Divisi
When to plant Cowpea in GHANZI
These figures also cover GHANZI, where the engine returns the same answer.
Botswana
Cowpea (nyemba, kunde, niébé, black-eyed pea) is a tough, drought-beating legume for warm country.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 1 Dec 2026 – 10 Jan 2027 opens in 9 weeks | 29 Aug 2026 – 10 Feb 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 0.8–1.1 t/ha | about 2.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 30 Jan 2027 to 10 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 meets its needs | 47% | |
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 31 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches GHANZI yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 10 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in GHANZI
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For cowpea in GHANZI, 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 2026/27 season in GHANZI
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | December 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 357 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 337 mm in the driest of 2 districts to about 357 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February 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 +2.4 °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 one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 93% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 350 mm |
|---|---|
| 4% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 75 growing days · about 370 mm · December to March |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 2 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 55% 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 GHANZI
| Planting material | About 90,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 48 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 18 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 | 50–105 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
Grow Cowpea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes GHANZI 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.
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 GHANZI?
GHANZI rates as favourable for cowpea.
When should I plant cowpea in GHANZI?
Typically 1 Dec 2026 to 10 Jan 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across GHANZI, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
