Divisi
When to plant Chickpea in Marondera Urban
Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe
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 | 29 Oct 2026 – 8 Nov 2026 opens in 4 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 2.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 27 Jan 2027 to 7 Apr 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 29 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Marondera Urban yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 8 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Marondera Urban
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For chickpea in Marondera Urban, 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 Marondera Urban
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to June 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 919 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 +1.5 °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 | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 17 September 2026
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 Marondera Urban
| Nitrogen (N) | About 84 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 32 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 Marondera Urban 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.
Chickpea 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 chickpea grow well in Marondera Urban?
Marondera Urban rates as favourable for chickpea.
When should I plant chickpea in Marondera Urban?
Typically 29 Oct 2026 to 8 Nov 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Marondera Urban, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
