Divisi
When to plant Cabbage in West Rand
Gauteng, South Africa
Known here as ikhabishi · ikhaphetshu · kool
Cabbage is a cool-season leafy vegetable that packs its whole harvest into one dense, round head on a short stem.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 10 Feb 2027 – 20 Feb 2027 opens in 19 weeks | 2 Mar 2027 – 9 Aug 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 25.3 t/ha | about 70.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 11 Apr 2027 to 10 Jul 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 | 55% | |
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 20 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for West Rand 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 20 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in West Rand
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cabbage in West Rand, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2026/27 season in West Rand
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 678 mm |
| 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 +1.9 °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 full main crop, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 56% of this area. |
| 56% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 194 growing days · about 650 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 20% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 190 growing days · about 650 mm · October to April |
| 17% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 150 growing days · about 580 mm · October to April |
| 7% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 178 growing days · about 600 mm · October to April |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 50% 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 West Rand
| Planting material | About 40,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 76 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 18 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 76 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A 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 work | 118–211 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
Grow Cabbage with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes West Rand 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.
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 West Rand?
West Rand rates as favourable for cabbage.
When should I plant cabbage in West Rand?
Typically 10 Feb 2027 to 20 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across West Rand, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
