When to plant Common bean in Oromia

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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 Oromia, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 6 Mar 2027 – 26 Mar 2027 opens in 22 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest 2.0–2.4 t/ha same
Harvest From 20 May 2027 to 24 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 meets its needs 96%

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 26 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Oromia is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 26 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Oromia

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

For common bean in Oromia, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. 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 2027 season in Oromia

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedApril 2027 to November 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,412 mm in a typical farming district
Across its districtsFrom about 455 mm in the driest of 22 districts to about 1,811 mm in the wettest
Rainy seasons, district by districtOf 22 districts: one rainy season in 18 and two rainy seasons in 4
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 1,412 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers9 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
25% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 235 growing days · about 1,140 mm · March to November
13% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 112 growing days · about 480 mm · March to June
11% 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 590 mm · March to June
11% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 223 growing days · about 1,110 mm · April to November
5% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 380 mm · March to June
5% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 234 growing days · about 1,120 mm · March to October
4% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 176 growing days · about 750 mm · April to October
3% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 307 growing days · about 1,250 mm · February to December
3% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 285 growing days · about 1,090 mm · February to November

last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 22 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 Oromia

Planting materialAbout 175,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 79 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 26 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 41 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 Oromia 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 Oromia?

Oromia rates as favourable for common bean.

When should I plant common bean in Oromia?

Typically 6 Mar 2027 to 26 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Oromia, 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 Oromia

Keep going

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