Divisi
When to plant Bambara groundnut in North West
South Africa
Known here as indlubu · jugoboontjie
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 | 28 Nov 2026 – 7 Jan 2027 opens in 8 weeks | 29 Aug 2026 – 27 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.1 t/ha | about 1.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 26 Feb 2027 to 26 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 | 60% | |
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 28 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for North West leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 7 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in North West
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For bambara groundnut in North West, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 North West
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 561 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 483 mm in the driest of 4 districts to about 561 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, November 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 +2.1 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 47% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 400 mm |
|---|---|
| 43% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 146 growing days · about 540 mm · November to April |
| 8% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 169 growing days · about 570 mm · November to April |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 4 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 40% 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 North West
| Planting material | About 125,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 55 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 11 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 28 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 North West 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 North West?
North West rates as favourable for bambara groundnut.
When should I plant bambara groundnut in North West?
Typically 28 Nov 2026 to 7 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across North West, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
