When to plant Bambara groundnut in Serdj El Ghoul

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Bambara groundnut

Setif, Algeria

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is one of Africa's own beans — a tough, low, bushy plant, often grown by the women of the household on the poorest, sandiest land where maize would fail.

Bambara groundnut in Serdj El Ghoul, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Moderate
When to plant 21 May 2027 – 10 Jun 2027 opens in 33 weeks
Expected harvest about 0.7 t/ha
Harvest From 19 Aug 2027 to 27 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–170 days after planting
Work it takes 77–157 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 21 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

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

Planting after 10 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Serdj El Ghoul

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

For bambara groundnut in Serdj El Ghoul, 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 2026/27 season in Serdj El Ghoul

When the rains are expectedSeptember 2026 to May 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 693 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 693 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.6 °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 full main crop, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 73% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
73% enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 244 growing days · about 760 mm · September to May
13% enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 227 growing days · about 640 mm · September to May
13% enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 192 growing days · about 910 mm · September to December

last updated 18 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 65% of yield here.

What bambara groundnut needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand or sandy loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.5
Spacing 40 cm between rows, 15 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus and calcium

What it takes to grow bambara groundnut in Serdj El Ghoul

Planting materialAbout 125,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 35 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 7 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 18 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job.
Hand work77–157 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a bambara groundnut 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 below the crop's optimumSteep slope

Grow Bambara groundnut with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Serdj El Ghoul 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

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 bambara groundnut grow well in Serdj El Ghoul?

Serdj El Ghoul rates as moderate for bambara groundnut.

When should I plant bambara groundnut in Serdj El Ghoul?

Typically 21 May 2027 to 10 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Serdj El Ghoul, 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 Serdj El Ghoul

Keep going

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