When to plant Beetroot in Ondangwa

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Beetroot

Oshana, Namibia

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) is a cool-season root vegetable grown for its round, deep-red, sweet root — and its young leaves double as greens, cooked like spinach.

Beetroot in Ondangwa, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 1 May 2027 – 30 Jun 2027 opens in 30 weeks
Expected harvest about 37.1 t/ha
Harvest From 25 Jun 2027 to 28 Sep 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 55–90 days after planting
Work it takes 86–171 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 1 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

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

Planting after 30 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Ondangwa

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

For beetroot in Ondangwa, 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 Ondangwa

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedDecember 2026 to April 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 537 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 537 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.7 °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 covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 94% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
94% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 125 growing days · about 530 mm · December to April
6% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 130 growing days · about 540 mm · December to April

last updated 17 September 2026

The soil holds back about 10% of yield here.

What beetroot needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5
Spacing 35 cm between rows, 8 cm between plants
Feed it most with potassium and boron

What it takes to grow beetroot in Ondangwa

Planting materialAbout 300,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 111 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 37 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 186 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 work86–171 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a beetroot 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

Soil pH outside the crop's rangeCorrect soil pH (acidifier)Correctable with liming

Grow Beetroot with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Ondangwa 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 beetroot grow well in Ondangwa?

Ondangwa rates as favourable for beetroot.

When should I plant beetroot in Ondangwa?

Typically 1 May 2027 to 30 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Ondangwa, 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 Ondangwa

Keep going

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