When to plant African nightshade in Tobias Hainyeko

Khomas, Namibia

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.

African nightshade in Tobias Hainyeko, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure	Rain-fed	With irrigation
Fit	Moderate
When to plant	30 Dec 2026 – 29 Jan 2027 opens in 13 weeks	20 Jul 2026 – 11 Apr 2027
Expected harvest	about 7.1 t/ha	about 19.5 t/ha
Harvest	From 28 Feb 2027 to 29 May 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 meets its needs	53%

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 29 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

No seasonal forecast reaches Tobias Hainyeko yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.

Planting after 29 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Tobias Hainyeko

Rain and temperature	96%
The soil	76%
The lie of the land	60%

For african nightshade in Tobias Hainyeko, 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 2026 season in Tobias Hainyeko

Rainy seasons	One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expected	January 2026 to April 2026
Rain in a typical year	About 367 mm
This season's rain	Leaning dry — January and February 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 +2.1 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers	2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 80% of this area.

Agro-ecological zones covering this area
80%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 88 growing days · about 380 mm · January to April
20%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 86 growing days · about 370 mm · January to April

last updated 17 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 50% 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 Tobias Hainyeko

Planting material	About 125,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)	About 28 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)	About 6 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)	About 36 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableNot enough water in seasonSoil pH outside the crop's range

Grow African nightshade with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Tobias Hainyeko 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 nightshade in nearby districts

How to grow African nightshade, step by step Land preparation to harvest — every task, in order

Frequently asked questions

Will african nightshade grow well in Tobias Hainyeko?

Tobias Hainyeko rates as moderate for african nightshade.

When should I plant african nightshade in Tobias Hainyeko?

Typically 30 Dec 2026 to 29 Jan 2027, typical season.

Is this exact for my own field?

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