Divisi
When to plant Bambara groundnut in BOTETI
CENTRAL, Botswana
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 25 Nov 2026 – 15 Dec 2026 opens in 8 weeks | 27 Dec 2026 – 1 May 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 1.0–1.2 t/ha | about 1.9 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 23 Feb 2027 to 3 Jun 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 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 15 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches BOTETI yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 15 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in BOTETI
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For bambara groundnut in BOTETI, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026/27 season in BOTETI
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | December 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 392 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February 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 +2.2 °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 24% of this area. |
| 76% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 330 mm |
|---|---|
| 24% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 89 growing days · about 380 mm · December to March |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 45% 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 BOTETI
| Planting material | About 125,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 50 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 25 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A 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 work | 77–157 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
Grow Bambara groundnut with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes BOTETI 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.
Bambara groundnut 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 bambara groundnut grow well in BOTETI?
BOTETI rates as favourable for bambara groundnut.
When should I plant bambara groundnut in BOTETI?
Typically 25 Nov 2026 to 15 Dec 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across BOTETI, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
