When to plant Common bean in Bugendana

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Common bean

Gitega, Burundi

The common bean is the number-one grain legume that people in East and Southern Africa eat straight from the pot — as dry beans (a pulse) or as fresh green/snap pods.

Common bean in Bugendana, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 23 Sep 2026 – 24 Mar 2027 open now 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 2.1 t/ha same
Harvest From 7 Dec 2026 to 22 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 75–120 days after planting
Work it takes 81–185 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 5 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Bugendana 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 24 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Bugendana

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 60%

For common bean in Bugendana, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 Bugendana

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedSeptember 2026 to June 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 995 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, February, October, 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 +1.2 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 78% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
78% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 284 growing days · about 980 mm · September to June
13% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 280 growing days · about 960 mm · September to June
9% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 281 growing days · about 970 mm · September to June

last updated 16 September 2026

What common bean needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam, silt loam or clay loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5
Spacing 50 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus

What it takes to grow common bean in Bugendana

Planting materialAbout 175,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 69 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 23 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 36 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work81–185 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a common bean 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 optimum

Grow Common bean with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Bugendana 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 Common bean nearby

Common bean 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 common bean grow well in Bugendana?

Bugendana rates as favourable for common bean.

When should I plant common bean in Bugendana?

Typically 23 Sep 2026 to 24 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Bugendana, 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 Bugendana

Keep going

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