When to plant Cowpea in Caconda

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Cowpea

Huíla, Angola

Known here as feijão-frade

Cowpea (nyemba, kunde, niébé, black-eyed pea) is a tough, drought-beating legume for warm country.

Cowpea in Caconda, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 27 Sep 2026 – 26 Jan 2027 open now 29 Aug 2026 – 7 Dec 2026
Expected harvest about 1.7 t/ha same
Harvest From 26 Nov 2026 to 26 May 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 60–120 days after planting
Work it takes 50–105 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 4 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Caconda 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 26 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Caconda

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

For cowpea in Caconda, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 Caconda

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedOctober 2026 to May 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,366 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, February, October 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 +1.3 °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 covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 72% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
72% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 241 growing days · about 1,340 mm · October to May
27% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 231 growing days · about 1,250 mm · October to May

last updated 16 September 2026

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

What cowpea needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand, sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus and potassium

What it takes to grow cowpea in Caconda

Planting materialAbout 90,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 102 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 20 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 37 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 work50–105 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cowpea 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 Cowpea with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Caconda 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

Cowpea 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 cowpea grow well in Caconda?

Caconda rates as favourable for cowpea.

When should I plant cowpea in Caconda?

Typically 27 Sep 2026 to 26 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Caconda, 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 Caconda

Keep going

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