When to plant Cabbage in Mutasa

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Cabbage

Manicaland, Zimbabwe

Known here as kabichi · ikhabishi

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

Cabbage in Mutasa, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 19 Jan 2027 – 18 Feb 2027 opens in 16 weeks 2 Mar 2027 – 20 Jul 2027
Expected harvest about 36.8 t/ha about 44.4 t/ha
Harvest From 20 Mar 2027 to 8 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 85%

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 8 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Mutasa 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 18 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Mutasa

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

For cabbage in Mutasa, 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 Mutasa

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedOctober 2026 to June 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,068 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 +1.4 °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 67% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
67% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 220 growing days · about 1,000 mm · October to June
18% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 228 growing days · about 1,010 mm · October to June
6% enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 234 growing days · about 1,160 mm · October 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 171 growing days · about 740 mm · October to April

last updated 17 September 2026

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 Mutasa

Planting materialAbout 40,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 110 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 26 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 110 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 optimumEarly-maturing — escapes late drought

Grow Cabbage with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Mutasa 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 Mutasa?

Mutasa rates as favourable for cabbage.

When should I plant cabbage in Mutasa?

Typically 19 Jan 2027 to 18 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Mutasa, 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 Mutasa

Keep going

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