Divisi
When to plant Common bean in Etimboue
Ogooue-Maritime, Gabon
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 2 Sep 2026 – 28 Apr 2027 open now | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.2 t/ha | about 2.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 16 Nov 2026 to 26 Aug 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 6 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Etimboue 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 28 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Etimboue
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For common bean in Etimboue, 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 Etimboue
| When the rains are expected | August 2026 to July 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,952 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, September, October, 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 +0.8 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 97% of this area. |
| 97% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 317 growing days · about 1,880 mm · September to July |
|---|---|
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 313 growing days · about 1,830 mm · September to July |
last updated 17 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 Etimboue
| Planting material | About 175,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 73 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 24 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 37 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 | 81–185 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
Grow Common bean with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Etimboue 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.
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 Etimboue?
Etimboue rates as favourable for common bean.
When should I plant common bean in Etimboue?
Typically 2 Sep 2026 to 28 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Etimboue, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
