When to plant Cabbage in Bukavu

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Cabbage

Sud-Kivu, République démocratique du Congo

Known here as kabichi · kabeji · chou pommé

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

Cabbage in Bukavu, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 4 Feb 2027 – 24 Mar 2027 opens in 18 weeks 18 Sep 2026 – 30 Jun 2027
Expected harvest about 34.7 t/ha about 17.9 t/ha
Harvest From 5 Apr 2027 to 11 Aug 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-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 4 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Bukavu leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.

Planting after 24 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Bukavu

Rain and temperature 88%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 96%

For cabbage in Bukavu, 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 Bukavu

When the rains are expectedAugust 2026 to July 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,383 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, February, October, November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself.
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.2 °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 supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 56% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
56% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 323 growing days · about 1,350 mm · August to July
33% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 325 growing days · about 1,240 mm · August to July
11% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 327 growing days · about 1,220 mm · August to July

last updated 30 September 2026

Temperature holds back about 25% 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 Bukavu

Planting materialAbout 40,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 104 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 24 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 104 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Cabbage with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Bukavu 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 Bukavu?

Bukavu rates as favourable for cabbage.

When should I plant cabbage in Bukavu?

Typically 4 Feb 2027 to 24 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Bukavu, 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 Bukavu

Keep going

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