When to plant Cabbage in Senqunyane

Save as PDF

Cabbage

Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho

Cabbage is a cool-season leafy vegetable that packs its whole harvest into one dense, round head on a short stem.

Cabbage in Senqunyane, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Moderate
When to plant 12 Nov 2026 – 24 Nov 2026 opens in 6 weeks 29 Aug 2026 – 7 Dec 2026
Expected harvest 17.7–23.2 t/ha about 22.4 t/ha
Harvest From 11 Jan 2027 to 13 Apr 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 60–140 days after planting
Work it takes 118–211 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 72%

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 24 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Senqunyane 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 24 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Senqunyane

Rain and temperature 88%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 45%

For cabbage in Senqunyane, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 Senqunyane

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedSeptember 2026 to May 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 719 mm
This season's rainLeaning 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 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, cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 55% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
55% enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 219 growing days · about 650 mm · September to May
29% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 148 growing days · about 590 mm · November to April
9% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 151 growing days · about 600 mm · November to May
3% enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 203 growing days · about 590 mm · October to April

last updated 16 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 45% of yield here.

What cabbage needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8
Spacing 65 cm between rows, 40 cm between plants
Feed it most with boron, molybdenum and calcium

What it takes to grow cabbage in Senqunyane

Planting materialAbout 40,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 53 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 12 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 53 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 work118–211 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cabbage 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

Frost riskPest/disease risk — manageableSteep slope

Grow Cabbage with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Senqunyane 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

Where to sell Cabbage nearby

Cabbage 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 cabbage grow well in Senqunyane?

Senqunyane rates as moderate for cabbage.

When should I plant cabbage in Senqunyane?

Typically 12 Nov 2026 to 24 Nov 2026, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Senqunyane, 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 Senqunyane

Keep going

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