Divisi
When to plant Chickpea in Sekhukhune
Limpopo, South Africa
Chickpea is a knee-high, branching legume grown for its round, protein-rich seeds — the pea behind roasted snacks, stews and hummus.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 30 Jun 2027 – 9 Jul 2027 opens in 39 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 1.8 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 28 Sep 2027 to 6 Dec 2027, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 56–114 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 30 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Sekhukhune 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 9 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Sekhukhune
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For chickpea in Sekhukhune, 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 Sekhukhune
| 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 665 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 54% of this area. |
| 54% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 190 growing days · about 690 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 35% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 154 growing days · about 570 mm · October to April |
| 6% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 193 growing days · about 730 mm · October to April |
| 4% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 204 growing days · about 800 mm · October to April |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 35% of yield here.
What chickpea needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained loam, clay loam or clay soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 8.0 |
| Spacing | 30 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus |
What it takes to grow chickpea in Sekhukhune
| Nitrogen (N) | About 72 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 27 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job. |
| Hand work | 56–114 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a chickpea 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 Chickpea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Sekhukhune 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.
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 chickpea grow well in Sekhukhune?
Sekhukhune rates as favourable for chickpea.
When should I plant chickpea in Sekhukhune?
Typically 30 Jun 2027 to 9 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Sekhukhune, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
