Divisi
When to plant Carrot in City of Cape Town
Western Cape, South Africa
Known here as wortel
The carrot is a cool-season root crop grown for its sweet, crunchy taproot — the long root you pull from the ground.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 2 Jul 2027 – 22 Jul 2027 opens in 39 weeks | 20 Jul 2026 – 2 Mar 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 16.4 t/ha | about 50.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 30 Sep 2027 to 29 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–130 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 108–216 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 52% | |
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 2 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for City of Cape Town is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 22 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in City of Cape Town
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For carrot in City of Cape Town, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2027 season in City of Cape Town
| When the rains are expected | April 2027 to October 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 499 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 499 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter 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 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 67% of this area. |
| 67% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 203 growing days · about 600 mm · April to October |
|---|---|
| 14% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 167 growing days · about 500 mm · April to September |
| 12% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 215 growing days · about 640 mm · March to November |
| 7% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 206 growing days · about 540 mm · April to October |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 55% of yield here.
What carrot needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8 |
| Spacing | 20 cm between rows, 4 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, phosphorus and boron |
What it takes to grow carrot in City of Cape Town
| Planting material | About 750,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 30 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 79 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 | 108–216 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a carrot 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 Carrot with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes City of Cape Town 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 Carrot nearby
Carrot 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 carrot grow well in City of Cape Town?
City of Cape Town rates as favourable for carrot.
When should I plant carrot in City of Cape Town?
Typically 2 Jul 2027 to 22 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across City of Cape Town, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
