Divisi
When to plant African nightshade in Kirinyaga
Kenya
Known here as mnavu · mnafu
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 | 13 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027 opens in 23 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 14.9 t/ha | about 23.2 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 12 May 2027 to 6 Aug 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 26 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Kirinyaga leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 8 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kirinyaga
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For african nightshade in Kirinyaga, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 2025 season in Kirinyaga
| When the rains are expected | December 2025 to December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,977 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,009 mm in the driest of 4 districts to about 1,977 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.0 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 5 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 38% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 239 growing days · about 920 mm · February to June |
|---|---|
| 24% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 345 growing days · about 1,610 mm · February to January |
| 10% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 258 growing days · about 1,210 mm · September to July |
| 9% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,750 mm · January to December |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 365 growing days · about 1,780 mm · January to December |
last updated 16 September 2026 · from all 4 areas within it
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 Kirinyaga
| Planting material | About 125,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 60 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 12 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 74 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 Kirinyaga 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 Kirinyaga?
Kirinyaga rates as favourable for african nightshade.
When should I plant african nightshade in Kirinyaga?
Typically 13 Mar 2027 to 8 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kirinyaga, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
