When to plant Amaranth in Area 2

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Amaranth

Contested, Ethiopia

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a fast, heat-loving plant that gives you two harvests from one crop — tender leaves and tiny grain.

Amaranth in Area 2, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Moderate
When to plant 6 Jun 2027 – 26 Jun 2027 opens in 35 weeks 21 May 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 6.1 t/ha about 11.1 t/ha
Harvest From 6 Jul 2027 to 23 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 30–150 days after planting
Work it takes 78–163 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 90%

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 16 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Area 2 is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 26 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Area 2

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 30%

For amaranth in Area 2, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 2027 season in Area 2

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedJune 2027 to October 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 590 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 590 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.4 °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 supportsenough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 78% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
78% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 129 growing days · about 640 mm · June to October
19% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 132 growing days · about 690 mm · June to September
3% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 157 growing days · about 760 mm · May to October

last updated 16 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 65% of yield here.

What amaranth needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0
Spacing 10 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

What it takes to grow amaranth in Area 2

Nitrogen (N)About 24 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 6 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 30 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 work78–163 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a amaranth 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 — manageableSteep slope

Grow Amaranth with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Area 2 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

Amaranth 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 amaranth grow well in Area 2?

Area 2 rates as moderate for amaranth.

When should I plant amaranth in Area 2?

Typically 6 Jun 2027 to 26 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Area 2, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Area 2

Keep going

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