When to plant Common bean in Amhara

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Common bean

Ethiopia

Known here as boloqe

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 Amhara, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 6 May 2027 – 24 Aug 2027 opens in 31 weeks 10 Feb 2026 – 21 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 2.3 t/ha same
Harvest From 20 Jul 2027 to 22 Dec 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 16 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

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

What decides this in Amhara

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 88%

For common bean in Amhara, 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 season in Amhara

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMay 2026 to October 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 872 mm in a typical farming district
Across its districtsFrom about 657 mm in the driest of 14 districts to about 1,652 mm in the wettest
This season's rainLeaning wet — October 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 one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers5 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
29% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 147 growing days · about 880 mm · May to October
26% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 149 growing days · about 750 mm · May to October
14% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 211 growing days · about 1,350 mm · April to November
13% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 222 growing days · about 1,140 mm · April to October
8% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 148 growing days · about 940 mm · May to October

last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 14 areas within it

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

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 Amhara

Planting materialAbout 175,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 76 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 25 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 39 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 — manageable

Grow Common bean with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Amhara 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 Amhara?

Amhara rates as favourable for common bean.

When should I plant common bean in Amhara?

Typically 6 May 2027 to 24 Aug 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Amhara, 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 Amhara

Keep going

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