When to plant Cabbage in Mbulu

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Cabbage

Manyara, United Republic of Tanzania

Known here as kabichi · kabeji

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

Cabbage in Mbulu, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 26 Feb 2027 – 22 Mar 2027 opens in 21 weeks 1 May 2027 – 30 Jun 2027
Expected harvest about 23.8 t/ha about 42.9 t/ha
Harvest From 27 Apr 2027 to 9 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 26 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Mbulu 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 22 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Mbulu

Rain and temperature 88%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 45%

For cabbage in Mbulu, 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 Mbulu

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedOctober 2026 to July 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 898 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, March, 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 +1.0 °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, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 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 one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 199 growing days · about 670 mm · November to May
28% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 167 growing days · about 510 mm · November to April
6% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 211 growing days · about 610 mm · November to June
5% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 178 growing days · about 570 mm · November to May

last updated 1 October 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 35% 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 Mbulu

Planting materialAbout 40,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 71 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 17 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 71 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 optimumSteep slope

Grow Cabbage with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Mbulu 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 Mbulu?

Mbulu rates as favourable for cabbage.

When should I plant cabbage in Mbulu?

Typically 26 Feb 2027 to 22 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Mbulu, 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 Mbulu

Keep going

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