell steadily at market.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 6 Dec 2026 – 28 Feb 2027 opens in 9 weeks | 30 Jun 2026 – 1 May 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 11.4 t/ha | about 19.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 4 Feb 2027 to 28 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 60–120 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 103–191 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 11 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Ludzeludze leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 28 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ludzeludze
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For african nightshade in Ludzeludze, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.
The 2026/27 season in Ludzeludze
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to June 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,015 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, October, November and December look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.5 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 78% of this area. |
| 78% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 255 growing days · about 1,000 mm · September to June |
|---|---|
| 11% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 239 growing days · about 930 mm · September to May |
| 6% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 274 growing days · about 1,150 mm · September to June |
| 6% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 229 growing days · about 890 mm · September to May |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 35% of yield here.
What african nightshade needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 40 cm between rows, 20 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium |
What it takes to grow african nightshade in Ludzeludze
| Planting material | About 125,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 46 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 57 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A 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 work | 103–191 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a african nightshade 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
Grow African nightshade with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Ludzeludze 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.
African nightshade 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 nightshade grow well in Ludzeludze?
Ludzeludze rates as favourable for african nightshade.
When should I plant african nightshade in Ludzeludze?
Typically 6 Dec 2026 to 28 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ludzeludze, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
